Fund to Leave
Women experiencing domestic abuse will be able to receive up to £1,000 from a new pilot fund to pay for the essentials they need when leaving a relationship with an abusive partner. The grants will be available until March 2024.
The Fund to Leave will be delivered by Women’s Aid groups in the five local authority areas with the most women’s homelessness applications due to domestic abuse.
Grants will be delivered by Fife Women’s Aid and the following nine Scottish Women’s Aid affiliated groups:
- Glasgow Women’s Aid
- Glasgow East Women’s Aid
- Hemet Gryffe Women’s Aid
- Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire
- Edinburgh Women’s Aid
- Shakti Women’s Aid
- North Lanarkshire Women’s Aid
- Monklands Women’s Aid
- Motherwell District Women’s Aid
Women can apply to the Fund to Leave by contacting a participating Women’s Aid group directly, or contacting Scottish Women’s Aid.
More information about the scheme can be found on the Scottish Government website.
Keep safe
If you are in imminent danger, call the police from a landline or mobile on 999.
You can also report any incident of violence or abuse to your local police station, or you can call 101 for non-emergency reports.
The police can put you in touch with a domestic abuse liaison officer, someone who specialises in dealing with this kind of situation.
If there is sufficient evidence, the police can arrest your partner. Evidence of the abuse can come from witnesses, text messages, medical records and previous reports you have given to the police.
The police will send a report to the Procurator Fiscal. A Procurator Fiscal (Fiscal or PF) decides whether your ex-partner should be prosecuted. A court of law will then decide if your partner should stay in custody. You can contact Scottish Woman’s Aid or the Scottish Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline for more information and support.
Sources of help
Scottish Women’s Aid
Scottish Women’s Aid has lots of useful information on its website for women affected by domestic abuse.
There are branches of Women’s Aid across the country providing safe refuges for women and children, as well as practical and emotional support to allow you to recover and rebuild your life.
Find your local Women’s Aid here.
Scottish Domestic Abuse Helpline
If you feel you or your children are at risk, or simply want someone to talk to about your experience with domestic abuse, you can ring the Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline Scotland.
The helpline is open to anyone, regardless of gender.
It’s open 24 hours for phone, webchat and email support, and there’s a translation service to speak to you in your preferred language. The advisers will be able to direct you to other support services that can help you.
Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline Scotland: 0800 027 1234
Men's Advice Line
Respect is a service for men who are experiencing domestic abuse.
Call or use the online live chat and email service on the website.
Respect men’s advice line: 0808 8010 327 Mon – Fri, 9am – 8pm
Website: Respect
