Your family’s safety is of the utmost importance. If you feel that you or your family are in immediate danger, please call the Police on 999. Otherwise, please contact the Police on the non-emergency telephone number 101 or visit your local police station to speak confidentially.
Many people feel vulnerable following a relationship breakdown and may be concerned about their safety and their children’s safety.
Concerns about your family’s safety can include physical, sexual, verbal, mental, or financial abuse and can also include controlling and coercive behaviour.
A helpful place to start and find out how to recognise if this is relevant for you is the South Yorkshire Police website or the UK Government information about domestic abuse.
Sheffield City Council also has a domestic abuse coordination team that can support you in accessing a wide range of services that offer support for women, children, young people, and men who are experiencing domestic abuse. Find out more here.
If you are a child or a young person looking for someone to talk to about what’s happening, you can call Childline on 0800 1111 or visit the Childline website.
Domestic Abuse Resources
Sheffield Domestic Abuse Coordination Team
Sheffield Domestic Abuse Co-ordination Team
Sheffield Women’s Aid
http://www.sheffieldwomensaid.org.uk
IDAS (DA support for men, women and children)
Ashiana – (support for BAMER women -black, Asian, ethnic minority and refugee women)
Mum’s in need – (Sheffield charity for mothers experiencing coercive control)
Roshni Sheffield – (Asian Women’s resource centre)
Mankind (national DA service for male victims of DA)
Galop (national service for LGBT+ victims and survivors of abuse)
24-hour helpline – (National Domestic Abuse Helpline)
Legal ways to protect your family’s safety
If you are worried about your safety, or the safety of your children, you may want to consider applying for one of the following court orders:
- Non-molestation order (order to protect you from domestic abuse and/or harassment)
- Occupation order (regulates the use of the family home, including excluding someone from it)
You may qualify for legal aid, in which case a solicitor can advise you on the above and make an application to the court on your behalf for free if this seems appropriate. You can find out more information here.
- Find a solicitor – https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/
- You can self-refer for an order here: How To Make a Referral For An Injunction · NCDV or telephone NCDV on 0800 9702070.
If you’re worried about co-parenting and child arrangements, please visit the parenting post-separation section of this website. You can take legal advice through The Law Society: Find a Solicitor, contact a mediator through the Family Mediation Council or speak to a Family Time Centre: Child Contact Centres – NACCC.
