Research and analysis

Support in Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation

Published 3 October 2024

Applies to England

This is the annual release on the management information for domestic abuse support services commissioned within safe accommodation by local authorities in England between April 2023 and March 2024.

This collection has been compiled by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and is derived from returns submitted by Tier 1 local authorities^{[footnote 1]} in 2023-24 in England. This data is used to monitor progress on implementation and delivery of local authorities’ duties, introduced under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, to provide support where needed to victims of domestic abuse and their children within relevant safe accommodation across England.

Alongside this release, the department also publishes comprehensive data-tables showing the data submitted at national, regional and local authority level, as well as accompanying infographics summarising the key headlines from this release. This is available on the collection webpage

1. In this release

Between April 2023 to March 2024:

• The number of individuals supported in safe accommodation was 63,950 in 2023-24, an increase of 13,280 individuals or 26% compared to 2022-23; and an increase of 75% compared 2021-22 when 36,550 individuals were supported

• Of the 63,950 individuals supported 36,870 (58%) were women, 1,830 (3%) men, 320 (1%) trans adults and 24,940 (39%) children. This compares to 28,200 (56%) women, 1,130 (2%) men and 170 (0%) trans adults and 21,170 (42%) children supported in 2022-23

• More than half (53%) of individuals supported within safe accommodation had at least one specialist characteristic (33,970 individuals) in 2023-24; the most common specialist characteristic was black and minoritised survivors (25% of individuals supported in safe accommodation) followed by mental health survivors (23% of individuals supported in safe accommodation) and disabled survivors (14% of individuals supported in safe accommodation)

• The highest proportion of individuals were supported in refuge accommodation (31%), followed by sanctuary accommodation (31%)

• The most common types of support received by victims in safe accommodation were general support (84% of individuals supported), this is followed by advocacy (55%) and prevention advice (53%)

• There were 26,870 households that were referred to a safe accommodation service, but the service did not support the household. This is 2,290 or 9% higher than in 2022-23 and 6,250 or 30% higher than in 2021-22

• The most common reason why households were unable to be supported was due to capacity constraints 10,610 (39% of households unable to be supported), followed by unable to meet needs 5,370 (20%). Notable reasons for needs unable to be met include No Recourse to Public Funds (580, 11% of households unable to meet needs), drugs support needs (530, 10%) and alcohol support needs (500, 9%)

• 18,530 households (29% of those supported) stopped receiving support in safe accommodation between April 2023 and March 2024. This is a similar proportion to the previous year (32% or 16,330 households) and to 2021-22 (31% or 11,420 households)

• For non-sanctuary schemes, the main reasons stated for those who stopped receiving support were moved on as planned (6,410 or 35% of households stopped receiving support) and moved on to another form of safe accommodation (2,790 or 15%) – for sanctuary schemes, most households stopped receiving support because it was no longer needed (4,060 or 22%)

• 16,660 bedspaces were available across England, an increase of 310 or 2% from 2022-23. The highest number of commissioned units of accommodation were in sanctuary schemes with 9,640 or 58% of bedspaces, followed by refuge 3,610 (22%) and dispersed accommodation 1,540 (9%)

• 480 specialist services were commissioned by local authorities across England for black and minoritised survivors (42%), disabled survivors (21%), LGBTQ+ survivors (21%) and other specialist groups (19%) in 2023-24 – this compared to a total of 380 specialist services in 2022-23.^{[footnote 2]}

• Of the commissioned specialist services in 2023-24, 120 (25% of specialist services) were By and For services (i.e. specialist services designed and delivered by and for the users and communities they serve) – this compares to 80 (21%) in 2022-23

• Note that although this data was introduced in 2021-22, significant improvements in data reporting in subsequent years has meant that certain sections of the data are not directly comparable with the 2021-22 data, and as such comparisons with 2021-22 data are only made on a limited basis in this release

Release date: 3 October 2024

Date of next release:  Autumn 2025

Contact: 0303 444 8433 / DAMonitoringdata@communities.gov.uk (Responsible Statistician: Weiran Ni)

Media enquiries: 0303 444 1209 / NewsDesk@communities.gov.uk

2. Referrals and bedspaces

2.1 Table DA1

In 2023-24, local authorities reported 63,580 referrals in England. This is an increase of 14,670 compared to 2022-23 when there were 48,910 recorded referrals; and an increase of 25,520 or 67% from 2021-22 when there were 38,060 referrals. It is worth noting that referrals of households may be counted across multiple services if they receive support from a range of providers, or if they have had multiple journeys through safe accommodation services.

There were 16,660 commissioned bedspaces between April 2023 and March 2024, an increase of 2% compared to the same period last year when 16,350 were reported. The highest number of commissioned units of accommodation were in sanctuary schemes with 9,640 (58% of commissioned bedspaces), this is followed by refuge bedspaces (3,610 or 22%). The most significant changes since 2022-23 in the number of bedspaces were in other accommodation (down 790 or 54%), specialist (up 150 or 19%) and sanctuary accommodation (up 1,090 or 13%).

3. Individuals supported in domestic abuse safe accommodation

3.1 Table DA4 and DA5

The number of individuals supported in safe accommodation reported by local authorities between 2023-24 was 63,950. This is an increase of 13,280 individuals or 26% compared to the number of individuals reported in 2022-23; an increase of 75% compared 2021-22 when 36,550 individuals were supported.

As shown on Figure 1 below, the highest rate of individuals supported are in the South of England, East of England and the East Midlands.

Figure 1: Number of individuals supported per 100,000 population in 2023-24

Source: DA3, Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation 2023-24, MHCLG

Figure 2 below shows the number of survivors of domestic abuse supported in safe accommodation in England between April 2023 and March 2024, broken down by their identity.

Figure 2: Identity of individuals supported in safe accommodation 2023-24

Source: DA4, Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation 2023-24, MHCLG

In 2023-24 of the total number of individuals supported, 36,870 (58%) were women, 1,830 (3%) were men, 320 (1%) trans or non-binary adults, and 24,940 (39%) children^{[footnote 3]}. This compares to 28,200 (56%) women, 1,130 men (2%), 170 trans or non-binary (0%) and 21,170 children (42%) in 2022-23.

Figure 3: Identity of individuals supported between 2022-23 and 2023-24

Source: DA4, Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation 2022-23 and 2023-24, MHCLG

As shown in Figure 4, of the 63,950 individuals supported in safe accommodation in 2023-24, the highest proportion of individuals were supported in refuge accommodation (31%) followed by sanctuary schemes (31%); this compares to 44% in refuge and 26% in sanctuary accommodation in 2022-23.

Figure 4: Individuals supported by accommodation type 2023-24

Source: DA5, Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation 2023-24, MHCLG

In all the years where data have been collected local authorities are still commissioning refuge accommodation and sanctuary schemes above other types of supported safe accommodation. However, it is worth noting that while the proportion of individuals supported in refuge and dispersed has decreased, the proportion of individuals supported in sanctuary and other accommodation has increased significantly from 2022-23 to 2023-24.

Figure 5: Individuals supported by type of accommodation between 2022-23 and 2023-24

Source: DA5, Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation 2022-23 and 2023-24

Local authorities recorded 12% of all victims supported came from outside of the local authority area in the 12 months to March 2024; this compares to 15% in 2022-23.^{[footnote 4]}

4. Individuals with specialist characteristics supported in domestic abuse safe accommodation

4.1 Table DA7

In 2023-24, local authorities reported 33,970 individuals with at least one specialist characteristic (53% of total individuals in safe accommodation). This is a similar proportion to 2022-23 when 26,830 individuals reported at least one specialist characteristic (53%).

The most common specialist characteristic reported were black and minoritised victims (15,670 or 25% of individual supported in safe accommodation), individuals with mental health history  (14,660 or 23%) disabled victims (8,700 or 14%) younger victims (6,430 or 10%), drug (2,260 or 4%) or alcohol (2,090 or 3%) support needs, and LGBTQ+ individuals (1,550 or 2%).

Compared to 2023-24, a greater number of victims are supported who are disabled (up 2,970 or 52%), black and minoritised (up 4,010 or 34%) and victims with mental health history (up 3,910 or 36%).

Figure 6, below, displays the proportion of victims with specialist characteristics in safe accommodation.

Figure 6: Proportion of individuals with specialist characteristic in safe accommodation between 2022-23 and 2023-24^{[footnote 5]}

Source: DA7, Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation 2022-23 and 2023-24, MHCLG

5. Types of support services in domestic abuse safe accommodation

5.1 Table DA3

The most common types of support received by victims in safe accommodation were general support (53,950 or 84% of individuals supported in safe accommodation), advocacy (35,010 or 55%), prevention advice (34,090 or 53%), housing-related support (27,700 or 43%), specialist (23,700 or 37%), and advice services (17,810 or 28%). Victims may receive multiple types of support at various times while in safe accommodation and the data does not measure the quality of support received.

A greater number of individuals received specialist support (up 5,700 or  32%) and general support (up 11,150 or 26%)  compared to 2022-23. In contrast, the proportion of individuals receiving housing and advice was lower in 2023-24 when compared to 2022-23.

Figure 7: Types of support received at DA Safe Accommodations 2022-23 to 2023-24^{[footnote 5]}

Source: DA3, Support in safe accommodation 2022-23 and 2023-24, MHCLG

6. Length of stay for individuals supported in safe accommodation

6.1 Table DA6R and DA6S

The lengths of time victims are supported in refuge and dispersed accommodation has stayed quite consistent between 2022-23 and 2023-24.

However, a greater proportion of victims supported in specialist accommodation are supported for 3-6 months (up from 26% of respondents to 46%) with fewer supported for more than 6 months (down from 42% to 25%)  when comparing 2022-23 with 2023-24.

Figure 8: Length of stay in DA Safe Accommodation 2023-24

Source: DA6R and DA6S, Support in safe accommodation 2023-24

Note that not all local authorities have been able to provide length of stay data for every individual who stayed in safe accommodation, so the lengths of stay do not equal the total number of individuals supported in safe accommodation.

7. Households unable to be supported in safe accommodation

7.1 Table DA8

During April 2023 to March 2024, local authorities reported 26,870 households that were referred to a safe accommodation service, but the service did not support the household. This is 2,290 or 9% higher than in 2022-23 and 6,250 or 30% higher than in 2021-22.

Figure 9 sets out the most reported reasons why a household was unable to be supported. This figure presents two charts. The chart on the left sets out a breakdown of reasons why a household was not supported^{[footnote 6]},^{[footnote 7]}. The chart on the right sets a breakdown of reasons for those that were unable to be supported because their needs could not be met.

As shown in Figure 9, the most common reason a household was unable to access support in the last 12 months to March 2024 was due to capacity constraints, where the service did not have sufficient space. There were 10,610 (39%) households where this was a recorded reason. Other notable reasons for households unable to be supported include 4,040 (15%) households that were offered support but did not accept it and 2,530 (9%) households that were not able to be contacted so support could not be provided.

There were 3,520 instances a household was unable to be supported due to other reasons, these include households who did not meet service criteria, for example, where the victim had a history of violence or criminal convictions, so was deemed unsafe to be in a shared space; the household had already accepted a space in another service; the cost for rent for refuge was too high; the referral was found to be for the perpetrator; and needs were better met elsewhere.

Figure 9: Reasons why a household was unable to be supported 2023-24

Source: DA8, Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation 2023-24, MHCLG

The right side of Figure 9 shows further breakdowns for those that were unable to be supported because their needs could not be met (5,370 households).

Notable reasons for needs unable to be met include Mental health needs, (15% of households unable to be supported due to needs not met), No Recourse to Public Funds (11%), drug support needs (10%) and alcohol support needs (9%). Note that the reasons for why households were unable to be supported or the need was not met was not always provided by the local authority in their submissions.

As indicated in Figure 10 below, the rates of households unable to be supported per 100,000 population appear higher in the North of England, the Yorkshire and Humber, the West Midlands compared with the East of England, London and the South West.

Figure 10. Number of households unable to be supported per 100,000 households 2023-24

Source: DA8, Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation, MHCLG

8. Households who stopped receiving support in safe accommodation

8.1 Table DA9

Local authorities recorded 18,530 households (29% of those supported) stopped receiving support in safe accommodation between April 2023 and March 2024. This proportion is slightly lower than the proportion in 2022-23 (32% or 16,330 households), and in 2021-22 (31% or 11,420 households).

As shown in Figure 11 below, local authorities reported that 6,410 households (35% of all households that stopped receiving support) moved on from safe accommodation as planned. 1,330 (7%) left safe accommodation where it was unplanned in 2023-24.

Of the households that left safe accommodation in 2023-24, 2,790 (15% of all households that stopped receiving support) were recorded as moving to another form of safe accommodation, 450 (2%) were recorded moving into accommodation with the perpetrator, and 550 (3%) households were asked to leave or evicted from safe accommodation.^{[footnote 8]}

For sanctuary accommodation, the main reason a household stopped receiving support is because the support is no longer needed (4,060 households or 22% of all households that stopped receiving support).

Figure 11. Reasons for stopping receiving support in safe accommodation 2023-24

Source: DA9, Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation 2023-24, MHCLG

9. Specialist support services

9.1 Table DA2

In 2023-24, local authorities reported having commissioned 480 specialist services^{[footnote 9]} across England for black and minoritised survivors, disabled survivors, LGBTQ+ survivors and other specialist groups. This is an increase of 100 specialist services compared to 2022-23.^{[footnote 2]}

The highest number of these services are in Greater London (94), Bath and North East Somerset (24) and Derbyshire County (24). The other types of commissioned specialist services recorded by local authorities include mental health and drug or alcohol support, and services specific for migrant victims.

Of the 200 commissioned specialist services for black and minoritised survivors, 70 of these are reported to be ‘by and for’ services, with 18 in Greater London, 12 in Derbyshire County and 11 in Manchester. In contrast, the North East, East of England, South West, South East, Yorkshire and Humber and the West Midlands regions had fewer than ten commissioned ‘by and for’ specialist services for black and minoritised survivors in each of these regions.

Local authorities report having commissioned 100 specialist services for disabled survivors, of which 10 are ‘by and for’ services. However, the North East, the East Midlands, West Midlands and the South East are without any commissioned ‘by and for’ services for disabled survivors; and there are less than 5 commissioned for each of the remaining regions: London, Yorkshire and Humber, the North West, the South West and the East of England.

Regarding LGBTQ+ survivors, 100 specialist services were commissioned with 30 of these being ‘by and for’ services.

Local authorities report having 90 other specialist services across the country. These include services for individuals with complex needs (e.g. alcohol, substance misuse and mental health), older victims and for those with language needs.

10. Other information

10.1 In-house support services

In 2023-24, 50 local authorities reported yes to the question whether they have, or plan to have, any in-house services providing support to victims within safe accommodation. Following further analysis, 34 local authorities reported directly employing staff to perform specific roles and providing  frontline support such as Independent Domestic Abuse advisers (IDVAs) supporting those living in sanctuary schemes; or specialist domestic officers placed in teams across the local authority such as Children Services, Adult Social Care, Homelessness and housing.

11. Technical notes

11.1 Data tables

Ten accompanying tables are available alongside this release. These include information about number of households supported in safe accommodation, by type of accommodation, length of stay and support service provided, including for victims with specialist characteristics; as well as information on households unable to be supported.

11.2 Data quality

This management information provides detailed data on domestic abuse support services across a full range of safe accommodation types commissioned by Tier 1 local authorities in England for the 2023-24 financial year. The management information is primarily designed to help monitor progress and implementation of local authorities’ duties under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 across England, which requires them to provide support within safe accommodation to victims of domestic abuse and their children. For 2023-24, 100% of local authorities submitted their data for this collection.

Local authorities submit their management information via MHCLG’s DELTA online data collection system. The DELTA online data collection system includes in-built rules and validation checks to ensure, in so far as is possible, the data provided is complete and accurate. Further, key questions in this collection are mandatory to secure a consistent and complete data return from all local authorities where possible.

As well as the in-built validations via DELTA, MHCLG analysts also carry out a series of quality assurance checks including checks against historical data.

To assess the quality of the management information data submitted in 2023-24, we have compared this data against the data submitted by local authorities for 2022-23. When substantial differences have been identified, we discuss these with local authorities to investigate and understand the underlying reasons behind the discrepancies.

The data is not independently verified. It has been provided by local authorities.

MHCLG’s Support in Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation is designated as management information, but we have voluntarily complied with the Code of Practice for Statistics to ensure that the analytical outputs are of high quality. Voluntary application (VA) of the code entails public commitment to the Code pillars of Trustworthiness, Quality and Value and helps ensure that the analytical output produced are of high quality, is useful for supporting decisions, and is well respected.

11.3 Quality Assurance Process flowchart

An outline of the production process and quality assurance carried out prior to the publication of the Support in Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation management information is set out in the flowchart below.

Accessible version of flowchart

Start: MHCLG provide guidance to local authorities on questions to be included in the annual domestic abuse safe accommodation survey (March 2024).

(i) Domestic abuse safe accommodation support survey is issued to all local authorities in England and Greater London Authority via DELTA online data collection system (April 2024).

(ii) Local authorities submits data to MHCLG using DELTA online data collection system (April – June 2024).

(iii) In-built validation rules and checks ensure the data provided is complete and accurate before submission.

(iv) MHCLG conducts further validation, sense checks and quality assurance prior to publication

(v) Discuss outliers and values that differ substantially from historical data with local authorities prior to publication

End: MHCLG publishes management information (October 2024).

11.4 Data Limitations

Comparisons with 2021-22 data

The first year of data collected from Tier 1 local authorities in England, covering the period between April 2021 and March 2022, established a baseline for domestic abuse safe accommodation services nationally to be used as comparator in subsequent years. However, in the first collection, feedback from local authorities indicated that they were unable to collect all required data from their commissioned providers. This means that some sections of the form had under-reporting of data and it is therefore not directly comparable with the 2022-23 or 2023-24 data.

Data reported by local authorities has significantly improved in subsequent years since the 2021-22 collection. This is due to improvements both in data reporting and in quality assurance processes. As such, sections of the 2021-22 data are not directly comparable with the 2022-23 or 2023-24 data; therefore comparisons with the 2021-22 data is only made on a limited basis in this report.

11.5 Reporting error in 2022-23 and 2023-24 data

In the 2022-23 and 2023-24 data returns, some local authorities reported that individuals were supported in accommodation whilst also reporting zero bedspaces in the stated accommodation. This discrepancy is due to reporting errors by local authorities, we will review our guidance to minimise misunderstanding that led to this reporting error. Moreover, we will also introduce an additional data validation check to prevent this error in future collections.

11.6 Other categorisation

In various categories, local authorities have increasingly chosen the option Other to describe the type of accommodations or services they offer. However, having a substantial number categorised as Other may be a loss of information and may indicate a need to introduce new categories in the survey. As such, we will be conducting a deep dive into what has been included in the Other categories with local authorities to understand whether changes in the guidance or survey is needed in the future.

11.7 Related statistics

ONS statistics

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) publishes information on domestic abuse in England and Wales. The data is mainly compiled using information from police recorded crimes and the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). The dataset includes information on prevalence and trends, victim characteristics and usage of domestic abuse services (e.g. the National Domestic Abuse Helpline) and is published on an annual basis.

11.8 Revision policy

This policy has been developed in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for statistics and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government revisions policy. There are two types of revisions that the policy covers:

Non-scheduled revisions

Where a substantial error has occurred as a result of the compilation, imputation or dissemination process the statistical release, live tables and other accompanying releases will be updated with a correction notice as soon as is practical.

If a local authority notifies MHCLG of an error in the information they have submitted after publication of the release, a decision on whether to revise will be made based upon the impact of any change and the effect it has on the interpretation of the data.

Scheduled revisions

There are no scheduled revisions for this release.

11.9 User engagement

Users are encouraged to provide feedback on how these statistics are used and how well they meet user needs. Comments on any issues relating to this release are welcomed and encouraged. Please contact damonitoringdata@communities.gov.uk if you have any feedback or comments.

See the department’s engagement strategy to meet the needs of statistics users.

12. Definitions

Bedspaces: Bedspace refers to a unit of accommodation for one victim and their children, regardless of how many beds/cots are in the unit.

Domestic abuse safe accommodation: This refers to specific types of housing and support structures designed to address the needs of victims facing domestic abuse. Accommodation such as bed and breakfasts are not considered relevant safe accommodation and are excluded in the regulations. Therefore, local authorities should refrain from commissioning support within these types of accommodation under the duty.

Types of domestic abuse safe accommodation

Refuge accommodation: A refuge offers single gender or single sex accommodation and domestic abuse support which is tied to that accommodation. The address will not be publicly available. Victims, including their children, will have access to a planned programme of therapeutic and practical support from staff. Accommodation may be in shared or self-contained housing, but in both cases the service will enable peer support from other refuge residents.

Dispersed accommodation: i. Safe (secure and dedicated to supporting victims of domestic abuse), self-contained accommodation with a similar level of specialist domestic abuse support as provided within a refuge but which may be more suitable for victims who are unable to stay in a refuge with communal spaces, and/or where peer support from other residents may not be appropriate, due to complex support needs, or where older teenage sons cannot be accommodated in a women only refuge, for example. Where two or more units share any part of the accommodation, including shared hallways or access routes, provision should be single gender or single sex.

ii. Safe (secure and dedicated to supporting victims of domestic abuse), self-contained ‘semi-independent’ accommodation which is not within a refuge but with support for victims who may not require the intensive support offered through refuge, but are still at risk of abuse from their perpetrator/s. Where two or more units share any part of the accommodation, including shared hallways or access routes, provision should be single gender or single sex.

Sanctuary schemes: A Sanctuary scheme enables victims of domestic abuse to remain in their own homes, where it is safe for them to do so, where it is their choice, and where the perpetrator does not live in the accommodation, by providing additional security measures. Crucially here we are interested in victims who receive on-going support in a sanctuary scheme. The end of a sanctuary scheme bedspace is considered when support ends, not when the installation is removed.

Specialist safe accommodation: Specialist safe accommodation offering dedicated domestic abuse support which is specifically to support those who share one or more particular protected characteristic(s) and / or who share one or more vulnerabilities requiring additional support. Accommodation may be in shared or self-contained housing, and the address will not be publicly available. An example of ‘Specialist Accommodation’ is ‘by and for’ services where victims are able to see themselves reflected in the staffing, management and governance structures.

Second stage accommodation: Accommodation temporarily provided to victims, including their children, who are moving on from other forms of safe accommodation, but would still benefit from a lower level of domestic abuse specific support for a period before they move to fully independent and settled accommodation. Where second stage accommodation is in shared housing it should be single gender or single sex.

‘Other’ safe accommodation: Any other commissioned safe accommodation (single gendered or single sex, secure and dedicated to supporting victims of domestic abuse) with domestic abuse support tied to the accommodation to enable victims to make informed decisions when leaving a perpetrator and seeking safe accommodation.

Types of domestic abuse services

Specialist services: Domestic abuse services designed specifically for victims with relevant specialist characteristics, for example: providing dedicated support to black and minoritised victims/survivors.

‘By and for’ services: ‘By and for’ services are specialist services that are designed and delivered by and for the users and communities they aim to serve such as ethic minority victims, migrant victims, LGBTQ+ victims or disabled victims. For example, a specialist domestic abuse organisation that is led by black and minoritised women for black and minoritised women and children.

Types of domestic abuse support

Advocacy support: Development of personal safety plans, liaison with other services (for example, GPs and social workers, welfare benefit providers).

Domestic abuse prevention advice: Support to assist victims to recognise the signs of abusive relationships, to help them remain safe (including online), and to prevent re-victimisation.

Specialist support for victims: (i) Designed specifically for victims with relevant protected characteristics (including ‘by and for’), such as faith services, translators and interpreters, immigration advice, interpreters for victims identifying as deaf and / or hard of hearing, and dedicated support for LGBTQ+ victims (not limited to).

(ii) Designed specifically for victims with additional and / or complex needs such as, mental health advice and support, drug and alcohol advice and support (not limited to), including sign posting accordingly.

Children’s support: Play therapy, child advocacy or a specialist children worker (for example, a young people’s violence advisor, independent domestic abuse advisor or outreach worker specialised in working with children).

Housing-related support: Providing housing-related advice and support, for example, securing a permanent home, rights to existing accommodation and advice on how to live safely and independently.

Advice service: Including financial and legal support, including accessing benefits, support into work and establishing independent financial arrangements.

Counselling and therapy: Counselling and therapy (including group support) for both adults and children, including emotional support.

No Recourse to Public Funds: Not entitled to claim the majority of benefits including housing benefit.

1. For the purposes of this duty, Greater London Authority is considered the Tier 1 local authority for London. ↩

2. This is the number of services commissioned by local authorities not the number of specialist service organisations or providers across England as one service organisation or provider may be commissioned to provide multiple services to multiple local authorities. ↩ ↩²

3. This includes all individuals under the age of 18 present with a parent or guardian. ↩

4. For the purposes of the annual monitoring data, Greater London has been included as one area. This means survivors moving between London Boroughs would not be counted as coming from outside of their local authority area ↩

5. The categories included here are not exclusive, as an individual could fall into more than one category, and for this reason the figures should not be totalled. ↩ ↩²

6. This data may include repeat referrals in which households have received rejections before going on to receive support at another service ↩

7. Households may also have multiple reasons why they could not be supported so the figures cannot be added cumulatively. ↩

8. Households could fall into multiple categories, such as moving on as planned into another form of safe accommodation, so the figures cannot be totalled. ↩

9. Including by and for specialist services. ↩