Join SEA for a series of webinars

Surviving Economic Abuse is running a series of free webinars over the next few months, increasing understanding and awareness of economic abuse across six key issues. These include privately owned housing, banking, coerced debt, children, COVID-19 and the police. 

Each session will provide an overview of the key theme and how it sits within the context of economic abuse. We would love for you to attend, whether you are working in the domestic abuse sector, within an industry with links to economic safety — such as banks, councils, or housing associations, or if you are simply curious to learn more.

You can register in advance for your chosen webinars using the respective links below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the webinar.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please email [email protected].

Webinar dates

About the webinars

Coerced debt
‘The economic consequences of coerced debt are with me every single day, a cloud hanging over me.’
1 in 10 women in the UK states that a partner has put debts in their name and they had been afraid to say no. However, coerced debt is often not recognised, despite the fact that it can have severe consequences for survivors of abuse who are attempting to rebuild their lives. This webinar will shine a light on the prevalence of coerced debt, the way it is used by perpetrators of abuse and how it can be tackled. Attendees will hear from debt advisors and advocates from Money Advice Plus, SEA and StepChange, and hear the first hand account of a survivor who has experienced coerced debt.

Privately owned housing
Survivors of economic abuse often face years of post-separation abuse and housing insecurity connected to their home. The ways in which systems are set up can be used by perpetrators to inflict further suffering to their victims. These systems include mortgages, the provision of legal aid, state benefits, homelessness and housing allocation policies, and the family and civil courts. Many survivors of domestic abuse describe the difficulties involved in breaking links with abusers with whom they share property. This webinar will draw on SEA’s expertise to highlight the links between housing, economic abuse, and the systems around them. Attendees will hear from SEA’s Policy Officer Stephanie Orr and Housing Specialist Louise Jones.

Banking
This webinar will mark two years after the launch of UK Finance’s Code of Practice on Financial Abuse and SEA’s inaugural banking conference which launched the SEA Best Practice award for banks and building societies. This session will explore the initiatives taken by banks and building societies to respond to economic abuse. Attendees will hear from SEA, UK Finance, Lloyds Banking Group, an Expert by Experience and from other domestic abuse charities working in this space including Refuge and SafeLives. 

Covid-19, a rapid review
The coronavirus outbreak and the measures introduced to stem its spread and protect the economy have negatively impacted all of us, including creating increased risk for victim-survivors of economic abuse. This webinar will explore SEA’s work to discover the impact of the outbreak on victim-survivors of economic abuse. It will focus on the findings of research conducted with victim-survivors and the front-line professionals that support them, and the changes SEA are calling for to best support victim-survivors during and following the outbreak. Attendees will hear from SEA’s Head of Policy and Influencing, Holly Cameron, and Research Officer, Dr Kathryn Royal. 

Police
The police and criminal justice system play a vital and complex role in tackling domestic abuse, including economic abuse. In 2018, the Home Office granted money to SEA and SafeLives to provide training for the police specifically around the issue of economic abuse, in response to its inclusion in the new Domestic Abuse Bill. This webinar will focus on the need for tailored economic abuse training, SEA’s methodology, police responses to the training thus far and how it fits more broadly in the Domestic Abuse Matters cultural change programme. Attendees will hear from SEA’s training officer Jasbinder Kaur and SafeLives’ associate Pete Williams.

Economic abuse and children
The forthcoming Domestic Abuse Bill will recognise that children experience abuse in their own right — rather than being witness to it. Yet, research refers only to adverse emotional, physical and social effects: the economic impact is overlooked. This webinar will explore how children experience economic abuse in the context of coercive control (including post-separation) and what it means for their life chances. Attendees will hear from Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, Dr Emma Katz, Professor Liz Kelly and Expert by Experience, Tom Mitchelson.
 There will be time to ask questions and share reflections at the end of each webinar.