Domestic Violence & Abuse Support

If you are in immediate danger, your safety comes first. These are the most urgent contacts.

1. Call 999 if you're in immediate danger Important

   If you or your children are in immediate danger, call 999. Police take domestic abuse seriously — it is a crime and they will respond. If you can't speak, press 55 and you'll be transferred to the police. You will be believed.

2. Call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline — 0808 2000 247 Important

   Refuge's National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also use the online chat. They can help you think through your options, find local refuges, and access emergency support. You don't have to have left yet — call whenever.

   National DA Helpline — 0808 2000 247 (opens in new tab)
3. Find your nearest refuge Important

   If it is not safe to stay at home, refuges provide emergency accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic abuse. Places can be found quickly through the National Helpline or Women's Aid. Refuges are safe, confidential, and free.

   Find a refuge — Women's Aid (opens in new tab)

A safety plan is a practical tool that helps you think through what to do in different scenarios — whether you're still in the relationship or have left. It doesn't have to be complicated; even a few prepared steps can protect your life.

1. Create a personal safety plan with professional support

   An Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) can help you create a detailed, personalised safety plan. IDVAs are specially trained to support high-risk victims — your local council or police can refer you, or contact your local domestic abuse service directly.

2. Pack an emergency bag if you can

   If there may come a moment when you need to leave quickly, prepare a small bag or box with essentials: ID, passport, birth certificates, medication, bank cards, phone charger, children's documents. Keep it somewhere you can access quickly — or leave it with someone you trust.

3. Be aware of how your devices and accounts may be monitored

   Abusers often use technology to monitor and control. Check your phone for tracking apps, use a private browser window to access support websites, and consider using a device your partner doesn't know about. The National Helpline website has a 'Quick Exit' button for this reason.

   National DA Helpline (with quick exit) (opens in new tab)

You have legal rights and there are concrete things that can be done to protect you and your children. You don't have to leave your home — but if you do, support is available.

1. Apply for a Non-Molestation Order or Occupation Order

   A Non-Molestation Order is a legal injunction that prohibits your abuser from contacting or threatening you. An Occupation Order can exclude them from your home. These can be granted urgently — sometimes the same day — by a family court. Free legal aid is available for domestic abuse cases.

   Non-Molestation and Occupation Orders (opens in new tab)
2. Access the council's housing duty for domestic abuse survivors

   Domestic abuse is a priority need for council housing. If you need to leave your home, the council must help you find safe alternative accommodation. Contact the housing options team and explain that you are fleeing domestic abuse — this triggers specific protections.

   Wolverhampton housing options (opens in new tab)
3. Get free legal advice — legal aid is available

   Legal aid is available for domestic abuse cases regardless of income. A specialist family law solicitor can advise on injunctions, divorce, child arrangements, and your financial rights. Your IDVA or local domestic abuse service can refer you to a specialist solicitor.

   Legal aid for domestic abuse (opens in new tab)

Abuse leaves marks that can't always be seen. Healing takes time, and both you and your children deserve support.

1. Access specialist domestic abuse counselling

   Specialist counsellors who understand trauma and domestic abuse are different from generic talking therapy. Refuge, Women's Aid, and local specialist services offer this. Your IDVA can refer you. You deserve support that truly understands what you've been through.

   Refuge — specialist support (opens in new tab)
2. Get support for your children

   Children who witness domestic abuse are affected too — even if they appear to be coping. School counsellors, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), and specialist children's services within domestic abuse organisations can provide age-appropriate support.

3. Connect with a peer support group

   Talking to other survivors — people who truly understand — can be transformative. Women's Aid runs peer support groups across the country. Many local domestic abuse services also offer facilitated groups in a safe environment.

   Women's Aid support (opens in new tab)

Financial control is often used as part of abuse. Regaining financial independence is both practical and empowering — and support is available to help you do it.

1. Open a personal bank account in your own name

   If you don't have a separate account, open one — this is an important step toward financial independence. Banks have domestic abuse policies and can assist you confidentially. Mention your situation to the bank and they can help you quickly and discreetly.

2. Claim benefits in your own right

   If you've been financially controlled, you may not know what you're entitled to. Universal Credit, Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, and Housing Benefit can all be claimed independently. Citizens Advice can do a free benefits check and help you apply.

   Benefits check — Citizens Advice (opens in new tab)
3. Get help with debt if your abuser created it in your name

   Economic abuse — where an abuser forces someone into debt in their name — is now recognised by law. StepChange and specialist organisations can help you understand your liability and options for managing or challenging coerced debt.

   StepChange — economic abuse debt (opens in new tab)