Supporting survivors of financial abuse webinar Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, Director

Financial or economic abuse? Terms financial abuse and economic abuse are used interchangeably (Sharp-Jeffs, 2015) Financial abuse is a sub-category of economic abuse (Sharp-Jeffs, 2015) Economic resources includes money (financial abuse) but also transportation, place to stay etc. (Dutton & Goodman, 2005)

What is financial abuse? Financial abuse involves an individual interfering (through control, exploitation and/or sabotage) with their partner’s ability to acquire, use and maintain economic resources (adapted from Adams et al. 2008)

Why do we need to address it? Women are three and a half times more likely to be subject to domestic violence if they find it impossible to find £100 at short notice (Walby & Allen, 2004) The risk of experiencing physical abuse among those who experience economic abuse is nearly five times greater than those who do not (Outlaw, 2009)

Continued.. Economic barriers to leaving can result in women staying with abusive men for longer than they want to and experiencing more harm as a result (Earlywhite & Stohl, 2005) Lack of economic security and access to resources post-separation are the primary reason women return to an abusive partner (RMIT/ANZ, 2016)

How prevalent is financial abuse?

Headline findings One in five British adults reported having experienced financial abuse in a current or past relationship. One in five women experienced financial abuse. One in seven men experienced financial abuse.

Women and financial abuse More likely to experience financial abuse across all forms - control, exploitation and sabotage. More likely to experience other forms of abuse in a context of coercive control. Nearly eight in ten women experienced financial abuse for more than five years. One in four women post-separation.

Post-separation Coercive control extends beyond separation. Financial abuse does not require ‘physical proximity’ to perpetrate (Stark, 2007). Financial abuse may begin, continue or escalate post-separation. When women experience economic abuse within a context of coercive control then they are at increased risk of domestic homicide (Websdale, 1999)

Domestic homicide reviews Analysis of 24 Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) reports (IPV) written by affiliates of Standing Together Against Domestic Violence. Nine note financial abuse; a further four note financial issues such as rent arrears. Examples of financial abuse in other DHR reports.

Men and financial abuse Report experiencing single incidents of financial exploitation and little financial control. Less likely to report experiencing other forms of abuse. Majority report experiencing financial abuse for six months or less. One in five men post-separation.

Early intervention Over a third reported that they told no-one about the financial abuse that they experienced: more women reported this (67%) than men (33%). The majority of those who did tell someone about financial abuse told a friend (32%), or family member (31%) - followed by bank (15%) or debt company (12%).

Barriers to disclosure Not recognising experience as financial abuse. Feeling ‘stupid’, ‘embarrassed’ and ‘humiliated’. The perception that, like domestic violence, money is a ‘private matter’. Damage to reputation and financial standing. Fear of not being believed. Fearful of partner’s response.

SEA’s mission Our mission is to raise awareness of economic abuse throughout the UK and build the capacity of those who come into contact with victims and survivors to be able to respond.

Raising awareness: highlights in 2017 Media work reached over 23 million people (articles in YOU magazine, Woman’s Hour, BBC Breakfast TV and Today on BBC Radio 4) Spoke at seminars/conferences including for Citizen’s Advice in Wales and the Improvement Service in Scotland.

Building capacity: highlights in 2017 Provided training to six domestic violence services and the charity Money Advice Plus. Asked by national charity Safe Lives to provide expert training on economic abuse. Contributed to domestic violence working groups at UK Finance and Lloyds Banking Group. This work informs the development of an industry standard which will set out how banks and building societies should respond.

Importance of training An early evaluation of the ASK RE Programme run by Citizen's Advice reveals that knowing about domestic abuse helps improve the advice given on debt/reducing debt. Need to be able to meet both the practical and safety needs of victim-survivors: ability to be able to respond to context and complexity of their lives.

Integrated responses Evaluation of partnerships between domestic abuse and money advice services suggest that active methods of embedding advice into services is more effective than the traditional building up of referral links. Scottish Legal Aid Board & the Money Advice Service (2017): Reaching Marginalised Groups: A guidance document for funders and providers of debt advice

Learning from each other http://survivingeconomicabuse.org/home/international-network/

Contact details www.survivingeconomicabuse.org survivingeconomicabuse@gmail.com @SEAresource