Why aren’t family courts safe places for domestic abuse survivors?
The family courts have not been places where victims and survivors of domestic abuse have felt safe, but VOICES is working to help change this, as our CEO explains.
Why aren’t family courts safe places for domestic abuse survivors?
The family courts have not been places where victims and survivors of domestic abuse have felt safe, but VOICES is working to help change this, as our CEO explains.
Why has VOICES spent years working to provide a safe space and support to enable people to feel they have a voice through Family Court processes?
Many victims of domestic abuse feel the lack of safety to speak out when involved in Family Court processes as a loss of voice, and of choice. The lack of safe settings to speak about their experience of the Family Courts can mean that victims and survivors feel the only options are silence or social media engagement, which has specific risks attached. This can be a time when specialist support and a safe space to disclose and get help with family law problems is needed most, yet there may be little opportunity to feel emotionally safe to do so.
Feeling emotionally safe to talk is important because when things go wrong in terms of legal representation, the impacts can be huge, including upon children. VOICES works to provide a safe space for dealing with risks and fears, getting specialist help, and navigating the Family Court system safely and with support. We are working with SafeLives and the Legal Education Foundation to make our Family Law processes safer spaces for victims of domestic abuse.
Latest News
Bath Uni SU Raise £12,500 for Voices
Raise and Give (RAG) said “One of the many things we’re proud of as a Students’ Union is how dedicated the student body is to raising money for charity. The SU is about community, and there is no better way of showing that by giving up time to encourage others to give to a good cause.”…
✨ Thank You Awards for All ✨Over the past 12 months, funding from Awards for All has enabled Voices to create a new Therapeutic Lead role. This has allowed us to provide dedicated counselling for survivors of domestic abuse, offering the trauma-informed, specialist support they need on their journey to recovery. 💜We are so grateful for this support, which has made a real difference to the women we work with, helping them to rebuild confidence, heal from trauma, and create safer futures. 🌿✨
The Voices Team is pausing services for two weeks as we plan our annual strategy and service provision for the forthcoming year
18th August- 1st September Please find details of other useful agencies here: And remember if you are scared / feel at risk of harm or are worried about someone else always call 999. Help for anyone feeling low: and THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING, Voices Team