Domestic Abuse Support

We work with anyone experiencing domestic abuse or hurting others through domestic abuse:

• living in the City of London
• aged 16 or over
• of any sex and/or gender
• of any sexual orientation

If you need urgent advice, you can contact the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline.

This is a freephone number and available all hours - 0808 2000 247.

You can also get immediate support by calling the Victim Support Supportline for free on 08 08 16 89 111. They also welcome calls via Relay UK on 18001 08 08 16 89 111. The Supportline is a member of the Helplines Partnership.

Please note - These helplines cannot help with an emergency situation. In all emergencies, you should call 999 in the first instance

Behaviour of a person towards another person is “domestic abuse” if:

• the people concerned are each aged 16 or over and are personally connected to each other (partner, ex-partner, family member), and
• the behaviour is abusive

Behaviour is “abusive” if it consists of any of the following:

• physical or sexual abuse
• violent or threatening behaviour
• controlling or coercive behaviour
• economic abuse
• psychological, emotional or other abuse

It does not matter whether the behaviour consists of a single incident or a course of conduct.

Domestic abuse is a crime. Domestic abuse comes in many forms.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 covers different types of abusive behaviour such as:

Physical abuse

Physical abuse can be violent such as hitting, punching, shoving, biting and kicking. Or, it can be the threat of physical violence. It also includes throwing things at you or pushing you.

Sexual abuse

Any sexual activity that happens without your full and informed consent. Sex should not make you feel uncomfortable or degraded.

Coercive control

Coercive control is when someone you are close to repeatedly behaves in a way that makes you feel controlled, dependent, isolated or scared.

Financial abuse

Financial abuse is when you don’t have full control of your own money. Someone may have put you in debt, always check your bank account or make you pay their living expenses.

Emotional and psychological abuse

Psychological abuse is causing fear by intimidation, name calling, swearing or yelling, blaming and guilt tripping.

Gaslighting is also a form of emotional abuse. It involves manipulating you to make you doubt your own sanity.

Gaslighting makes you question your perceptions, memory and judgement.

Take a look at the questions below and see if you can relate to any of them.

• do you change your behaviour because you’re frightened of your partner’s reaction?
• do you feel that you’re walking on eggshells?
• do you feel controlled, or isolated?
• does someone limit your control over your own money?
• do they play mind games and make you doubt your judgment?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then there is help available for you.

Abusive behaviour from one adult (or person aged 16+) family member to another family member is domestic abuse.

Many of the indicators of intergenerational domestic abuse are very similar to domestic abuse perpetrated by (ex)partners. They can include, but are not limited to:

• chronic unexplained injuries, bruises or cuts
• symptoms of depression, anxiety or PTSD
• anxiousness or fear of a person or persons
• non-engagement with services
• lack of support network or isolation from
• friends and family
• not being able to leave the house
• lack of access to their own money
• staff observing the person being dominated, harassed or controlled by their family member

In the City of London, Victim Support are here to help visitors, residents and/or people who work in the City of London and have been affected by Domestic Abuse, Sexual Violence, and Hate Crime. They support not only those who experience it directly, but also their friends, family and any other people involved.

It doesn’t matter when the crime took place, or whether you’ve reported it to the police. You can get their help at any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

They’re independent from the police, and their support is free and confidential.

Victim Support can:

Help you feel safer and more secure.

Feeling unsafe after crime is normal. Victim Support can help you to complete a safety plan, and give you advice and information to help you make informed choices and help you feel more secure. They’ll also work with other organisations for you if they think your immediate safety needs to be improved.

Experiencing crime can be overwhelming. You might not know where to turn to. They’ll make sure you’re aware of the rights and services you’re entitled to. They’ll help you find your voice.

You may also find yourself overwhelmed with tasks related to your experience. We can help with:

• Advocacy with other services
• Practical information and emotional support

Victim Support can also help you to better understand your rights and entitlements within the criminal justice system.

Victim Support will give you the information you need to understand your options and next steps.

Victim Support staff are trained to listen, offer feedback and provide information. They can help make sense of what you’ve been through and explore your options to help you regain feelings of control. They provide a safe, neutral place for you to voice your fears, worries and emotions. This helps a lot of people to cope and move forward after a crime.

This can feel similar to the safe and confidential space counselling offers but counselling is not what we provide.

You may find that Victim Support’s help is enough. However additional support might be needed. Victim Support will work with you to identity what that support looks like and make the referral onward referrals or help you access the service yourself.

If you need specialist help that Victim Support don’t think they can provide, they can contact other agencies for you. Victim Support work closely with a wide range of charities and other organisations that have the expertise to help you with many of the problems caused by crime.

How to contact Victim Support:

You can always get immediate support by calling the Supportline for free on 08 08 16 89 111. We also welcome calls via Relay UK on 18001 08 08 16 89 111.

Help if you think your partner has hurt somebody before

The domestic violence disclosure scheme (DVDS) is often called ‘Clare’s Law’ after the landmark case that led to it.

It gives you the right to ask the police:

• if your partner has a history of domestic abuse
• if a close friend’s partner or family member’s partner has a history of domestic abuse

You can submit a request for this information via the City of London Police website, or by calling 101.

These services are confidential, and unless we believe there’s a risk of harm or it’s a legal requirement, we will always protect your confidentiality and not pass on your personal details or any other information that could identify you without your permission.

The following examples explain how and when we may have to disclose information, both with and without your permission:

• We can always share information with other people/agencies if we have your informed consent to do so.
• If you give us reason to believe that you or someone else is at risk of significant harm, we may need to inform another agency such as social services or the police.
• Unless that risk is imminent we will discuss the situation with you before disclosing anything.
• If we suspect that a child or young person is at risk of harm we must inform children’s services. This is a legal requirement.
• If a judge or magistrate directs that information must be disclosed to the court, we will comply with the direction.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse from a partner, family member or someone you live with, you may wish to seek specialist advice and support for help to remain in your home or to find alternative accommodation. Homelessness and domestic abuse can provide you with advice and information about your housing situation if you feel unable to stay in your current home, or wish to explore options around securing your home against potential perpetrators of abuse.

This scheme enables the police to release information about any previous history of violence or abuse a person might have.

Under Clare's Law you can:

• apply for information about your current or ex-partner because you're worried they may have a history of abuse and are a risk to you
• request information about the current or ex-partner of a friend or relative because you're worried they might be at risk

Please note: The Clare’s Law (DVDS) scheme does not replace: CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) Checks, DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks, subject access requests or FOI requests.

Request information under Clare's Law.

Below is a directory created by Women’s Aid that contains information about national and local domestic abuse support services.

National services

• Action Fraud – reporting fraud and cyber crime
• Citizens Advice Bureau – general legal advice
• Domestic Violence Assist – support with Non Molestation, Occupation, Prohibited Steps Orders
• Galop / National LGBT Domestic Helpline – domestic abuse support for people from LGBT+ communities
• Imkaan – national umbrella organization addressing violence against Black and minoritised women and girls
• Jewish Women’s Aid – domestic abuse support for Jewish women
• Latin American Women’s Aid – domestic abuse support for Latin American women
• ManKind Initiative – helping men escape domestic abuse
• Men’s Advice Line – domestic abuse support for male survivors
• National Domestic Abuse helpline – available 24/7
• NCDV – support with emergency court injunctions
• Opoka – domestic abuse support for Polish women
• Praxis – support for migrants and refugees
• Rape Crisis – support for survivors of rape and sexual violence
• Rights of Women – free legal advice
• SignHealth – domestic abuse support for people from the deaf community
• Survivors UK – support for male survivors of sexual violence
• Suzy Lamplugh Trust / National Stalking Helpline – support for victims of stalking
• The Cyber Helpline – Support for victims of cyber crime
• The Traveller Movement – a specialist domestic abuse helpline for all Gypsy, Roma and Traveller women looking for help in the UK
• Women’s Aid Domestic Abuse Directory
• Loving Me – UK wide service who offer domestic abuse support to Trans and Non-Binary victims/survivors of domestic abuse

Local services (London)

• Claudia Jones Organisation – support for women and girls of African and Caribbean heritage
• East London Rape Crisis – support for women and girls victim of rape/sexual violence
• FORWARD – provides advice, one-to-one support and signposting to other services for women and girls affected by any form of violence, specialising in supporting African and ethnic minority women
• Hawa Trust – support for victim of female genital mutilation
• Latin American Women’s Rights – support for Latin American women experiencing domestic abuse
• London Survivor Gateway – London hub for sexual violence support services
• NIA – support for women and girls experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence and sexual exploitation
• Woman’s Trust – counselling support and women’s groups
• London Gypsies and Travellers – support for people from Gypsy and Travellers communities
• IKWRO support for women from North African and Middle Eastern communities
• Sistah Space – support for women and girls of African and Caribbean heritage
• Solace Women’s Aid – support for women experiencing domestic abuse
• Southall Black Sisters – support for Black and minority women and girls
• The London Black Women’s Project – counselling support and free legal surgery for female survivors from Black and minoritized groups
• Victim Support helpline – support for male and female victims of any crime

How to contact us if you’re a professional

You can contact us if you need advice about whether to make a referral to Victim Support. You don’t have to give your client’s identifying details.

You can email the Community Safety Team who are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

If you’ve conducted a DASH risk assessment and the risks are high the case needs to be referred to the City of London Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC).

High risk domestic abuse and MARAC (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference)

A Domestic Abuse Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) is a meeting where information is shared on the highest risk domestic abuse cases between representatives of local police, health, child protection, housing practitioners, Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVAs), probation and other specialists from the statutory and voluntary sectors.

After sharing all relevant information regarding the victim and perpetrator, the representatives discuss options for increasing the safety of the victim and turn these into a co-ordinated action plan.

The primary focus of the MARAC is to safeguard the victim. The MARAC will also make links with other services to safeguard children and manage the behaviour of the perpetrator. At the heart of a MARAC is the working assumption that no single agency or individual can see the complete picture of the life of a victim, but all may have insights that are crucial to their safety. The victim does not attend the meeting but is represented by an IDVA who speaks on their behalf.

The City of London Community Safety Team coordinates the conferences on a monthly basis and accepts referrals from any frontline agency representative that undertakes a risk assessment with a victim, which is deemed high-risk. IDVAs, police and health professionals commonly refer high risk victims to MARACs.

Please email the Community Safety Team if you require further information.

Make an online MARAC referral, the DASH risk assessment can also be completed within this referral.

The Sanctuary Scheme is a victim focussed initiative available to anyone living in the Square Mile, or in a City of London Corporation property.

The aim of the scheme is to enable households at risk of violence to remain safely in their own homes if they choose to do so, through enhanced security and the provision of support to the household.

If eligible, an assessment is carried out by the City of London Police whereby they make recommendations on security measures which are then funded by the City of London Corporation.

The scheme is co-ordinated by the City of London Community Safety Team in partnership with the Homelessness team and the City of London Police.

For more information, please email the Homelessness Team or call them on 0207 332 1804. You can also find out more from the City of London Police by calling 101.