Signposting and Resources for Economic Abuse

Our partner, free debt advice provider PayPlan, helps people suffering from economic abuse by providing clear, confidential advice on regaining control of your finances. They’ll be able to talk you through your options and make a recommendation for the best way forward, whilst taking into account the sensitivity of your situation and providing support alongside Refuge. PayPlan are also the first debt advice provider to offer British Sign Language service, see the link below for further information.

PayPlan
PayPlan freephone: 0800 280 2816

PayPlan Live Chat service (available between 8am and 6pm weekdays):

StepChange are a charity funded by the credit industry, to provide free debt support and advice to people in the UK. You can contact them for an initial assessment, where they will talk through your budget and debt history. They can suggest and implement debt solutions based on your circumstances. You can access support and information through their Online debt advice service or call the Helpline.
Freephone:  0800 138 1111 Mon to Fri 8am – 8pm and Saturday 8am – 4pm

Online debt advice service – Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

National Debtline is part of the Money Advice Trust (MAT), a registered charity funded by the government and the private sector. They provide impartial, non-judgmental advice over the phone and have lots of resources online. You can remain anonymous if you want to and can call as many times as you need to. It’s helpful to pull together some information about your situation before you call, like your income and outgoings, find out more information about what you might need online. 

Freephone:  0808 808 4000, Mon to Fri 9am – 8:00pm and Saturday 9:30am – 1pm

Online resources available at: https://nationaldebtline.org/fact-sheet-library/

You can reach out to Refuge for help with a safety plan.

Money Helper is a free service provided by the Money and Pensions Service. They have lots of information online about benefits, budgeting, money worries and pensions. They have a helpful tool you can use to search for face-to-face debt advice in your area.

Online resources available at https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en

Money Advice Plus in partnership with Surviving Economic Abuse, run a Financial Support Line for Victims of Domestic Abuse.

Freephone 0808 196 8845

Online resources at The Financial Support Line for Victims of Domestic Abuse (moneyadviceplus.org.uk)

Figuring out your finances can feel difficult, especially if you’re new to looking after your own finances. Here you can find some general guidance on personal finances and how to calculate them.

Knowing how much money you have coming in and how it needs to be spent will help you look after your money. It’s also a really helpful tool if you have debts you’re trying to pay off. It can help you to see what repayments are affordable, and can be shared with creditors if you need to ask to make a change to your repayments.

PayPlan and Refuge began working together in 2019 to develop specialist financial support for survivors of domestic abuse. This briefing is a review of the first three years of this partnership to share lessons and insights and make the case for the development of further partnerships and services between domestic abuse and financial organisations.

PayPlan have information that talks through all of the pros and cons for each debt solution that is available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you would like more information or professional advice on a debt solution, then please contact PayPlan. To learn more about economic abuse or domestic abuse, get in touch with an expert at Refuge.

If having your address made public will put you or your family members at risk of violence, then you may want to look at a person at risk of violence (PARV) order. A PARV order can stop your address being made public if you plan on using a debt solution.

If mental health issues have had an impact on your Debt, you might benefit from using a mental health evidence form. It’s a way to let creditors know about your circumstances that could make your debts easier to manage.

In 2021 the Domestic Abuse Act in England and Wales recognised economic abuse as a crime. Surviving Economic Abuse have information on their website for survivors who wish to gather information on how to report to the police and seek legal advice.

Refuge in partnership with the Cooperative conducted research in 2020 to understand about the impact economic abuse has on survivors of domestic abuse. These findings helped shape our economic team and shaped our campaigns and legislative asks.