Scotland’s first helpline for women experiencing economic abuse

Scotland's first confidential helpline for victims and survivors of economic abuse has been launched by Financially Included, an organisation that supports women to recover from a controlling and often hidden form of gender-based violence.

As the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign draws to a close, Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan visited East Renfrewshire to find out more about Financially Included's Purple Phone Helpline, part of a new economic abuse pilot project supported by Scottish Government funding.

The helpline provides advice, emotional support and financial guidance to women experiencing economic abuse. She heard about the help they gave to one woman, Caroline*. After leaving an abusive relationship, the mother of four was supported by Financially Included to claim a range of benefits and payments she was entitled to, helping Caroline to work towards financial independence and a stable future for her family.

Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said:

“Financially Included's pioneering Purple Phone Helpline will be an invaluable source of advice to women across Scotland who need help to escape or recover from economic abuse.

“Tackling violence against women and girls in all its forms is one of our key priorities, with investment of £21.6 million this year through the Delivering Equally Safe fund, to support specialist services like Financially Included, making a real difference to women's lives.”

Councillor Katie Pragnell, Chair of East Renfrewshire Integration Joint Board said:

“We're proud to lead the way in collaboration with other local organisations as part of the East Renfrewshire Violence against Women and Girls Partnership and we are committed to making sure no one faces abuse alone. This helpline is more than a phone number – it's a lifeline. It means women and children trapped by financial control now have somewhere to turn.”  

Amber Cully, Project Manager at Financially Included, said:

“We are delighted to be entering into this partnership in East Renfrewshire to build on the vital work in tackling economic abuse and to strengthen specialist support for women affected across the area. Through this partnership, we will deliver training on recognising and responding to economic abuse, provide a second-tier advice service for frontline workers supporting victim-survivors. Using additional funding from the Scottish Government this year, we are expanding our work nationally, with East Renfrewshire the first area to commit to working with us in this way. Our vision is to grow this into a Scotland-wide network, ensuring a consistent, sustainable and trauma-informed response for victim-survivors across the country." 

Background

The confidential and free Purple Phone Helpline number is 0343 841 0132. It is currently open Monday 16:30–19:30, Wednesday 10:00–13:00 and Thursday 13:30–16:30. Translators are available on request.

Financially Included is a pilot project led by Greater Easterhouse Money Advice Project in partnership with Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership. The project focuses on improving the provision of money advice across gender-based violence sectors through training and toolkit resources.

Caroline's story

Caroline* was referred to Financially Included by Glasgow Women's Aid two years ago. A survivor of sustained physical, emotional and economic abuse, Caroline is a single mother of four children, two of whom have since been diagnosed with autism. When she first came to the service, Caroline was a full-time student, working part-time and managing multiple health conditions linked to years of trauma and injury.

Despite the abuse, Caroline remained financially tied to the perpetrator through a jointly owned home, shared benefits and mounting debt. She faced benefit complications, mortgage insecurity, damaged credit, and serious housing disrepair including damp and mould. Her situation was made even more complex by ongoing stalking, threats from her former partner, and significant barriers to accessing affordable legal support.

Financially Included provided intensive, trauma-informed support across benefits, housing, debt and energy advice and supported Caroline to secure disability benefits for herself and her son, challenged incorrect benefit decisions and assisted with a Criminal Injuries Compensation application. They also provided emotional support to Caroline while she completed these processes, acknowledging the trauma involved in revisiting her experiences. She was also supported with council tax exemption, rising mortgage pressures, household debt directly linked to economic abuse, and energy advice to address unsafe living conditions.

While Caroline continues to face serious challenges around housing security and legal protections, she now feels more confident managing as a single parent and navigating complex systems. She continues to receive multi-agency support, including from Women's Aid, schools, health services and her employer.

*Name changed to protect identity.