Economic Safety Planning

Planning to Leave or Gain Independence

• Pack an emergency go bag with essentials such as a burner phone, cash, legal documents, keys, and medication.
• Include spare medication, prescriptions, pharmacy contact details, and any vital medical equipment or assistive technology you may need and can carry. Plan how you might access replacements if needed.
• Keep copies of important records such as care plans, health information, and Direct Payment or Personal Budget paperwork (money paid to you to support your care or daily living needs). Where carers or support workers are involved, store contact details for people and agencies you trust safely, recognising that sometimes the person causing harm may also be a carer.
• Create or practice a safe exit route from your home, workplace, or car. If you use a wheelchair or mobility aid, identify accessible routes and check whether doors, pathways, or lifts are usable in an emergency.
• If you choose to use a code word with someone you trust, talk it through first so you both know exactly what it means and what they should do. Think together about what would be helpful and whether it could put either of you at risk. Only use a code word if it feels supportive rather than stressful.
• Save evidence of abuse (texts, call logs, emails) in a safe folder, cloud account, or on a USB drive that only you can access.
• Think about technology safety after separation. Sometimes, after a relationship ends, the person who caused harm may increase monitoring, tracking, or interference with money or accounts. This can include phones, email, online banking, social media, or assistive technology. You might want to consider whether any devices or accounts could still be accessed by someone else and explore safer options with support if needed.
• Know which money or benefits you control yourself. If someone else controls them, you may want to seek advice from a welfare rights adviser, domestic abuse service, or benefits specialist about your options. If you have no recourse to public funds, specialist immigration or domestic abuse services can help you understand what support may still be available.

Financial and Digital Steps for Safety

• Gather important documents if you can, such as passport, ID, National Insurance number, benefit letters, tenancy or mortgage papers, and birth certificates.
• Keep copies in a safe place or send them to someone you trust.
• Open a safe bank account in your own name with online or paperless access.

Remember: This needs to be done from a safe device.

• Switch to paperless statements and redirect post if possible and safe to do so.
• Create a secure email account that only you can access.
• Keep emergency cash or essentials where you can reach them safely.
• If you need to contact your bank or building society about your account — most have specialist teams for customers affected by domestic abuse.
• You can ask them to freeze joint accounts, open a new current or basic account, or change correspondence details safely.

Remember: It may not be safe to do this right now, the abuser would no longer be able to use the joint account, so they would be alerted to the action being taken.

• The DWP can pay benefits into a new account or split joint payments if it is safer.
• Utility companies can redirect bills or remove your name from shared accounts for safety reasons.
• Contact Refuge’s 24h National Domestic Abuse Helpline (Freephone) on 0808 2000 247 and ask for support around financial safety planning.

Self-Care and Emotional Safety

• Abuse through tech and money can cause trauma, shame, and confusion—your feelings are valid.
• Connect with a trauma-informed therapist or support group if possible.
• Use journaling, voice notes, or art to express what’s happening—privately and securely.

Remember: Ensure that this is done from a safe device.

• Reclaim technology for your own empowerment (for example, safe online groups, budgeting apps, or learning platforms) once you have confirmed that your device and all online accounts are safe and secure.

Steps to Take if You Suspect Fraudulent Debt

Get access to your credit report
You can check your credit file with the main credit reference agencies — Experian, Equifax (through ClearScore), and TransUnion (through Credit Karma) — to see if there are accounts or loans you don’t recognise. You can do this for free online.

See Accessing and Understanding Your Credit Report for more information.

Contact the lender or creditor
Tell them the account or transaction was opened fraudulently. Ask them to freeze the account and start a fraud investigation. Keep copies of all correspondence.