Nowhere to turn: only 7% of domestic abuse survivors get refuge support

Back in 2017, a report by Women’s Aid revealed that only a quarter of women supported by caseworkers the previous year were able to find space in a domestic violence refuge. Nearly a decade on, the picture hasn’t improved as much as it should have.

The fight for refuge space continues

According to Women’s Aid’s 2016 Annual Audit, as of May 2025 there were 4,619 bedspaces across 286 refuges in England, a small increase on the year before, but still a 19.9% shortfall against the Council of Europe’s recommended minimum of one bedspace per 10,000 people.

The most common reason refuge referrals are rejected is a simple lack of capacity, accounting for 43% of all rejections. Based on ONS prevalence data, only around 7% of women and children who experienced domestic abuse were supported by a refuge or community-based service.

Sadly, even nine years on, for many survivors there is nowhere to turn. The search for a safe place to go remains a genuine barrier to leaving an abusive relationship.

So if refuge support isn’t available, are there any other options?

Do domestic abuse victims have to leave their homes?

No. Although in some cases involving an extremely violent or unreasonable perpetrator, leaving might be the only option, there are ways in which the law can help a survivor of domestic abuse to stay in their own home and prevent their partner from victimising them or the children further.

The family courts can grant a Non-Molestation Order to prevent an abuser from continuing to harass their victim, and an occupation order requiring them to stay away from the family home. Breaking either order carries a hefty prison sentence for the perpetrator.

Of course, in some cases, even a court order and the accompanying threat of a prison sentence cannot deter a determined perpetrator. It’s in those cases especially that refuges are a vital resource for women trying to get away from an abuser.

Unfortunately, even when a person does escape abuse in the home, there are still issues to be resolved with their ex-partner. Questions such as the ownership of property will need to be resolved, and if they’re married, then a divorce application will need to be made.

In particular, battles over child contact in the family courts are too often used by perpetrators as a way to abuse their former partners. Due to Legal Aid being available for survivors but not their abusers, many perpetrators have ended up representing themselves in court hearings over child contact.

Worryingly, historically, this has meant they have been able to cross-examine their victims on the witness stand – a practice banned in criminal law.

For this reason, domestic abuse solicitors – ourselves included – need to continue to be robust in defending their clients’ interests and well-being, challenging bad behaviour by former partners during legal disputes and preventing clients from being re-victimised in court.

Has the law caught up?

Since 21^st July 2022, sections 65 and 66 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 have banned perpetrators (and alleged perpetrators) of domestic abuse from cross-examining their victims in person in family and civil court proceedings, and vice versa.

Where cross-examination is still necessary, the court now appoints a qualified legal representative (QLR) to carry it out instead. It’s a welcome step forward, but as the refuge figures above show, access to safety and support remains a live struggle for many survivors.

Further information

If you are or have been a victim of domestic abuse, don’t suffer in silence. Contact us to discuss your legal options for protecting yourself from domestic abuse with our Domestic Abuse team. Call 0117 325 2929 or complete our online enquiry form.