Two-thirds of referrals into domestic abuse refuges have been rejected due to national shortages, a new report has found.
Despite a year-on-year increase in bed spaces, of the 10,665 women and 11,732 children who were supported by services last year, 65.2 per cent of referrals for a space in a refuge were rejected, the research by charity Women’s Aid shows.
Experts say this marks the highest proportion of referrals rejected in five years, primarily due to a lack of capacity, as demand for specialist domestic abuse services continues to far outstrip the provision that is currently available to survivors.
The annual Domestic Abuse Report, which provides a picture of the needs and work of domestic abuse services in the UK, this year comes after the publication of the cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls in December, following Labour’s commitment to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade.
Despite the promises made in the government strategy, Women’s Aid say their findings show that for the sector to continue delivering lifesaving support, “urgent, systemic change is needed immediately” to tackle a “decades-long funding crisis”.
Labour MP Apsana Begum warned: “The VAWG sector has said time and again that, without dedicated and long-term funding, the government will never meet its promises under the VAWG strategy.
“It is a tragedy that any woman or child should be refused a referral to a service that could literally make the difference between life and death. This year’s Domestic Violence Report is a wake up call for the government: the time to act with proper funding and investment is now.”
The report also found that survivors with additional support needs and those from migrant or minority backgrounds experienced additional challenges when looking for a refuge space, with only 1.1 per cent of refuge vacancies suitable for wheelchair users, while just 11.5 per cent of vacancies could consider accommodating a woman with no recourse to public funds. And despite the fact that the impact of domestic abuse on child survivors is significant and that they are now recognised as victims in their own right by law, the proportion of refuge services that have dedicated children and young people support was shown to have decreased by 11.6 per cent across the country.
Bedspaces remained nearly a fifth below the Council of Europe’s recommendation of one family place per 10,000 people, according to the research, while at least one in eight (13.3 per cent) of refuge services received no local authority-commissioned funding at all.
Elaine Langshaw, chief executive of Newcastle Women’s Aid, said referrals have risen significantly in recent years, forcing the service to work beyond its core capacity, while the services they signpost women to when they are unable to offer support are also stretched. “The safety net that women rely on is under real strain,” she said. “We are also seeing an increase in referrals from women outside of Newcastle, who have been unable to access support in their own areas. That tells us this is not just a local issue – it’s a wider system under pressure.”
Newcastle Women’s Aid said it supported one woman who, fearing for her safety, reached out after she had been unable to access help in her local area due to long waiting times and limited availability. The woman, who remains anonymous for safety reasons, said: “I didn’t know where else to turn. I’d already tried services where I live but couldn’t get the help I needed. Speaking to someone, a real person, who understood and could help me think about my safety made such a difference at a really frightening time.”
Anna Barnett, service operations manager at Opoka CIO, the only bilingual domestic abuse service supporting Polish women and children in the UK, said their capacity has not kept pace with growing demand. “Each rejected referral represents a woman and her children, who may remain in unsafe or unstable circumstances due to a lack of available provision,” she said.
Women’s Aid blames the “unprecedented” rate of refusals on systemic pressures in the housing system and called for government plans to improve commissioning practices to be delivered “at pace”. The charity is also demanding ringfenced funding for survivors, with an “unacceptable” number of services operating on partial or unstable funding.
Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women’s Aid, said: “The reality is that domestic abuse cannot be eradicated without the support and knowledge that specialist domestic abuse services bring. These services understand survivors and the help they need to rebuild their lives. Their value must be recognised for the lifesaving work they do, and that they are fundamentally the backbone of our country's response to ending violence against women and girls. The work of these services must be protected, if we are to finally live in a world where domestic abuse is no longer tolerated.”
A Local Government Association spokesperson said: “Victims and survivors of domestic abuse rely on statutory and discretionary services provided by councils. However, ongoing funding pressures make increasingly difficult for councils to ensure that victims have access to all the help they need.
“Only with long-term, sustainable funding can councils help safeguard individuals and families from the physical and psychological harm of domestic abuse and invest in the prevention and early intervention measures needed to tackle the root causes, support more victims, and stop domestic abuse occurring in the first place.”
A UK government spokesperson said: “We’re treating violence against women and girls as a national emergency, with a clear commitment to halve it in the next decade.
“No one should have to stay in an unsafe home, and our funding helped almost 77,000 survivors and children access support last year. We know there is more to do and we’re investing nearly £500 million to help even more people get the safety and stability they deserve.”
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