Commenting on the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s early findings in its mapping of domestic abuse services, Niki Scordi, CEO at Advance, said:
“The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s important findings confirm what we are seeing at Advance every day – that support for women and girls experiencing domestic abuse in their community is absolutely vital, but that too many cannot get the help they need.
“Survivors rely on vital specialist support, at times of crisis and in the longer-term due to the devastating and long-lasting impact of abuse. Like many other specialist domestic abuse services, Advance has seen a huge rise in need and risk, including survivors with needs around mental health and substance use, and support for their children. Yet, as the Commissioner says, most do not get the help that they need and instead face a postcode lottery.
“Essential services for women and by women such as Advance are chronically under-funded and over-capacity, with only 55 per cent (1) of those that seek help being able to access it and only 29 per cent (2) of those that seek help for their children. Women and girls with learning disabilities, migrant women, black and minoritised women, are even less likely to be able to access support due to lack of statutory funding, leaving some areas with no appropriate services at all.
“At Advance, we focus on the whole woman or girl, recognising how their gender impacts their experiences, building long-term trusting relationships with them and enabling them to be safe from abuse and violence. Taking account of the violence and trauma they have experienced we provide in-depth wrap-around support and individualised response, from finance advice to emotional support. We know this approach works and is crucial in helping women and girls rebuild their lives after abuse, as well as preventing further trauma.
“We want to ensure that every woman and child who experiences domestic abuse and other forms of violence gets help when and where they need it. We need the government to listen and increase funding for a wide range of long-term, community-based support for domestic abuse survivors to help them rebuild their lives and thrive.”
-ENDS-
For all press enquiries, please contact:
For more information, please contact Lisa Jones, Press Manager at Advance, at
E: lisa.j@advancecharityy.org.uk
M: 07943 111557
Notes for Editors About XXXX
- (1) Early findings from our mapping show a huge discrepancy of services across England and Wales, and an acute lack of funding that prevents services being able to meet demand https://domesticabusecommissioner.uk/early-findings-from-our-mapping-show-a-huge-discrepancy-of-services-across-england-and-wales-and-an-acute-lack-of-funding-that-prevents-services-being-able-to-meet-demand/
- (2) Early findings from our mapping show a huge discrepancy of services across England and Wales, and an acute lack of funding that prevents services being able to meet demand https://domesticabusecommissioner.uk/early-findings-from-our-mapping-show-a-huge-discrepancy-of-services-across-england-and-wales-and-an-acute-lack-of-funding-that-prevents-services-being-able-to-meet-demand/
About Advance
- Advance’s vision is a world in which women and children lead safe, equal, violence-free lives so that they can flourish and actively contribute to society. The charity works with women who experience domestic abuse to be safe and take control of their lives, and women who have committed crime or are at risk of offending to break the cycle.
- As well as providing direct support, Advance works with statutory services, government agencies and other women’s charities to ensure a holistic approach to the issues these women face.
- Women must be referred to Advance, via statutory services or the charity’s self-referral scheme. For more information about who Advance is able to support, please visit Who we are
- For facts and statistics about domestic abuse and women in the criminal justice system, as well as Advance’s work, please visit What we do.
www.advancecharity.org.uk @ADVANCEcharity
