A ground-breaking partnership between Money Advice Plus (MAP) and Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) has transformed the response to economic abuse among the debt advice, domestic abuse and financial services sectors. Over 2,700 victim-survivors received specialist support with a further 150,000 accessing life-saving information through online resources.
Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, this pioneering three-year partnership has supported thousands of victim-survivors to regain economic independence and transformed the professional response to economic abuse, creating a legacy of systemic change.
Economic abuse is a widespread and devastating form of domestic abuse where a current or ex-partner controls a victim-survivor’s money and economic resources. Abusers rack up tens of thousands of pounds worth of debt in victim-survivors’ names without their knowledge or consent, leaving many trapped with a dangerous abuser or with no choice but to rely on food banks to get by.
Between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2025, the Financial Support Line and Casework Service, run by MAP, provided specialist support to over 2,700 victim-survivors. By securing over £3.4 million in financial gains for those burdened by coerced debt, MAP’s services supported victim-survivors to reach economic safety and regain control of their lives, clearing them of debts they should never have been liable for.
Over 800 victim-survivors accessed peer-to-peer support through the Survivors’ Forum, run by SEA. The Forum is a secure online space where victim-survivors can connect, share experiences and support one another. A further 150,000 victim-survivors accessed life-saving information through SEA’s online resources, designed to help people name their experience, understand their options, and make informed decisions about how to move forward.
And the partnership’s impact extends far beyond support for victim-survivors – it has driven meaningful and lasting change. The Economic Abuse Evidence Form (EAEF), developed by MAP and piloted with SEA, is a pioneering tool transforming how professionals tackle economic abuse. The ‘tell us once’ system enables debt advisers to evidence a victim-survivor’s experience of abuse to creditors quickly and effectively.
By streamlining communication between debt advisers and financial services, the EAEF speeds up decisions, reduces requests for further information, and spares survivors the emotional distress of repeatedly sharing their story. To date, the EAEF has helped over 400 survivors access vital debt solutions, removing barriers to economic recovery.
One victim-survivor, supported through the EAEF, said: “I can’t think of the words or a way to show how much it meant, your support to me. The fact that you took my case and looked at it and solved it was great. The amount of my debts was so high… I thought I would go to prison for it. And my children would live without me. Terrifying thoughts…”
With further funding from the National Lottery Community Fund secured, the two organisations will build on the ground-breaking work of this partnership to date, continuing to drive systemic change in the response to economic abuse.
Sam Smethers, CEO of Surviving Economic Abuse, said: “We are so grateful for the National Lottery Community Fund’s past and future support of this ground-breaking partnership. Economic abusers devastate lives, but through our innovative systems change work we will continue to fight for a future where victim-survivors can rebuild their lives free from economic abuse.
“This partnership has provided essential support, empowering thousands of victim-survivors to regain their economic independence and has transformed the response to coerced debt among the debt advice, domestic abuse and financial services sectors. Its legacy will continue to be felt in the lives of those we have supported and the systems we have helped to change.”
Karen Perrier, CEO of Money Advice Plus, said: “Victim-survivors should never be held responsible for debt built up by abusers. Yet we hear time and time again from the victim-survivors we support that economic abuse leaves them feeling that there is no way out.
“We are so thankful for the National Lottery Community Fund’s unwavering support for our work with SEA. This partnership has changed lives, offering victim-survivors the lifeline needed to regain control of their economic situation. We will continue to offer specialist support to the women who reach out to us, so all victim-survivors have a chance to regain economic stability.”
Phil Chamberlain, England Director, Strategy, Partnerships and Engagement, at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “It’s alarming and worrying that so many people are victim-survivors of economic abuse – more than 1 in 7 women in the UK have experienced it in a relationship. Economic abuse not only causes huge distress but can lead to people facing unmanageable levels of debt and even a negative credit rating that prevents them from moving on with their lives. No one should have to deal with economic abuse alone.
“We are proud to have funded this project by Surviving Economic Abuse and Money Advice Plus and see how many thousands of people it has helped. It is particularly heartening to hear of people sharing their experiences and offering support to each other – an example of the power of community. At The National Lottery Community Fund, we are determined to support communities so people can live healthier and happier lives. We want to encourage anyone with a project that could transform their community to get in touch with us to see how our funding could support them at tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding.”
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For further information or to arrange an interview with a SEA spokesperson, please contact the Surviving Economic Abuse press office on: [email protected] / 07786 073249
