Victim-survivors of economic abuse face significant barriers to leaving an abuser and rebuilding their lives.  

They are often forced to navigate complex systems including welfare, housing, banking and legal services all while managing their safety and addressing issues such as coerced debt, joint finances and ongoing economic control. 

Yet in many areas, local services prioritise immediate physical safety without recognising that economic safety is fundamental to victim-survivors’ physical safety and ability to rebuild their lives. Without access to economic resources and support to prevent ongoing economic control, victim-survivors may be unable to flee, stay fled or rebuild their lives independently. 

The local economic abuse advocacy model addresses this gap. It provides an evidence-based, joined-up approach that ensures victim-survivors receive the specialist, sustained support they need. 

What is economic abuse advocacy? 

Economic abuse advocacy is specialist, survivor-centred support that helps victim-survivors identify economic abuse and rebuild their lives safely, while also closing down opportunities for perpetrators to cause further harm.  

It focuses on:  

• stopping the abuser’s control over money and economic resources   
• repairing the economic harm caused (such as coerced debt, damaged credit or lost income) 
• preventing ongoing or post-separation abuse through financial systems and institutions   

This includes working with banks, creditors, employers and public services to remove barriers, stop further harm, and support long-term safety and economic independence.  

Why economic abuse advocacy matters  

Economic abuse can trap people in dangerous situations and increase the risk of harm. Access to money and economic resources is often key to being able to escape and rebuild their lives. 

Our research, Hidden risks, fatal consequences: Economic abuse in Domestic Homicide Reviews, found that over half (51%) of DHRs featured evidence of economic abuse by a current or ex-partner. But too often, support is fragmented, referral pathways are unclear and local responses lack the resources, coordination and strategic focus needed to address economic abuse effectively.  

Economic abuse advocacy helps victim-survivors access the specialist support they need to reach safety and economic independence, while also bringing organisations together around a shared approach that strengthens local responses over the long term. 

What is the local economic abuse advocacy (LEAA) model? 

The local economic abuse advocacy model (LEAA) is a coordinated approach to embedding economic abuse advocacy within local systems. It brings together domestic abuse services, money and debt advice, local authorities, financial services and other partners to ensure victim-survivors can access consistent, joined-up support that identifies, responds to, and prevents economic abuse.  

The model strengthens identification, builds frontline capability, and improves referral pathways across services so that economic abuse is addressed directly and victim-survivors can reach both immediate safety and long-term economic security.  

How the model supports victim‑survivors 

Developed with frontline partners and informed by lived experience, the model brings together local agencies to deliver coordinated, survivor-centred support across five key areas: 

• Safety and wellbeing 
• Income and essentials 
• Housing and property 
• Legal support and justice 
• Prevention and tackling perpetrators  

By focusing on these areas, the LEAA model ensures local systems address both immediate safety needs and the wider financial, legal and practical barriers that shape victim-survivors’ immediate and long‑term economic safety and stability. 

Safety and wellbeing

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Local services should prioritise economic abuse screening, counselling, peer support, and financial capability work, alongside improving risk assessments, safety planning, and communication of available services.  

Income and essentials

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Victim-survivors need access to economic abuse-aware money and debt advice, banking support, and practical initiatives such as support with travel costs and access to electronic devices.  

Housing and property

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Local areas should support victim-survivors to access secure housing through local housing teams, financial support for deposits, and refuge or social housing options. Efforts should also address credit barriers and support marginalised groups, including those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). 

Legal support and justice

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Victim-survivors need access to economic abuse-aware legal aid, solicitors, and free legal appointments. Local services should support victim-survivors in gathering evidence for legal proceedings and accessing ID and documentation.  

Prevention and tackling perpetrators

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Efforts must focus on holding perpetrators accountable and disrupting their control. This includes referring them to specialised local or national services, such as economic-abuse aware perpetrator programmes or the Respect Phoneline.  Prevention is also critical, including supporting professionals, particularly those working with young people, to help them recognise, understand and challenge economic abuse within relationships. 

How to get the model working 

We want to work with local areas to get the LEAA model working in practice. Together, we can build the structures, skills and resources needed to deliver coordinated, effective support. The below elements create the conditions for a sustainable and effective local response to economic abuse.  

Strengthening local capacity

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Organisations should strengthen their ability to identify and respond to economic abuse by investing in training, tools, and specialist advice. Best practices and standards of excellence should be embedded into services, with a focus on developing expertise, particularly through partnerships with ‘by–and–for‘ services who are compensated for their expertise, to ensure tailored and effective support for victim-survivors.   

Improving local strategy and delivery

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Local areas should use evidence, analysis and innovation to strengthen their response to economic abuse. Strategies and interventions should centre economic abuse and be co-produced with victim-survivors and ‘by-and-for‘ expertise, with outcomes assessed and effective approaches replicated where possible. 

Increasing coordination and partnerships

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Collaboration is essential to improving outcomes for victim-survivors. Local areas should strengthen referral pathways and partnerships, improve coordination and communication, and establish effective governance and leadership on economic abuse, supported by clear policies, risk assessments, and coordinated use of data and insights.  

Changing the commissioning environment

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Economic abuse must be embedded into funding and commissioning processes. This involves integrating it into needs assessments, service specifications, and funding pipelines, while leveraging tools like cost analyses to secure sustainable support and partnerships.   

Resources and guidance for practitioners  

Whether you are screening for economic abuse, responding to debt, or tackling perpetrator behaviours that undermine a victim-survivor’s economic safety, these resources are designed to strengthen your response and ensure every victim‑survivor receives informed, effective support. 

How SEA can support you to embed the LEAA model into your local area 

If you are interested in the LEAA model or would like to explore opportunities to participate in future testing, keep checking our website for further information, join our practitioners’ network, or contact us at [email protected]  

SEA also offers bespoke training on economic abuse for a wide range of professionals. Our training is focused on building the capacity of frontline organisations to recognise economic abuse, advocate effectively for economic safety and address the systems that facilitate ongoing control by an abuser. 

While SEA is not able to provide individual casework advice, professionals regularly contact us with questions about supporting victim-survivors experiencing economic abuse. You can contact us at [email protected] with professional enquiries, and we will help where we can or direct you towards relevant guidance and resources. 

Pilot project 

The LEAA model was co-developed by Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA), RISE and Living Without Abuse (LWA) through the Compass project. 

Working in specific local areas, and through our partnerships and networks, we gained insight into local needs and responses to economic abuse. The project was strengthened by relationships with local organisations run ‘by-and-for’ minoritised groups.    

Over the course of the pilot, we trained almost 500 professionals and delivered economic abuse awareness talks to over a further 700 professionals. We also launched a seed funding programme for organisations run ‘by-and-for’ racially marginalised women.  

We are grateful to the Smallwood Trust and the Aviva Foundation who funded the pilot.