Refuges where you do not share#
Every Fife Women's Aid refuge is a self-contained flat or house, so you do not share a kitchen or bathroom with another family. Refuge is for single women and for women with children, in locations across Fife that are kept confidential, and if Fife itself is not safe for you, staff will arrange a place outside it. Some refuges are accessible to wheelchair users, and there are resources for women with hearing or sight impairments.
You can refer yourself directly, without anyone else doing it for you, although the police or social work refer some women. Refuges are furnished, with bedding, kitchen equipment and a television, and you get some basic food and toiletries when you arrive. A keyworker sees you one to one about finding a permanent home, money and debts, your children, legal questions and your health. You sign an occupancy agreement and are asked never to disclose the address. Some refuges can take pets, if you say so before you move in. How long you stay depends on where you want to be rehoused and what housing is available there.
Two freephone lines, one for children#
The line for women gives telephone support on weekdays from 9am to 5pm, with an out-of-hours service from 6pm to 8am on weekday nights and all day at weekends. Children and young people have their own freephone line and can message the Join the Dots team on Facebook Messenger, during the day and, for urgent messages, into the night.
Its browse safely page says private browsing does not guarantee your tracks are covered, and that a friend's computer or a library is safest. A Leave the site button sits at the top of every page.
Support at home, in court and afterwards#
- Support in your home: staff meet you at a safe, pre-arranged place, whether you plan to stay or leave, and help with forms, furniture and utility companies.
- MARAC: advocates support women at high risk, and two workers support their children with safety planning over six weeks.
- Court support and advocacy: a worker explains court procedure, goes with you to the trial and helps you understand the decision.
- Housing First: intensive support, with Fife Council and other partners, for women who have experienced domestic abuse and homelessness.
- Counselling: up to 24 weekly sessions for women aged 18 or over, and up to 20 for children and young people, including play therapy.
- Groups and befriending: courses of five to ten weeks, weekly online drop-in cafés with guest experts on subjects such as child contact and court, and volunteer befrienders.
Join the Dots works with children from birth to 18 and their mothers, in refuge or in the community; families can refer themselves.
Names in Scotland#
Fife Women's Aid publishes nothing on changing your name, and Scotland has its own system. A Scottish birth can carry an official NRS note of the new name, after which certificates show old and new together. Everyone, whatever their birthplace, can instead sign a deed poll (GOV.UK's sample is free to copy) or swear a statutory declaration, and those stay private. Each route is explained in our guide to names in Scotland.
For children, each parent with parental responsibilities and rights is expected to agree, or the sheriff court decides (changing a child's name in Scotland). Your keyworker can put you in touch with legal advice. Living in refuge? Ask staff which postal address belongs on the deed (the refuge answer).
This page describes what Fife Women's Aid publishes on its own website, read on 26 October 2026. Fife Women's Aid has not reviewed it, and listing a charity here does not mean it recommends this handbook or any deed poll service.
