
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.

This service has saved my mental health and has provided a safe service whilst helping with coping mechanisms for the future.
- Lena
Latest news

April Holiday Break for VOICES
During the school holidays VOICES will be closed from Monday 3rd April and will reopen on Tuesday 11th April. Group Programmes will resume the week starting 17th April, depending on the group, and we will let you know about your groups separately. Below are some numbers of other agencies that might be helpful, but in…

A Fundraising Evening at the Holy Trinity in Paulton. 29th March 2023 7:30pm
Holy Trinity Church in Paulton are kindly having a fundraising evening with refreshments in support of VOICES and people recovering from Domestic Violence. All welcome! Wednesday 29th of March at 7:30pm. Holy Trinity Church, Paulton, Bristol BA39 7LG. We hope to see you there.

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Festival of Practice
Our CEO Ursula Lindenberg will be at The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Festival of Practice on the 28th and 29th of March, taking part in a panel discussion about commissioning of emotional support for individuals who have experienced domestic abuse, alongside Sue Penna, who developed the Recovery Toolkit and Natalie Collins who created the Own My…