What SafeLives does#
SafeLives is a UK-wide charity working to end domestic abuse by changing how organisations respond to it. It does that through research, training and best practice: it trains independent domestic violence advisers (Idvas) and independent domestic abuse advisers (Idaas), publishes guidance on the Dash risk checklist, and supports Maracs, the multi-agency risk assessment conferences that bring agencies together to help keep victims of domestic abuse safer. In Scotland it runs a separate programme, including work on Maracs and the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland. It puts what it calls the authentic voice of survivors at the centre of that work.
Who it is not for#
Its Get help page is direct about this: SafeLives provides research, training and support to professionals, and is not a domestic abuse service for people experiencing abuse. If that is you, it lists where to turn instead, nation by nation:
- England: the National Domestic Abuse Helpline;
- Wales: the Live Fear Free helpline, run by Welsh Women's Aid;
- Scotland: Scotland's Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline, overseen by Scottish Women's Aid;
- Northern Ireland: the 24-hour Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline, through Women's Aid Federation Northern Ireland.
It also lists the Men's Advice Line, Galop for LGBT+ survivors, Surviving Economic Abuse, the Forced Marriage Unit, Paladin for stalking, Rape Crisis and Samaritans. In immediate danger, call 999; if you cannot speak, press 55 when prompted.
What its safety advice says about documents#
SafeLives' own advice to survivors is practical. It suggests keeping a bag packed, ideally at a trusted friend's or neighbour's home, with medical essentials, money and important documents such as passports and driving licences, and it adds a useful idea: the service you are in touch with might keep copies of your documents for you. It also suggests agreeing a codeword with people you trust, using a separate mobile just for calling for help, and telling your specialist worker the safest times to reach you.
If you have an Idva, or your case goes to a Marac#
Many people first meet SafeLives' work through an Idva or Idaa, and its own advice names them as people who can help you update a safety plan. If you are thinking about changing your name, that is a good person to plan it with, because a new name affects the safety plan: which records to change first, what address to give, and who might see the change. A few facts help that conversation. Your own name needs nobody's agreement. The deed needs two adult witnesses, and GOV.UK notes that a relative or a housemate as witness can lead some organisations to turn it down, so an Idva or another professional can be a good choice. A deed that is never enrolled stays off every public record.
SafeLives also explains how to complain about a Marac if you are a survivor and unhappy with how yours was handled.
Further reading for workers and survivors#
- A guide for support workers: helping someone change their name safely.
- Changing your name after domestic abuse.
- Keeping your address off your records.
- Charities that help after domestic abuse.
This page describes what SafeLives publishes on its website, read on 26 October 2026. SafeLives has not reviewed it, and listing it here does not mean it recommends this handbook or any deed poll service.
