Policy & Advocacy
Turning lived experience into law, practice and culture change — to protect those *still surviving* abuse and build systems that help all of us *heal*.
Our Mission & Principles
We are a survivor‑led movement improving the UK’s response to domestic and sexual abuse, with a focus on Black and minoritised women and people with insecure status.
- Survivor‑led: those most affected shape the solutions.
- Trauma‑informed & do‑no‑harm: safety, consent, pacing first.
- Culturally responsive & anti‑racist: services that work for everyone.
- Evidence + experience: data, case law and frontline insight together.
- Co‑design & accountability: build, test, publish impact.
- Faith‑informed compassion: we honour spiritual care on request.
2025–26 Policy Priorities
Each priority sets out the gap, the change needed, and our proposal. Download the full brief for evidence and implementation steps.
Name it. Charge it. Track it.
- Gap: Abuse often intensifies after leaving; patterns missed across agencies.
- Change: Clear charging standards; consistent risk assessment.
- Proposal: Amend guidance under the Domestic Abuse Act; mandate multi‑agency data‑linking and victim‑defined risk indicators.
Support first. Firewall immigration data.
- Gap: Fear of enforcement blocks help‑seeking.
- Change: Firewall between victim services/policing and immigration control.
- Proposal: National protocol; statutory code; expand DDVC and legal aid access.
Stop mis‑ID. Build trust.
- Gap: Stereotyping and misidentification erode safety.
- Change: Mandatory CPD on coercive control & intersectionality.
- Proposal: Co‑designed training & audit framework; force‑level pilots with public reporting.
SOIT/SOLO/RASSO from first disclosure.
- Gap: Specialist support not consistently offered at first contact.
- Change: National minimum standards; clear victim journey maps.
- Proposal: Mandatory early referral and warm handover to ISVAs and specialist officers.
Outpace deepfakes, spyware & manipulation.
- Gap: Harm evolves faster than law and capacity.
- Change: Clear offences, rapid takedown duties, specialist forensics.
- Proposal: Update Online Safety guidance; survivor‑friendly redress routes.
See the gaps to close them.
- Gap: Limited, non‑disaggregated data hides disparities.
- Change: Standardised public datasets across forces, courts & services.
- Proposal: National DA/RASSO data standard; open dashboards; publish mis‑ID & withdrawal metrics.
Current Campaigns
#DontJudgeMeByMyScars
Challenging the myth that “no bruise = no abuse”, and embedding culturally aware trauma indicators in risk tools.
See the campaign
Whilst I Survive → As I Heal
Co‑designed tools for those still surviving and those rebuilding — ready to embed across NHS, LA, and VAWG pathways.
Explore toolkits
The Silence You Left Behind
Recognising, charging and disrupting abuse that continues or escalates after leaving.
Learn moreWhat We Offer to Policymakers & Agencies
Survivor‑Led Briefings (60–90m)
Coercive control beyond the relationship; cultural humility; avoiding mis‑ID; tech‑enabled abuse; faith‑aware safeguarding.
Policy Clinics & Co‑Design Sprints
Hands‑on redesign of processes, letters, risk tools and public information with test‑and‑learn cycles.
Pilot Partnerships
Implement new pathways with clear metrics; publish learning and scale what works.
Independent Advisory Panel
Survivor, practitioner and academic governance for continuous accountability.
Evidence, Ethics & Safeguarding
How we build evidence
- Lived‑experience panels and Survivor Council insights (with consent & compensation).
- FOI requests, service data, and disaggregated metrics across systems.
- Stakeholder interviews, courtroom observation, literature scans.
Our ethics commitments
- Do‑no‑harm, informed consent, data minimisation, right to withdraw.
- Never share survivor data for immigration enforcement.
- Independent oversight and transparent reporting.
Safety online: quick‑exit & digital hygiene
If you are still surviving abuse, your safety comes first. Use the Quick‑Exit button at the top of the site and review our guidance on clearing history and secure devices.
Download digital hygiene tips (PDF)Methodology notes
Our mixed‑methods approach blends qualitative survivor testimony with quantitative datasets to surface hidden patterns such as mis‑ID and post‑separation escalation.
Resources & Downloads
Impact & Transparency
We publish what changes because of our work, and where we still need to do more.
- Policies influenced or adopted, with links to public records.
- Pilots launched and scaled, with outcome metrics.
- Officers/practitioners trained, with feedback summaries.
- Reductions in mis‑identification; improved victim experience and outcomes.
- Reach & engagement of public education campaigns.
How to Partner / Get Involved
Policymakers & Parliament
- Private briefings; committee evidence; draft clause support.
- Community consultation with survivor leaders.
Police & Criminal Justice
- Training, audits, pilot projects, survivor panels, comms redesign.
- Post‑separation case conferencing; safe contact protocols.
NHS & Local Authorities
- Care pathways for complex needs (e.g., Type 1 diabetes & DV).
- Referral standards and disaggregated data linkage.
Survivor Council
- Safe, compensated participation routes and anonymous insight sharing.
- Co‑create resources and review training & policy drafts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you a charity or a CIC?
We are in the process of registering [charity/CIC – update when confirmed]. We operate transparently via donations and grants until registration completes.
Can you support individual cases?
We aren’t legal representatives. We offer trauma‑informed guidance and signposting and use anonymised insights to drive system change.
How do you handle data and safety?
We follow strict safeguarding, consent and data‑minimisation protocols and never share survivor data for immigration enforcement.
Do you work with police and public bodies?
Yes. We believe in brave partnership with accountability. We co‑design, pilot, measure and publish what we learn.
From Surviving to System Change
Partner with survivor leaders to build policy, practice and culture that truly protects. Your decisions can save lives.
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