Domestic abuse

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Where you can get support

If you or someone you know is in danger and needs help, call 999. If you can’t speak, press 55 when prompted.
To report an incident to police, call 101.
Domestic Abuse Services, open 24/7: 01472 575757
Email Women’s Aid: [email protected]

General

National Domestic Violence Helpline – 0808 2000 247
The Samaritans – Freephone 116 123 or Local 01472 353111
Police Domestic Violence Officer (9am to 5pm) – 01472 721224 / 721227
Victim Support – 01472 250251 or 356549
Citizens Advice Bureau – 0344 411 1444
National Centre for Domestic Violence – 0800 970 2070
Respect – 08088024040

Young people

NELC Children’s Integrated Front Door – 01472 326292 option 2

LGBTQ+

Males

Honour-based abuse

Online abuse

Culturally specific support

Women’s Aid – national services for Black and minority ethnic women
Culturally specific services – Refuge

Older people

Support for people with a disability

SignHealth – for deaf people
Stay Safe East
Respond

The North East Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Services

The North East Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Services offers confidential support to anyone who has previously, or is currently experiencing domestic abuse or the effects of domestic abuse.

Find out more below:

The Domestic Abuse Services Hub is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm if you need someone to talk to. Whether you need advice or some help taking the first step to leave, our general domestic abuse support drop-ins are here for you.

If you are on your mobile, scroll to the right to view the whole timetable.

Day	Time (am)	Time (pm)
Monday	9:30am to 11:30am Roxton GP, Pelham Road, Immingham	1pm to 3pm DA Hub, 15 Wellowgate, Grimsby 5pm to 7pm DA Hub, 15 Wellowgate, Grimsby
Tuesday	9:30am to 11:30am DA Hub, 15 Wellowgate, Grimsby	1pm to 3pm Women’s Centre, Brighowgate, Grimsby (Women only)
Wednesday	9:30am to 11:30am DA Hub, 15 Wellowgate, Grimsby	1pm to 3pm Clee Medical Centre, Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes
Thursday	9:30am to 11:30am Women’s Centre, Brighowgate, Grimsby (Women only)	1pm to 3pm DA Hub, 15 Wellowgate, Grimsby
Friday	10am to 12noon Women’s Aid Hainton Square Charity Shop, Grimsby	1pm to 3pm DA Hub, 15 Wellowgate, Grimsby

Other drop-ins including legal help and support for housing can be found at: Drop in Sessions – Women’s Aid.

Call Domestic Abuse Services at 01472 575757

Visit Charity to Help Domestic Abuse Perpetrators or call 08088024040

Housing

There are different options available if you need to leave your home because of domestic abuse:

Accessing safety measures that allows an individual to feel safe in their home, meaning they can stay there instead of moving to a refuge or other safe accommodation.

IF you want to stay in your home, a support worker can help you access the local scheme.

Refuge accommodation can be accessed at any time by ringing 01472 575757.

The refuge is a safe house where women and their children who are fleeing domestic abuse can live free from violence.

It includes:

individuals flats
access to a shared communal room for socialising
access only possible with security key fob
24 hour security system
emergency alarms and CCTV

While living in the refuge, you will also receive support sessions which will include planning your future. You can get help from any of the staff, but you will have an assigned support worker who will work closely with you from arriving at the refuge, right through to leaving for your own home.

More information about the refuge in North East Lincolnshire can be found at The Refuge – Women’s Aid.

The North East Lincolnshire Council Home Options Team can talk to you about your housing options if you cannot stay or return to your home because of domestic abuse.

Your homelessness support officer will be able to advise you on this. please fill in a homeless prevention service request form or ring 01472 326296 (option 1) – this is also an out-of-hours emergency contact. If you are fleeing an abusive relationship and are looking for social housing, you will be in a priority need banding.

There is support available if you have a joint tenancy agreement or own a property with your perpetrator. Women’s Aid legal drop-in sessions will be able to help you with this.

For more information, go to: Becoming homeless in an emergency.

Pets

Someone fleeing domestic abuse often has to leave everything behind, including their pet. It’s common for perpetrators to target pets as a form of control, often threatening to harm them if their partner tries to leave. Unfortunately, many refuges simply can’t accept pets, so they stay and remain at risk of abuse.

Lifeline | Cats Protection supports cats, and their families, to get away from abuse. They provide a temporary foster home for cats, until their owners are able to take them back safely.

The Freedom Project ran by Dogs Trust is a specialist dog fostering service for those experiencing domestic abuse.

Request information about a partner

Clare’s Law gives you the right to ask the police if a current or ex-partner has a history of abusive behaviour. You can also request this information on behalf of someone you’re concerned about, such as a friend or family member.

There are two parts to the scheme:

Right to Ask – You can apply for information if you’re worried about someone’s past. You can do this at: Request information under Clare’s Law: Make a Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) application | Humberside Police
Right to Know – Police can proactively disclose information if they believe someone is at risk.

If a risk is identified, the police may share relevant information with you or the person at risk, depending on the situation and your relationship to them. Disclosures are made in person and only when necessary to protect someone’s safety.

White Ribbon is a charity engaging with men and boys to prevent men’s violence against women and girls (VAWG).

North East Lincolnshire Council became White Ribbon Accredited and pledged to work to end violence against women and girls.

Did you know that in North East Lincolnshire 21% of all crime in 2024/25 is related to violence against women and girls (VAWG)?

We are encouraging individuals to become ambassadors and champions to raise awareness of the White Ribbon message, both in their work and amongst their communities, friends and family.

Champions and Ambassadors complete a short training video when enrolling to equip them with how to complete the role. To sign up visit Ambassadors and Champions — White Ribbon UK.

Champions – Female and those who don’t identify as male

Ambassadors – Male and those who identify as male

Apps

Hollie Guard

A personal safety app which updates your precise location, acts as a personal alarm, deterrent, evidence catcher and more.

Download Hollie Guard

Bright Sky

The app can help individuals spot the signs of abuse, know how to respond, and find support.

Download Bright Sky

About domestic abuse

Domestic Abuse is an incident, or pattern of incidents, of behaviour that is:

Controlling
Coercive
Threatening
Degrading
Abusive
Violent (Including sexually violent)

It is carried out by a partner, an ex-partner, a family member, or a carer, and relates to one adult causing harm to another adult. An adult is defined as someone over 16 years old.

Types of abuse

Domestic Abuse can include, but is not limited to:

Designed to make a person dependent by isolating them from support, exploiting them, depriving them of independence and regulating their everyday behaviour.

May include

Isolating you from friends and family
Depriving you of basic needs including food
Monitoring your time
Taking control of your life such as who you see, what you can wear or where you can go
Depriving you access to medical services and appointments
Repeatedly putting you down or making you feel worthless
Humiliating you
Making threats and intimidating you

When a perpetrator uses words and non-physical actions to manipulate, hurt, scare or upset you. Could include:

Screaming and shouting at you
Mocking you, calling you hurtful names, or degrading you
Sulking or refusing to talk or be kind until you do something they want
Gaslighting you – telling you something happened differently to how you remember it or make you believe you are misinterpreting things
Aiming to make you doubt your own sanity
Threatening to hurt something, you, or themselves (including suicide)
Threatening to report you to the police, social services, or a mental health team
Telling you that they’re sorry and that they’re not abusing you
Telling you that you deserve or are the cause of the abuse
Threatening to kill or harm you and/or your children

A way for the perpetrator to gain control over you. If you consent to something because you are afraid or have been pressured into it, it is not consent.

Can include:Punching, slapping, hitting, kicking, pinching, scratching or biting
Applying pressure to your neck or holding you down, whether this restricts your breathing or not
Pulling your hair out
Spitting at or near you
Using objects as weapons to attack or hurt you
Punching walls or breaking things
Rape or sexual assault – which includes any act you did not consent to such as kissing, touching or penetration
Having sex or performing sexual acts when you are unable to consent, for example, if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol or when asleep
Using force, threats, guilt manipulation or intimidation to make you perform sexual acts
Forcing you to have sex with other people or become a sex worker
Forcing you to have sex or watch porn in front of children
Degrading you during sex
Forcing to you watch others engaging in sexual activity

Your perpetrator may use money to control your freedom. It may include:

Restricting access to essential resources and services such as food, clothing, and transport
Refusing to allow someone to improve their economic status through employment, education, and training
Controlling the household income and keeping financial information a secret
Taking out debts in your name, sometimes without your knowledge or consent
Making you do a certain amount of hours at work
Not contributing to any bills
Having control over your spending, checking receipts or having everything in their name

As our homes become smarter, digital abuse is becoming more common. Perpetrators may used smart home devices to monitor and control. This may include:
Connecting to smart home devices to change the temperature, turning lights or speakers on and off, or watching you on security cameras
Cyberstalking – when someone repeatedly sends harassing messages
Monitoring your social media
Having access to your phone, email account, or social media accounts
Having access to your online banking
Not allowing you to have access to technology, such as a smart phone
Sharing intimate photos of you online without your consent
Using cameras or spyware to watch you and listen to your conversations
Using GPS locators or tracking apps to locate you
Constantly making unwanted contact with you through texts, calls, emails, or social media

This involves applying pressure to the neck or throat or hindering breathing. It is often used to control or intimidate by restricting a person’s breathing or blood flow. Often pressure is applied using the hands or neck, by being put in a headlock, or by something being wrapped tight around the neck such as a scarf or belt. There is no safe way to be strangled.

This abuse is motivated by the abuser’s perception that a person has brought, or may bring “Dishonour” or “shame” to themselves, their family or the community. It centres around the idea of controlling individuals to make them behave in certain ways or subscribe to certain beliefs.

For professionals

Multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC)

MARAC is a multi-organisation meeting with local agencies who discuss the highest risk victims of domestic abuse in the area. Information is shared about the risks faced by those victims, the actions needed to ensure their safety, and the resources available locally are used to create a risk management plan involving all agencies.

The MARAC process works better when the victim is cooperating and gives consent, however, if consent is refused this may be overruled.

Any professional agency can make a referral to MARAC.

Referral form (Word, 34KB) DASH form (Word, 197KB)

DASH forms and MARAC referrals should be sent to [email protected].

The Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA), or a practitioner in regular contact with the victim, will contact them to let them know about the safety plan, measures and support each agency is offering.

During MARAC, individual actions will be given to agencies by the chair, these should be completed within 7 days.

All contacts must confirm with the MARAC coordinator when their agency actions have been completed.

MARAC/DASH training is delivered quarterly by the MARAC coordinator. This can be book via The Blue Door Support Service CIC Events – 2 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite

If agencies would like group MARAC/DASH training at their location (dependent on numbers), they should contact the MARAC coordinator via [email protected]

Download the MARAC NEL Briefing (PDF, 88KB)
We are SafeLives – Ending domestic abuse