Refuges protecting domestic abuse victims are facing a dangerous funding crisis The cost of life saving services would be £393m – a drop in the ocean compared to £66bn cost to society of domestic abuse

The domestic abuse sector faces a dangerous funding crisis. The Women’s Aid Annual Audit reveals a shocking 64 per cent of refuge referrals were declined last year. This means many

women fleeing for their lives cannot access a refuge space, and are left with the impossible choice of returning to their perpetrator or potentially facing homelessness and destitution.

Many of these women have children. Some are pregnant. The number of refuge spaces available in England is now 30 per cent below the number recommended by the Council of Europe. Less than half of refuge spaces are suitable for women with more than two children, and only five per cent of vacancies can accommodate a woman unable to access benefits due to her immigration status.

Domestic abuse organisations across England identify four key funding challenges: problematic competitive tendering; uncertainty over future funding; funding not covering full costs of delivery; and running an area of work with no dedicated funding.

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£393m vs £66bn

To guarantee the provision of quality, life-saving services to women and children who need them, we need to see long-term sustainable funding for the domestic abuse sector. Our research shows that it would cost £393 million to provide specialist domestic abuse services in every community throughout England, a drop in the ocean compared to the £66 billion cost to society of domestic abuse. The domestic abuse sector cannot deliver these vital, life-saving services with inadequate and uncertain funding.

Alongside sustainable funding we need to see a commissioning model that puts the needs of vulnerable women and children at the centre. This means prioritising quality services with skilled, trained staff which deliver the emotional and practical support survivors need to address the trauma of domestic abuse.

When a woman arrives at a refuge, she has probably been experiencing domestic abuse for several years (the average is six years). Forty five per cent of women in refuge services have mental health support needs and 25 per cent have a disability. Sixty four per cent have children. They require specialist, trauma-informed support, which meets their individual needs and provides the emotional, practical and therapeutic support they need to recover and move forward.

Commenting on the commissioning process, one specialist service provider told us: “It’s about ticking boxes for agencies rather than really meeting the needs of victims and survivors.” They had spent years building relationships in the community, with the police, the NHS, and organisations supporting women in rural areas and women from minority ethnic backgrounds. However, they felt that the value of these crucial, grassroots relationships were ignored by commissioners.

Nothing for children

Another specialist service provider, who had their core funding cut, told us: “Now in the county there is very little on offer. So the only thing that is on offer is that we have the Freedom Programme. There’s nothing for children, at all. Full stop.”

Another provider explained the importance of specialist, independent support: “It’s just depressing the number of us that are on the brink of closure because we get no support from local councils, despite the fact that we’re supporting the councils … if they’re in refuge, they’re not in temporary accommodation or they’re not on the street. We’re providing accommodation to these families but at a much cheaper rate than it would be for councils to provide a B&B.”

This is a crucial point. By not funding specialist domestic abuse services, local authorities will not save money. They will have to spend even more on expensive, inappropriate temporary

accommodation for women and children. The current system is the worst of both worlds, and the only workable solution is to guarantee sustainable funding for specialist domestic abuse services in every community, creating a network of support for women and children fleeing domestic abuse.

Adina Claire is Acting co-Chief Executive of Women’s Aid