Every two minutes, someone turns to Refuge for help. We are here every day for all survivors of domestic abuse.
Our latest annual report highlights our incredible impact over the previous year, and our hopes for the future. Together, we can build a future of opportunity and safety for all women, free from fear.
Looking back
This year, violence and abuse against women and girls has been highly visible. Dramas like Adolescence brought online misogyny into the spotlight. At the same time, the cost of living and housing crisis left many women trapped with abusers. Survivors are navigating not only trauma, but a lack of safe options – particularly those from marginalised communities who often face the greatest barriers to getting help. And this is all while support services across the sector face short-term funding cycles and rising costs.
In our services, demand continues while funding is stretched. Too often, women don’t get the help they need until they reach crisis point. The systems they turn to for help are too often slow, fragmented, or harmful in themselves. This is especially true for disabled survivors, people in poverty, or those with insecure immigration status.
Yet even in the toughest circumstances, our resolve has held firm. We have continued to show up for women and children, responding with strength, compassion and care. Even with escalating challenges, our services have remained open, effective and trusted. For us, that’s a source of deep pride, and an undeniable reflection of what we stand for.
Our 65 refuges housed almost 1500 people.
23,809 people supported through our local services.
96% of survivors had a better understanding of their rights after calling the National Domestic Abuse Helpline.
Looking ahead
Now that we have permanent leadership, including our new Chief Executive, Gemma Sherrington, we’re focused on the future with fresh ambition.
In the year ahead, we’ll continue to grow a culture that is inclusive, empowering and survivor-centred. We’ll focus on areas that need it most.
The time for change is now. And with your backing – our partners, funders and allies, we won’t stop until every woman and child has the safety they deserve.
Your impact
Every step we’ve taken this year has been made possible by you – our extraordinary community of supporters.
You raised more than £8.3 million to help fund our services, strengthen our voice, and provide safety, hope and a pathway to freedom for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.
For every £1 donated, 93p went towards delivering vital services that change the lives of survivors.
Our National Domestic Abuse Helpline is a lifeline, and last year we supported people 43,153 times – helping survivors take their first steps to safety.
Across our 65 refuges, we provide shelter, care and a path to freedom.
This year, thousands of supporters went the distance channelling their inner strength – in solidarity with survivors of domestic abuse. From marathons to icy open-water dips, our events calendar continued to grow to over 10,500 participants.
This year, work was split across 5 key priorities:
1. Provide emergency specialist accommodation, community-based and specialist support services
Supporting children and young people
In 2024-25, children made up almost half of the residents in our refuges.
Helping children to feel safe, heard and supported from the start is essential to breaking the cycle of trauma and laying the foundations for a healthier future.
This year, we…
- Launched our first service dedicated solely to children and young people.
- Secured funding to place Children’s Support Workers (CSWs) in all of our refuges.
- In partnership with UK Trauma council and funded by The Dahan Family Foundation, we began a new therapeutic programme to help children understand and process their experiences.
Improving access through specialist support
- Increased accessibility for deaf survivors by upgrading a refuge to include flashing alarms and vibrating pillows
- Partnered with Galop on our pan-London service for specialist support to LGBTQI+ survivors
- Continued our dispersed accommodation pilot into its second year. It offers tailored homes for survivors with large families, disabilities, or beloved pets.
- Partnered with Warwickshire County Council to refurbish a property, making it fully accessible for disabled women.
- Created a sensory room for children with therapeutic and neurodivergent needs – a first for Refuge nationally.
- Launched a new referral pathway to immigration advice, and secured funding for an additional IDVA based within community mental health services.
- Built a new partnership with Solace Women’s Aid for survivors to continue therapy after leaving a refuge.
2. Service delivery and setting quality standards
Strengthening the National Domestic Abuse Helpline. This year, we…
- grew our volunteer team to 52
- Added a new chatbot, and introduced new call pathways for professionals, survivors of economic and tech-facilitated abuse, and British Sign Language users.
- Extended Live Chat hours thanks to a funding uplift from the Home Office
Our Helpline was shortlisted for Best Approach to Supporting Vulnerable Customers at the prestigious European Contact Centre and Customer Service Awards.
Additionally, we have:
- Delivered specialist tech and economic abuse services
- Launched our UK Tech Safety Summit, featuring over 35 sessions from 55 expert speakers, sponsored by Bumble
- Developed new training for frontline staff, including our own Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) programme
We are committed to providing the best possible services for women and children – and to setting the benchmark for quality across the sector.
3. Drive change
Domestic abuse impacts millions of women and children each year – it is a national emergency, and it must never fall off the political agenda.
We’ve worked to:
- Influence the future of domestic abuse policy
- Protect survivors in a changing justice system
- Turn laws into lasting change
- Strengthen relationships across Government
In a year of political transition, our advocacy has helped keep domestic abuse high on the agenda – because the time to act is now.
4. Raise awareness and challenge harmful attitudes
Our film ‘Make the World a Refuge’ starred Billie Piper, reading stories of real women sharing what it means to live in fear, and what it takes to break free.
The film raised almost £50,000, and it won Film of the Year at the Smiley Charity Film Awards in March 2025.
For International Women’s Day 2025, we launched No Red Flag is Too Small. This striking campaign turned the Outernet in central London into an immersive display of thousands of red flags, each telling a real story of abuse.
At the heart of all our external communications are the survivors we work with who, through generously sharing their voices and lived experience, challenge stigma, inspire change and help us shape the narrative on domestic abuse.
5. Build partnerships to expand our impact
We collaborate with media, grassroots organisations and survivor campaigners to reach new audiences, influence policy, and develop life-changing services and solutions.
In September 2024, we partnered with The Independent to launch Brick by Brick. Developed with national housebuilder Persimmon Homes, the campaign aimed to raise £350,000.
Our supporters met that target within a month. By the end of 2024, an incredible £587,445 was raised – enough to fund two homes for survivors.
For survivors, a home like this is more than just a roof over their head – it’s a foundation for freedom, healing and hope.
Thank you all for being part of our mission towards a future without domestic abuse.
We’re here to empower women and children to rebuild their lives, free from fear and we will not stop until we see a world where violence against women and girls is not tolerated and where women and children can live in safety.
