CPD Accredited Tech and Economic Abuse Training

This training aims to introduce practitioners to the complex and evolving issue of technology-facilitated abuse. It examines how offenders increasingly exploit technology to perpetuate domestic abuse, stalking, harassment, and coercive control.

Throughout the session, we will assess real world examples, illustrating the link between digital harms and the impact on survivors. Practitioners will also be introduced to strategies for supporting survivors, including how to develop effective safety plans that address technology-related risks.

This training aims to help build confidence in recognising technology-facilitated abuse, assessing risk, and safeguarding survivors in an increasingly digital world.

Who is this course for?

This course is an introductory training session that is suitable for all professionals working with survivors that are experiencing or might be at risk of technology-facilitated abuse in online spaces. This course is essential for support services and is highly recommended for companies or organisations that have online services and/or platforms.

Course objectives:

• Understand what technology-facilitated abuse is and how perpetrators of domestic abuse can misuse technology.
• Understand the emerging trends recorded by the Tech Abuse team from survivors of these forms of abuse.
• Identifying risks survivors face online and how to safely support survivors including initial contact.
• Learning how to support survivors of technology-facilitated abuse with securing accounts.
• Understanding the barriers survivors face to accessing support and how to combat these.
• Further guidance and resources to support professionals and survivors.

Course delivery:

This course is a half day (3.5hrs) and can be delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams or in person.

Please contact the Tech Abuse Training Team on techabusetraining@refuge.org.uk or fill out the booking form to receive a quote for this course based on your specific needs.

Technology-facilitated domestic abuse is the same abuse we have always seen – but facilitated by technology. Perpetrators no longer need to physically follow a survivor. They can stalk, harass, and monitor a survivor from a living room or work desk – just by using an app.

The aim of this training is to equip professionals who are working with survivors with the tools to be able to recognise, understand and respond to technology-facilitated stalking and harassment.

Who is this course for?

This course is developed for any domestic abuse or statutory services that work with survivors who may be experiencing or at risk of technology-facilitated stalking and harassment. This includes law enforcement agencies, frontline domestic abuse practitioners and professionals within the housing sector.

Course Objectives:

• Recognise ways in which abusers misuse technology to facilitate stalking and harassment.
• Understand the emerging trends recorded by the Tech Abuse team from survivors of these forms of abuse.
• Understanding and recognising which forms of technology can be misused by perpetrators of stalking and harassing behaviours.
• Practical guidance for professionals supporting survivors that are at risk of or are experiencing technology-facilitated stalking and harassment.
• Guidance for professionals around technologically compromised locations and survivor move-on safety, in both refuges and emergency accommodation.
• Signposting to resources and further guidance for professionals and survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.

Course delivery:

This course is a half day (3.5hrs) and can be delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams or in person.

Please contact the Tech Abuse Training Team on techabusetraining@refuge.org.uk or fill out the booking form to receive a quote for this course based on your specific needs.

Technology-facilitated domestic abuse is the same abuse we have always seen – but facilitated by technology. It is a particularly complex form of abuse and gathering enough evidence to secure investigation and prosecution can be very difficult for a survivor to do alone.

The aim of this training is to equip law enforcement agencies, legal professionals and statutory agencies with the knowledge to recognise and respond to technology-facilitated abuse, support survivors with gathering evidence and understand the legal framework in which these crimes can be prosecuted.

Who is this course for?

This course is specifically designed for law enforcement agencies and professionals in the legal sector but is essential for any statutory agency that supports survivors of technology-facilitated domestic abuse who are engaging with law enforcement and the courts.

Course Objectives:

• Recognise ways in which abusers misuse technology to facilitate domestic abuse.
• Understand the emerging trends recorded by the Tech Abuse team from survivors of these forms of abuse.
• Understanding and recognising which forms of technology can be misused by perpetrators of domestic abuse.
• Implementing trauma informed practice and safety planning when working directly with survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.
• Gathering evidence of technology-facilitated abuse and supporting survivors through prosecution.
• Understanding legislation and tools available to support survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.
• Signposting to further guidance and resources for both survivors and professionals working with them.

Course delivery:

This course is a half day (3.5hrs) and can be delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams or in person.

Please contact the Tech Abuse Training Team on techabusetraining@refuge.org.uk or fill out the booking form to receive a quote for this course based on your specific needs.

Children and young people are increasingly at risk of abuse through technology – including online harassment, image-based abuse, stalking, and digital control.

As the digital world becomes more embedded in daily life, understanding these risks is essential for anyone working with children and young people today.

The aim of this training is to equip professionals who work directly with survivors and their children with the knowledge and skills to be able to recognise and respond to technology-facilitated abuse experienced by children and young people. It will establish how technology-facilitated abuse can take place in a family setting, the ways perpetrators can continue this form of abuse through children, and how to support with this.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for professionals working with survivors with children and young people, including social services, educational professionals, and frontline domestic abuse practitioners. This course is also highly recommended for any professional working in a family court setting, including solicitors and court judges.

Course objectives:

• Recognise ways in which abusers misuse technology to facilitate domestic abuse.
• Understand the dynamics of technology-facilitated abuse, the experiences of children and young people, and how to secure emerging platforms and technology.
• Understand the forms of technology that perpetrators may misuse in a family context, including apps, software, and devices.
• Recognise how perpetrators can misuse technology to continue to perpetrate abuse through children or child contact arrangements.
• Implement trauma-informed practice and safety planning when working directly with survivors of technology-facilitated abuse and their children.
• Signposting to resources and further guidance for professionals and survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.

Course delivery:

This course is for a half day (3.5 hours), and can be delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams, or in person.

Please contact the Tech Abuse Training Team on techabusetraining@refuge.org.uk or fill out the booking form to receive a quote for this course based on your specific needs.

Technology-facilitated abuse is the same abuse we have always seen – but facilitated through technology.

In recent years, health and social care has become increasingly digital – from how our medical records are kept online to the assistive technologies that have changed how people with disabilities can live independently. In the context of technology-facilitated abuse, the misuse of technology related to health and social care by perpetrators can be truly devastating.

The aim of this training is to provide professionals who are working with survivors of domestic abuse in a health or social care setting with the tools to recognise, understand and respond to technology-facilitated domestic abuse, including how this form of abuse presents specific challenges to survivors with disabilities and the risks survivors may face in a healthcare setting.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for health and social care professionals that work with survivors who are experiencing or are at risk of technology-facilitated domestic abuse. This includes social services, medical professionals and frontline domestic and sexual abuse practitioners working with survivors in a medical or social care setting.

Course objectives:

• Recognise ways in which abusers misuse technology to facilitate domestic abuse.
• Understand the emerging trends recorded by the Tech Abuse team from survivors of these forms of abuse.
• Recognise the different forms of assistive and accessibility technology that can be misused by perpetrators to facilitate domestic abuse.
• Identifying the risks survivors with disabilities may face when experiencing technology-facilitated domestic abuse and how to safely support survivors.
• Identifying the risks survivors of technology-facilitated domestic abuse may face in a medical setting, including record keeping and interpreting and how to mitigate these risks.
• Signposting to resources and further guidance for professionals and survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.

Course delivery:

This course is a half day (3.5hrs) and can be delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams or in person.

Please contact the Tech Abuse Training Team on techabusetraining@refuge.org.uk or fill out the booking form to receive a quote for this course based on your specific needs.

From monitoring a survivor’s banking app to enforcing spending limits, economic abuse is an ever-growing form of abuse and control. In the UK, one in six adults have experienced economic abuse, yet it is often addressed last by survivors and services alike.

This training provides an introduction to economic abuse, equipping professionals with the knowledge to identify, assess, and respond to common forms of financial control. Participants will learn how perpetrators use money, technology, employment and financial systems to coerce and exploit survivors.

Breaking down complex concepts into practical tools, this training will equip professionals with the language, confidence and strategies to spot the signs of economic abuse and support survivors in an empowered and trauma-informed way.

Course objectives:

• Understanding how technology is misused to carry out abuse
• Barriers to financial services
• Maximising income
• Understanding the importance of credit reports
• Tackling fraud and coerced debt
• Benefits and economic abuse
• Effective signposting

Course delivery:

This course is available as a half day (3.5 hours), or a full day (6 hours), and can be delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams, or in person.

Please contact the Tech Abuse Training Team on techabusetraining@refuge.org.uk or fill out the booking form to receive a quote for this course based on your specific needs.

Economic abuse is a common but often overlooked form of domestic abuse, affecting one in six adults in the UK.

This training equips financial sector professionals with the knowledge and confidence to recognise, respond to, and support customers experiencing economic abuse.

Participants will explore how perpetrators use money, technology, employment, and financial systems to exert control, identify the signs of economic abuse, and learn how to respond in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered way.

This session also covers effective signposting to specialist support and the role of Consumer Duty in delivering fair outcomes for customers experiencing vulnerability.

Course objectives:

• Understanding domestic and economic abuse.
• How technology is misused in the context of domestic abuse and economic abuse.
• Fraud, coerced debt, and gathering evidence.
• Managing disclosures of abuse in a trauma-informed way.
• Removing barriers for survivors of abuse.
• Effective signposting and additional resources

Course delivery:

This course is available as a half day (3.5 hours), or a full day (6 hours), and can be delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams, or in person.

Please contact the Tech Abuse Training Team on techabusetraining@refuge.org.uk or fill out the booking form to receive a quote for this course based on your specific needs.

From chatbots, to note takers, to translation apps, artificial intelligence has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, but what does this mean for survivors of domestic abuse and the future of direct support?

Delivered by our specialist Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment team, this webinar will take a deeper look at the emerging risks of AI for survivors and their children.

Developing frontline understanding of how AI intersects with economic and technology-facilitated abuse, this session will look at the effects of algorithmic biases and how we can ensure best practice.

Participants will leave with strategies to navigate AI-driven challenges centred around survivor safety and autonomy, empowering frontline professionals to explore the impact of AI and its role in reshaping the domestic abuse landscape.

Who is this course for?
This course is developed for any professional working with survivors of domestic abuse who wishes to improve their understanding of artificial intelligence and emerging harms.

Prior understanding of technology-facilitated abuse is required.

Course objectives:

• Recognise ways in which abusers misuse AI to facilitate abuse.
• Understand the emerging trends recorded by our specialist tech abuse team from survivors of these forms of abuse.
• Understand and recognise how AI is misused by perpetrators of stalking and harassing behaviours.
• Signposting to resources and further guidance for professionals and survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.

Course delivery:
This course is 2 hours long, and can be delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams, or in person.

Please contact the Tech Abuse Training Team on techabusetraining@refuge.org.uk or fill out the booking form to receive a quote for this course based on your specific needs.

The conversation around online misogyny and the manosphere has never been more relevant than it is today. Misogyny is woven into the fabric of society and the internet is a facilitator of this. We share insights into how this area is causing a growing threat to the safety of women and girls.

Delivered by our specialist Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment team, this training introduces the growing threat of online misogyny and the manosphere. The training will look at how these communities fuel technology-facilitated abuse and shape harmful attitudes towards women and girls.

Practitioners will be supported to understand online misogyny, recognise the signs of online radicalisation, and understand the intersecting impacts it has on survivors and their children.

Course Objectives:

• Understand online misogyny and the manosphere and contributing technologies.
• Understand and recognise how online misogyny interacts with violence against women and girls, racism, and homophobia.
• Practical guidance for professionals supporting individuals who are at risk of entering the manosphere or looking to exit.
• Signposting to resources and further guidance for professionals and survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.

Course delivery

This course is available as a 1.5 hour webinar, or as a half day (3 hour) training session.

It can be delivered virtually via Microsoft Teams, or in person.

Please contact the Tech Abuse Training Team on techabusetraining@refuge.org.uk or fill out the booking form to receive a quote for this course based on your specific needs.