What NCDV is#
The National Centre for Domestic Violence is the working name of the Centre for Domestic Abuse and Violence Community Interest Company. It is not a registered charity: a community interest company is a business whose activities must benefit the community. NCDV says it takes no government or local commissioning money. It funds its free service by preparing court documents for solicitors, serving court orders and running training, and reinvests any surplus.
Its one job for the public is fast legal protection. It helps anyone who has recently experienced or been threatened with domestic abuse to apply for a civil protection order, whatever their income, gender, sexuality or background, including people who cannot get or afford legal aid.
How a referral works#
You can refer yourself through the Apply for an order page, or a police officer or support worker can refer you with your permission. NCDV aims to call the next working day. Its First Steps team checks whether the law covers your situation: the person must be someone you are legally connected to, such as a current or former partner, someone you have lived with, a parent of your child or a relative. Abuse from a neighbour or friend is outside it.
If you qualify, NCDV checks whether legal aid is likely and passes you to one of its panel solicitors, or, if you cannot get legal aid or afford the contributions, its pro bono team prepares your witness statement and court papers free while you act for yourself. It works by phone and can arrange interpreters. Its FAQs add that you do not need to have reported to the police, you do not need formal evidence, you can apply while still living with the person, and you can stop at any point. Most people still attend a hearing, sometimes remotely.
An emergency order is made without the other person being told, usually after a recent incident or threat, and they find out when it is served on them.
Protection first, then a new name#
An injunction and a change of name do different jobs, and NCDV deals only with the first. Two GOV.UK points connect them. When you apply for an injunction, GOV.UK says to fill in form C8 if you want to keep your address and telephone number private. And if you later enrol a deed poll, the court's notice in The Gazette shows the new name and an address, so anyone relying on that confidentiality may prefer to leave the deed unenrolled. If a case is still running when you decide to change your name, tell the solicitor or caseworker handling it.
Outside England and Wales#
NCDV does not work in Scotland, Northern Ireland or the Channel Islands. In Scotland the equivalent protection is an interdict or a non-harassment order, which Scottish Women's Aid explains; in Northern Ireland, Women's Aid Federation Northern Ireland points to local groups that help with non-molestation orders.
More on legal protection and privacy#
- Changing your name after domestic abuse: your own name, your children's, and the court's safeguards.
- Keeping your address off your records.
- Rights of Women: free legal advice lines for women.
- Charities that help after domestic abuse.
This page describes what NCDV publishes on its website, read on 26 October 2026. NCDV has not reviewed it, and listing it here does not mean it recommends this handbook or any deed poll service.
