Who are we?

We’re a passionate team who work in the energy sector supporting and helping vulnerable customers. The past year has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone due to the soaring energy prices and the cost of living crisis. This is something we’ve experienced and witnessed first hand not only at work, but in our personal lives.

We are proud to have worked with the charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) for the past year. They’re the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it since 2017.

As we enter into even colder months in the current financial context, we are concerned that even more women will be victims of economic abuse.

What is economic abuse?

Economic abuse is a legally recognised form of domestic abuse. It often occurs in the context of intimate partner violence and involves the control of a partner or ex-partner’s money and finances, as well as the things that money can buy.

Why is this important?

One in six women in the UK have experienced economic abuse. The effects can last a lifetime, with some women never free of the abuser’s control. They can be left with large amounts of debt, or without access to money or a home. Many are trapped with abusive partners and experience other forms of abuse. SEA’s reports show that 95% of women who experience domestic abuse report experiencing economic abuse. Six in ten victim-survivors are coerced into debt which can take years to repay.

What is being done about it?

SEA and Money Advice Plus (MAP) piloted the Economic Abuse Evidence Form (EAEF) which has resulted in life-changing outcomes for victim-survivors who have been coerced into debt. We are passionate about the positive impact of this project and want to spread the message across the energy industry.

The EAEF is an information-sharing tool for use by debt advisers to communicate information about the abuse that a victim-survivor has experienced. It captures the information about the abuse in one place, supporting communicating with creditors about coerced debt. Its aim is to be a one-stop solution, providing a quicker, more consistent and specialised way for creditors to support victim-survivors of economic abuse. Currently, victim-survivors contact an average of five different creditors and have to repeat their traumatic experience multiple times in hopes of accessing appropriate support.

Customers that disclose domestic and/or economic abuse to their energy supplier can consent to being referred to MAP’s Financial Support Line and Casework Service. Their advisors can provide a range of specialist money and debt advice in the context of domestic abuse.

How can we continue to support SEA?

We want to spread awareness and raise a donation for SEA to continue their great work. Over the next few months, we’ll be running various campaigns to raise money, including a bake sale, sponsored 10k walk/run, raffles and more.

If you’d like to support us, you can make a donation:

£5 could pay for SEA to reach more than 500 people on social media with information to help them identify economic abuse early

£50 could pay for a victim-survivor in serious financial difficulty to speak with a specialist on the Financial Support Line

£500 could pay for expert training for a specialist debt advisor to support thousands of victim-survivors

You can find out more information about SEA on their website here.