Government’s 10 Year Plan for the NHS contains little positive news for domestic abuse survivors

At the outset, the government’s 10 Year Plan mentions that ‘people…who have experienced domestic violence…are more likely to experience worse NHS access, worse outcomes and to die younger.’

It follows that this would be reflected in the actions set out in the report and indeed we welcomed the warm words from the Health Secretary, where he assured MPs of his commitment “to make sure that the NHS plays its part in keeping women and girls safe, alive and well.”

However, despite this ‘intolerable injustice’ there is no other mention of the NHS’s responsibility towards the health and recovery of domestic abuse and domestic violence survivors.

Outside of the considerable and welcome support for young people, the main mental health interventions are:

1.  Immediate self-referral to Talking Therapies
2. AI-led virtual therapists available 24/7 ‘for moderate need’ and for ‘people with more severe illness, remote monitoring will help support a proactive response in crisis.’
3. Neighbourhood Health Services
4. £120 million invested in the creation of new emergency mental health departments ‘for patients when they reach crisis point’ to receive same-day support

As mental health experts with significant experience of supporting tens of thousands of women in their recovery from domestic abuse through specialist counselling and therapy, the lack of a specific mental health response in the NHS plan for survivors  is deeply disappointing.

Different forms of therapy serve their purpose as part of a wider mix. However, we know that for most survivors, especially those who have experienced decades of multi-faceted abuse and coercive control, the current offer of NHS Talking Therapies does not respond to their need for specialist, person-centred and trauma-informed counselling.

And though we are not averse, we are yet to be convinced that artificial intelligence will be proven  effective as a tool for therapy, particularly in complex cases of domestic abuse.

Further, with the emphasis on emergency mental health departments, it feels as though the government is accepting potential failure and from a survivors’ perspective has focused purely on the suicide rates – not with providing adequate trauma-informed support for people before it gets to that point. And many questions on implementation and timescales remain.

Next steps

We hope that the mental health framework will provide an opportunity to work with the government to ensure that the significant mental health needs of domestic survivors are addressed as part of the framework – including trauma-informed training for professionals working across the NHS.

Similarly, the report mentions that ‘the government is committed to working beyond the health system to tackle the drivers of mental ill health, such as homelessness and unemployment.’ Again, although not explicitly mentioned, we hope that this whole system response across the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Housing, together with specialist third sector organisations extends to addressing vawg and support domestic abuse survivors with all their needs and we would welcome being a part of these discussions.

Finally, a reminder that we together with over 90 charities from across the country, recently wrote to ministers and the Health Secretary, setting out the case for investment in long-term and specialist mental health services for domestic abuse survivors – and why domestic abuse should be considered a mental health issue.

Women and girls deserve more and better. And they can’t wait.

Statistics on domestic abuse and mental health

• Domestic abuse is the single largest cause of depression in UK women
• Half of all women’s mental health requests are linked to domestic abuse
• For two years in a row the number of domestic abuse-related suicides have outnumbered domestic abuse-related homicides, according to the National Police Chiefs Council
• Report on the mental health impact of domestic abuse, Living without hope (Woman’s Trust, 2025)

“We welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement of a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation in England and Wales. We need to uncover and address the lessons that need to be learned when it comes to safeguarding and supporting vulnerable children and young people; especially those who are victims of sexual assault and abuse.

The mental health impact of not being believed

“People tend to think of the need for physical safety when they hear the word ‘abuse’. Yet instilling a fear of not being believed is one of the most common and insidious ways that perpetrators exert control over their victims. Perpetrators will repeatedly tell and make their victims feel that they are unworthy, not credible, unloved, unbelievable and more. This fear of not being believable combined with feelings of low self-worth often remain long after abuse has ended, having a significant impact on people who were already vulnerable to begin with. And this is why the institutions and professionals there to protect and support victims and survivors must do a better job of recognising and believing all victims, especially children and young people, the first time they report abuse.

There is no ‘perfect victim’ or survivor

“It is disappointing that survivors are still not seen, heard or believed unless they fit a certain ‘type’ of victim. Women come to us after years of failing to recognise themselves as victims or survivors – again, because they don’t fit a stereotype of what is considered a survivor, or their abuse wasn’t the same as that portrayed on TV and in the news. Similarly, they have often struggled to convince others, be they friends, co-workers, or authorities responsible for justice and safeguarding, of the abuse they have endured, and the lasting impact it has on them physically, practically, emotionally, and psychologically.

The need for a trauma-informed lens

“Traumatic experiences at any age and especially in people so young can have a profound impact on the rest of a person’s life and indeed how they live that life. Not being believed and not feeling that you are valued only compounds that trauma.

“This is exactly why we use a trauma-informed approach to our work with survivors. It is also why we supported recommendations for training in this for criminal justice professionals, and a more trauma-informed approach across the system, in the recent Independent Sentencing Review Report.

“We must be better at protecting our vulnerable people and do better supporting them when they do report abuse, so we can try and prevent that abuse from affecting their lives moving forward.”

Read Baroness Casey’s full report and recommendations here.

Read our statement on the Independent Sentencing Review Report here.

The Independent Sentencing Review report recommends long overdue changes to the criminal justice system – signalling welcome news while raising significant concerns for victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

Some of the good news

• Recognition that short-term custodial sentences disproportionately affect women; emphasising need for community-based sentencing instead.
• Acknowledgement that women are often coerced into crime by their partners.
• Highlighting the need for better identification, recording, data and information-sharing on perpetrators of domestic abuse, across the system.
• Understanding that victims and survivors of abuse will often have a trauma-based response to situations – and the need for trauma-informed training for a range of criminal justice professionals.
• Expansion of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts; allowing IDVAS / SVAS to support clients in court.

At Woman’s Trust we have almost 30 years of expertise and insight in providing specialist trauma-informed support for domestic abuse survivors.

This makes us well-placed to provide trauma-informed training for criminal justice professionals, and specialist trauma-informed counselling for women to address the underlying causes of their offending and help them break the cycle of abuse.

However, measures to reduce the prison population will likely be implemented well-before arguably longer-term aspirations for the management of abuse perpetrators.

And in a system where it’s already hard to secure a conviction for domestic abuse, for some survivors the changes to prison terms and licencing arrangements may feel like rare and hard-fought justice is being diminished.

Moreover, this does nothing to address the physical and psychological safety of those survivors whose only physical and psychological safety comes from knowing their abuser is in prison.

To say nothing of those still trapped in abusive relationships hoping to escape.

The government needs to put urgent funding in place to support the physical and the psychological safety of survivors.

We repeat our urgent call to The Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office to recognise the significant mental health impact of domestic abuse and to fund specialist, long-term counselling support for survivors.

We placed this story in The Telegraph a few months ago, where a survivor explained the impact of perpetrators’ early release from her perspective.

My abusive partner has been released from prison and it terrifies me that I don’t know where he is.

Click here to read the Independent Sentencing Review report.

Woman’s Trust launches major new national campaign

We’re urging the government to tackle the mental health crisis caused by domestic abuse.

In a major intervention before the launch of the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy – due before the government’s upcoming Spending Review – a coalition of charities has moved to ensure ministers commit to finally addressing an often-overlooked yet critical issue when it comes to domestic abuse.

Led by specialist mental health and campaigning charity Woman’s Trust, which has supported tens of thousands of women to address psychological trauma caused by domestic abuse, campaigners are calling on Health Secretary Wes Streeting – also due to outline his plans to improve the nation’s mental health  – and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to ensure survivors can finally get the counselling and therapy so many have told the government’s own commissioner they so desperately need.

Over 90 organisations and campaigners working across the vawg, mental health and domestic abuse sectors have signed our letter calling for an investment of around £28m to fund community-based specialist and long-term provision.

Commenting on the need for the letter, Woman’s Trust CEO Heidi Riedel said: “Recent figures have confirmed – once again – that tragically more people take their lives due to domestic abuse than are murdered by a partner or ex-partner. However, this is about more than suicide rates: the psychological impact of domestic abuse is recognised as a critical issue across both the VAWG and the mental health sectors – yet it is not currently being addressed by either corresponding government department.

“Over 80% of people told the Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs that access to long-term counselling and therapy were in their top two needs – however only 4 in 10 people have access to it. Half of all women’s requests for mental health support are linked to domestic abuse. And although more men die by suicide every year, more women attempt suicide. Further, domestic abuse costs the UK economy billions annually – with 1 in 5 women taking time off work because of domestic abuse and 9 in 10 saying it affects their performance at work.

“We know from speaking to survivors that they are despondent at seeing seemingly endless news stories about abuse and violence – while seeing little that offers hope. This is why we are urging the government not to miss this opportunity to support those people who are living and struggling with their mental health every day, through no fault of their own.”

Case study

Mia* from Berkshire was 31 when she met her former partner through mutual friends. Within weeks his violent temper flared and the beating that followed put her in hospital, beginning a decade-long period during which she was raped, threatened and held hostage in her own home. The emotional and psychological scars continued after her relationship ended. She gradually became a shell of her former self; depressed, agoraphobic and scared to go out of the house alone – but it was years before she was offered therapy.

Mia says: “I dread to think about all of the other women in the same situation as me – but with nowhere to go for help and instead being prescribed medication when what they need is specialist counselling and therapy. The Health Secretary and the government really need to start taking the mental health side of abuse, which isn’t talked about nearly enough, seriously. There’s no point in only bringing it up when women have taken their lives – what about all of us who are still here, living with the pain every day? What is he going to do for us?”

*not her real name.

Signatories to the letter include Centre for Mental Health Chief Executive Andy Bell: “Domestic abuse is a major cause of mental distress, yet survivors’ needs are poorly understood and insufficiently addressed by public services. Too many women experience severe trauma, and do not get the right support either at the time or later in life.”

Leeds Women’s Aid Chief Executive, Nik Peasgood heads up work to support domestic abuse survivors across West Yorkshire. She adds: “We are fully behind this call being led by our colleagues at Woman’s Trust, who are the leading mental health specialists in the VAWG sector. We help thousands of survivors every year and we’re seeing more and more women who need specialist, long-term counselling to address the abuse they’ve endured. Demand is high, waiting lists are incredibly long, and it compounds the original trauma  – and this pattern is mirrored across the UK.“

Liz Mack, CEO of Advance adds: “There is an overwhelming economic case for community-based mental health support for women and children who are survivors of domestic abuse. Supporting their mental health enables them to rebuild their lives and disrupt intergenerational patterns of harm impacting future communities and families.  We urge the government to prioritise funding of specialist counselling and therapeutic support for the huge numbers of women and girls affected.”

The call is also being backed by bereaved mothers, including Sharon Holland and Phyllis Day, whose daughters died by suicide as a result of domestic abuse.

Board Trustee and Chair of Woman’s Trust’s Ethics, Practice and Safeguarding Committee, Laura McCarthy, is a qualified and practising counsellor and psychotherapist.

As someone with direct experience of domestic abuse, here Laura shares her story about why she supports Woman’s Trust, discussing the intersectional aspects of society that can contribute to it – and the role of counselling in supporting women to rebuild their lives after abusive relationships.

“Becoming a Trustee at Woman’s Trust was a deeply personal decision shaped by my own experiences of domestic abuse, the harmful patterns I witnessed in my family, and my commitment to creating real change for other survivors. The impact of domestic abuse is far-reaching, and organisations like Woman’s Trust are leading the way in providing the specialised support women need to heal and rebuild their lives. My work with Woman’s Trust is driven by the belief that every survivor deserves access to the kind of care that can truly transform their future.

In my family, the legacy of domestic abuse spans at least three generations. As the daughter and granddaughter of Irish immigrants, I saw how the weight of English colonialism in Ireland and systemic oppression shaped these damaging cycles. When my family arrived in post-war London, they faced blatant hostility, encountering signs that read, “No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs.” These systemic injustices deprived the men in my family of stable housing, decent work, and dignity. Their frustration and anger often turned inward or were directed toward those closest to them, trapping the women in cycles of abuse.

I watched as fathers modelled harmful behaviours for their sons and as the women in my family endured their pain in silence, constrained by rigid gender norms, divorce restrictions, and victim-blaming attitudes embedded in religious and societal structures. These systems stifled their voices and limited their choices. These experiences taught me how colonialism and patriarchy intertwine to create power dynamics that perpetuate abuse across generations.

Determined to end these cycles of harm, I resolved to address domestic violence not just as a personal struggle but as a systemic issue.

I know how life-changing the right support can be because I’ve lived it. As a survivor of domestic abuse, I understand the isolation and overwhelm that come with trying to rebuild your life. Counselling was my lifeline—it gave me the space to process my trauma, rediscover my identity, and take those first steps toward healing. It also gave me the courage to leave a male-dominated and often toxic music and entertainment industry, where I had worked for decades. I retrained as a psychotherapist, specialising in supporting survivors of domestic, sexual, and ritual abuse. Becoming a Trustee at Woman’s Trust was a natural progression—an opportunity to blend my lived experience with professional expertise to help others access the life-changing support they need.

Every year, an estimated 1.6 million women in the UK find themselves trapped by domestic violence or abuse. At Woman’s Trust, we understand that the impact of such abuse extends far beyond physical injuries—it inflicts deep emotional wounds that shatter self-esteem, instil fear, and sever ties with essential support networks. Recovery from such trauma demands safe, nurturing, and empowering environments. Yet, access to counsellors specifically trained to support survivors remains exceedingly rare, even as the National Police Chiefs’ Council declared violence against women an epidemic in July 2024.

This is where Woman’s Trust makes a difference. We provide specialist, trauma-informed one-on-one and group counselling services, tailored to meet the unique needs of women who have endured domestic abuse. Our approach is designed to address the distinct challenges survivors face, helping them rebuild their sense of safety, rediscover their self-worth, and regain control of their lives. For countless women, Woman’s Trust is more than just a counselling service—it is a vital lifeline, offering a path toward healing.

What sets Woman’s Trust apart is our trauma-responsive, feminist approach. We recognise that domestic abuse is rarely an isolated incident; it often stems from entrenched power imbalances within relationships and society. Our counselling services validate each survivor’s lived experience, helping them rebuild trust and confidence as they reclaim their lives. Unlike conventional therapy, our approach is intricately tailored to meet survivors where they are in their journey, empowering them to progress at their own pace.

We also recognise that a survivor’s experience of abuse is deeply shaped by their cultural, racial, and socio-economic background. This drives us to incorporate cultural competence into our practice. Our counsellors provide inclusive and sensitive support, honouring each woman’s unique story while addressing the systemic structures that perpetuate abuse.

The impact of our work is life-changing. Women who engage with our counselling services are more likely to recover their mental health, restore their confidence, and build healthier relationships. At Woman’s Trust, we do more than provide counselling. We actively challenge the structures that enable abuse while guiding women on their healing journeys. We provide hope, empowerment, and a clear path to recovery. Every woman deserves the fundamental right to live free from violence. It is both an honour and a source of profound joy to contribute to this crucial work, helping to shape a future where survivors can truly thrive.”

#16days

This article is part of the UN 2024 global #16DaysOfActivism movement.

The annual campaign is focused on mobilising people, organisations and communities to address the global epidemic of violence against women and girls (vawg).

The beginning is marked in the UK by White Ribbon Day – when men and boys commit to being allies for women and girls and to working to end vawg.

This year, Woman’s Trust is focusing on telling the stories of 16 women throughout the campaign, who all have a connection to vawg – either through personal experience or through their work to address the systemic issues contributing to and exacerbating the impact of vawg on survivors.

As a mental health organisation, we will also be shining a light on the hidden trauma caused by domestic abuse, and the devastating effect it can have on women – as well as our pioneering work in this area.

Our CEO Heidi Riedel comments on the latest report from the Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs.

“We fully support the recommendations made by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, in her report on long overdue improvements to the criminal justice system, to support survivors of domestic abuse.

“Woman’s Trust is one of the specialist ‘by and for’ services referred to in this report; and we have heard from thousands of women over the years whose domestic abuse has been compounded, not improved, by their experience of the criminal justice system.

“For domestic abuse survivors, from the initial response and through every delay, their interactions with criminal justice agencies, the protracted process, the lack of available support, the waiting – this all allows space for greater coercive control and manipulation by perpetrators who often use the justice system to further traumatise their partners or ex-partners.

“The cumulative impact on women’s mental health and emotional wellbeing, their trauma, their ability to work and to rebuild their lives cannot be understated.

“We call on the Government to make an explicit commitment to provide free, confidential and specialist counselling and mental healthcare to survivors throughout their journey with the criminal justice system – and after, if they need it.

“We look forward to working with the Commissioner as she firms up her final recommendations for the government.”

You can read the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s full briefing here: briefing