
What can we offer?
- Someone to talk things over with
- Forming a safety plan
- Making your home safe
- Help you to go to court and get legal protection
- Support with housing
- Help with accessing benefits and budgeting
- Support for your children
- Help with accessing training or employment support
- Help with counselling
- Help to feel safe and rebuild your life
- We can also support you if you wish to use the criminal justice process to prosecute the abuser.
We can offer you specialist support
- If you are a young person
- If you are black or from a minority ethnic community
- If you are a male victim
- If you are from the LGBTQ+ community
- If you have a Learning Disability
- If you need substance misuse support
- If you need support with you mental health
- If you are deaf or have hearing issues
- If you are at risk from ‘Honour’ based abuse or forced marriage
Bristol Northern and Southern Arcs
We have offices in the south of the city in Hartcliffe and one in the north in Southmead, as well as our central base in Clifton.
We also provide drop in surgeries at a range of local community venues including Children’s Centre and Barton Hill Settlement.
To contact the Northern Arc call 0117 9822495
To contact the Southern Arc call 0117 3533853
North Somerset and South Gloucestershire “Reaching Out” Rural IDVA service
We know that survivors in rural settings often suffer greatly and are less able to seek help.
National Rural Crime Network Research showed:
- Abuse lasts on average 25% longer in the most rural areas
- Support services are scarce – less available, less visible and less effective
- The more rural the setting the higher the risk of harm
- Retreating rural resources make help and escape harder
- Rurality and isolation are deliberately used as weapons by abusers
This much needed service reaches out to rural victims to offer help and at the same time train and support champions in the community to raise awareness of domestic abuse and refer into our services.
Drive Programme
Our Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) support victims of the perpetrators who are taking part in the DRIVE programme in South Gloucestershire, Bristol and North Somerset. This programme challenges perpetrators and hopes to change their behaviour. Our IDVAs support the victims to ensure they stay safe while the perpetrator is on the programme, making sure that the survivor’s voice, safety and wellbeing is central in the intervention.
Sanctuary Scheme
Wherever possible, victims and their children should be supported to be able to remain safely in their home with the abusive partner removed. That’s why we have a Sanctuary Scheme co-ordinator, who works closely with the IDVAs, Council Housing colleagues, Avon Fire and Rescue and Avon and Somerset Police to provide enhance safety measures in the home.
It’s estimated* that support from specialist domestic abuse services can save the public purse £159,407 for each person supported
*Women’s Aid. (2023) Investing to save: the economic case for funding specialist domestic abuse support. Bristol: Women’s Aid.



