SEA Captains Circle

Join a collective group united around a single goal – to help save lives and stop economic abuse forever.  

Become a member of the SEA Captains Circle and partner with us on a voyage to pioneer new approaches to supporting survivors.

“The first vital and powerful thing to be done to tackle any form of abuse is to name it. For years economic abuse has lurked unidentified, unrecognised and insidious, a malignant trap in the lives of so many. By naming economic manipulation, deprivation and harm as the abuse it is, SEA instantly empowers victims and survivors to validate what is happening to them.”

Monica Dolan, SEA Captains Circle Patron

A commitment of at least £500 per year (£3,000 for organisations) will help fund SEA’s continued efforts to raise awareness of economic abuse and transform responses to it.  

What is economic abuse?

Economic abuse is a form of coercive behaviour. It involves the control of a current or former partner’s finances as well as the things that money can buy. Bit by bit, the victim’s ability to make their own choices and be in control of their own lives is taken away. It often occurs in the context of intimate partner violence and is a form of domestic abuse.    

One in six women in the UK has experienced economic abuse. The effects can last a lifetime, with victims never free from the abuser’s control – left in debt, without access to money or a home. Tragically, many feel they have no choice but to take their own life.  

The SEA Captains Circle provides an opportunity for individuals and organisations to support our work through regular giving to help stop this from happening 

Our impact

Since its inception in 2017, SEA has made huge strides towards economic abuse being more widely recognised ensuring better responses for victim-survivors. We have:  

• successfully campaigned to both name and define economic abuse in law 
• driven a change to the law to criminalise controlling or coercive behaviour in England and Wales that occurs after a relationship has ended 
• implemented the pilot and rollout of the Economic Abuse Evidence Form to transform the support that victim-survivors with coerced debt receive from creditors and debt advice services – so they only have to tell their story once 
• established the Financial Support Line for victims of domestic abuse in partnership with Money Advice Plus, providing one-off advice and a casework service to victim-survivors 
• trained thousands of frontline professionals to recognise and respond to economic abuse 

Where will my money go?

By working within the women’s sector and financial services sector, we aim to build a model for improved support for victim-survivors of economic abuse. Your financial gift will help drive forward this work. With your support, we will call on the government to facilitate the changes needed and work with them to improve their systems and practices.  

Your funding will support our efforts to:  

• support survivors through our information and resources, bespoke training and frontline partnership work
• strengthen the connections survivors have with each other through the Expert-by-Experience Group and Survivors’ Forum 
• amplify our voice by building relationships with high-circulation media, digital and financial organisations
• train more sector professionals to ensure they are equipped to respond effectively to economic abuse  
• engage with the financial services sector to commit to and share best practice including implementing the 2021 Financial Abuse Code 
• facilitate survivor engagement in policy and deepen relationships with organisations working with migrant women. 
• help victim-survivors coerced into debt achieve life-changing debt write-offs through the Economic Abuse Evidence Form pilot 
• influence change by working with decision-makers in legislation, policy and regulation using the powerful evidence we generate.  

We need your support more than ever

What to expect when you join the SEA Captains Circle  

As part of the SEA Captains Circle, not only will you help us to transform the lives of victim-survivors, but you will also receive the following benefits: 

• regular updates about our progress and impact 
• invitations to attend exclusive events throughout the year 
• acknowledgement of your support on our website and Impact Report 
• priority access to our research and reports  
• being part of, and helping to grow, a community of givers who all support the work we do 

By joining the Circle in 2023 you will become a founding member of a cause you care about.  

Current members

Get in touch

We hope you are inspired by our ambition and determination to make a difference to the lives of so many women. Please contact us today via email [email protected] to discuss further or to become part of the SEA Captains Circle.

More information

Sign up to our newletter 'SEA-Change' to hear more from us.

Surviving Economic Abuse is a registered charity. If you would like to support our work you can make a donation or become a regular giver. Visit our donations page for more information.