If you need domestic abuse support in Liverpool, you can contact several local charities yourself. Liverpool Domestic Abuse Service accepts individual referrals from women and girls aged 16 or over, while other services cover men, LGBT+ people, families, children, sexual violence and honour-based abuse.
Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens and Wirral also have borough services. There is a Merseyside-wide route through Victim Care Merseyside, which says people can receive support without reporting a crime and can make an initial anonymous enquiry. For broader welfare and community help, our Merseyside charities and community organisations guide covers food, housing and mental health services.
This guide was checked against service-provider, council and government sources on 30 August 2026. Contact details and referral arrangements can change, so check with the organisation before travelling. If someone may be monitoring your phone or internet use, use a device you know is safe where possible.
Victim Care Merseyside is delivered through the Office of the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner, but using it is not the same as making a police report.
Its current guidance explicitly states that people can receive support whether or not a crime has been reported and can contact the service anonymously. Personal details do not have to be provided for an initial anonymous enquiry. Its role includes helping people find appropriate specialist services across all five Merseyside boroughs.
Victim Care Merseyside
0808 175 3080
Weekdays, 8am to 6pm
Request support online
Liverpool City Council's domestic abuse page lists local services for different needs. You do not have to work out the exact service before asking for help. Liverpool Domestic Abuse Service or Victim Care Merseyside can discuss the situation and direct you to specialist support.
Liverpool Domestic Abuse Service (LDAS) is a women-led charity supporting women and girls aged 16 or over in Liverpool. Its services include one-to-one support, counselling and group programmes. A support worker can help with safety planning and advocacy when dealing with housing, health services or other organisations.
LDAS accepts individual and professional referrals online. Its current referral guidance says it is funded for cases assessed as low or medium risk. It directs high-risk cases to Liverpool's commissioned Independent Domestic Violence Adviser service.
Liverpool Domestic Abuse Service
Freephone: 0800 084 2744
Office: 0151 263 7474
Text for people who are hard of hearing: 07923 232327
Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm; Friday, 9am to 3pm
South Liverpool Domestic Abuse Services (SLDAS) provides free support to women and girls aged 14 or over. It offers telephone and face-to-face support, practical and emotional one-to-one work, counselling, advocacy and group programmes. Its base is at the Bridge Chapel Centre on Heath Road in Garston, but contact the service before travelling.
South Liverpool Domestic Abuse Services
Office: 0151 494 1777
Freephone: 0800 083 7114
Text for people who are hard of hearing: 07593 549004
Merseyside Domestic Violence Service (MDVS) is a Liverpool-based charity. Liverpool City Council lists it as supporting women, men, families, children and young people with domestic abuse and stalking. Its website asks people to leave only contact details that are safe for the service to use.
Merseyside Domestic Violence Service
Call or text: 07802 722703
Email: info@mdvs.org
Local Solutions runs Liverpool's Independent Domestic Violence Adviser service for people assessed as being at high risk. IDVAs can provide safety planning, crisis intervention, home-security applications, court support, advocacy and help exploring refuge or other safe accommodation.
LDAS publishes the Liverpool IDVA contact numbers as 0151 482 2483, 0151 482 2499 and 0151 482 2496, with email at idva@localsolutions.org.uk. If you are unsure how risk will be assessed, start with LDAS or Victim Care Merseyside rather than delaying contact.
LGBT Foundation's Liverpool domestic abuse service is for LGBT+ people aged 16 or over who live in the Liverpool City Council area. It provides one-to-one safeguarding, support and resilience work. Telephone 0345 3 30 30 30 or email dasupportliverpool@lgbt.foundation.
Liverpool-based Savera UK provides specialist help relating to honour-based abuse and harmful practices. Its helpline is 0800 107 0726, weekdays 10am to 4pm. RASA Merseyside supports people affected by sexual violence and accepts Liverpool and Sefton referrals on 0151 558 1801.
If you need to leave a Liverpool home because of domestic abuse, Liverpool City Council's Housing Options service can be contacted on 0151 233 3044 at any time of day or night. The council says it can arrange emergency accommodation where it has a duty to do so, followed by an interview with Housing Options on the next working day.
The council advises people not to give up a home before considering their options and speaking to the service. Our Liverpool renters' rights guide explains general tenancy, notice and deposit rules, but urgent safety and housing advice should come first. In an emergency, call 999.
Sefton has several routes into support, including one important difference from Liverpool's current IDVA arrangements: Sefton's Independent Domestic Violence Adviser team can be contacted directly, without first going through the police or another agency.
Sefton Council lists the Sefton Domestic Abuse Service Helpline as the first contact point. The helpline is run by SWACA (Safety Wellbeing and Challenging Abuse), which provides free and confidential practical and emotional support to adults, young people and children across Sefton. The council says the service is for men, women and children directly affected by domestic abuse, as well as friends, relatives and professionals seeking advice.
Sefton Domestic Abuse Helpline (SWACA)
0151 394 1400
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Sefton's Independent Domestic Violence Adviser service supports people facing higher levels of risk. Unlike Liverpool's current IDVA referral route, this service can be contacted directly. Sefton Council's current guidance states there does not need to be any police or agency involvement before a referral is made. Victim Care Merseyside confirms that individuals can contact the team themselves.
This makes the Sefton IDVA team particularly relevant for somebody who needs specialist risk and safety advice but does not want to involve the police at this stage. Sefton Council warns that the email address below is not secure, which may be relevant if somebody is worried about digital monitoring.
Sefton IDVA Team
0151 934 5142
IDVA.Team@sefton.gov.uk (not a secure email)
RASA Merseyside's Independent Sexual Violence Adviser service covers Liverpool and Sefton. RASA supports adults affected by sexual violence whether or not what happened has been reported to the police. If sexual violence is part of domestic abuse, someone can approach RASA independently rather than starting through the criminal justice system.
RASA Merseyside (Liverpool and Sefton)
0151 558 1801
The main specialist domestic abuse organisation in Knowsley is The First Step. Its Community Project is explicitly a self-referral service for anyone aged 16 or over living in Knowsley who is currently experiencing or has previously experienced domestic abuse. Support can include immediate help, longer-term support, one-to-one work and group services.
The First Step (Knowsley)
0151 548 3333
Self-referral accepted
Knowsley Council also lists its Safer Communities Specialist Domestic Abuse Service on 0151 443 2610. For somebody whose housing is at risk because of abuse, the council lists Knowsley Housing Solutions on 0151 443 2333.
The main St Helens domestic abuse service is Safe2Speak, operated by Torus Support Network. It is available to any St Helens resident affected by domestic abuse regardless of their housing situation, so you do not need to be a Torus tenant. The service is free and confidential and covers physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse.
Safe2Speak (St Helens)
IDVA and outreach: 01744 743200
Published hours: 9am to 5pm
24-hour helpline: 01925 220541
The Chrysalis Centre in St Helens provides domestic abuse and mental-health support for adult women. It accepts self-referrals and says its domestic abuse support covers current or historic abuse. Although the centre is based in St Helens, it says there is no postcode restriction. Some support, including counselling, can be delivered by telephone or Zoom.
Chrysalis Centre
Phone: 0300 102 0044
Text: 07451 273710
Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm
Wirral Council's Domestic Abuse Hub includes IDVAs and domestic abuse workers. The council says the service can support high-risk victims and survivors, their families and friends, and professionals. Support can include risk assessment, safety planning, housing and refuge referrals, legal options and help understanding court processes.
Wirral Domestic Abuse Hub
0151 666 4914
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
The Lighthouse Centre, run by Involve Northwest, provides specialist domestic abuse support for women and children in Wirral. It operates a drop-in service and provides advocacy, risk assessment, safety planning, workshops and recovery programmes.
The Lighthouse Centre (Wirral)
0151 644 4839
The Paul Lavelle Foundation is listed by Victim Care Merseyside as the Merseyside-wide specialist domestic abuse service for male victim-survivors. Men can self-refer without waiting for a GP, council, police officer or another organisation to make a referral. Support can include therapeutic support, advocacy, safety planning, advice and help accessing other services. The foundation makes clear that this is not an emergency or crisis line.
Paul Lavelle Foundation (Merseyside)
Support line: 0151 651 3777
Self-referral accepted. Not an emergency or crisis line.
A national service may be more appropriate if you want to speak to an organisation outside Merseyside, need help outside local opening hours, or need specialist support that local services do not cover.
| Service | Who it is for | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| National Domestic Abuse Helpline | Women experiencing domestic abuse | 0808 2000 247, 24 hours |
| Men's Advice Line | Male victim-survivors | 0808 801 0327 |
| Galop | LGBT+ people experiencing abuse or violence | 0800 999 5428 |
| Rape Crisis England and Wales | Anyone aged 16+ affected by sexual violence or abuse | 0808 500 2222, 24 hours |
| Karma Nirvana | Honour-based abuse and forced marriage | 0800 5999 247 |
| Hourglass | Older people experiencing abuse | 0808 808 8141, 24 hours |
| Forced Marriage Unit | People at risk of or in a forced marriage | 020 7008 0151 |
| Respect Phoneline | People concerned about their own abusive behaviour | 0808 802 4040 |
Refuge runs the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for women on 0808 2000 247, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Refuge also provides live chat from 10am to 10pm on weekdays and 10am to 6pm at weekends. A British Sign Language service is available on weekdays from 10am to 6pm.
Women's Aid maintains a national directory of specialist domestic abuse and violence-against-women-and-girls services, which is useful if you need refuge, advocacy or a service outside Merseyside, or are temporarily staying somewhere else.
The Men's Advice Line provides confidential national support for male victims of domestic abuse. Telephone: 0808 801 0327, Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm. Webchat: Monday to Friday 9am to 10am. The service says anyone who feels it is the right service for them is welcome to contact it, including trans and non-binary people.
Galop's national helpline supports LGBT+ adults experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence, hate crime and other forms of abuse. Freephone: 0800 999 5428. Email: help@galop.org.uk. Current hours: Monday and Tuesday 9.15am to 8pm, Wednesday to Friday 9.15am to 4.30pm, closed 1pm to 2pm each day. Telephone, email and webchat are available. Galop can arrange translation support.
The Rape Crisis England and Wales 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line is available to anyone aged 16 or over affected by sexual violence, abuse or harassment, regardless of sex, gender or immigration status. Telephone: 0808 500 2222, 24 hours a day, every day. Online chat is also available through the Rape Crisis website.
Karma Nirvana operates a national helpline for people experiencing or at risk of honour-based abuse. Telephone: 0800 5999 247, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Liverpool-based Savera UK is the local specialist option for honour-based abuse and harmful practices.
The government's Forced Marriage Unit can advise someone being forced into marriage, worried they may be taken abroad to marry, or needing help leaving a forced marriage. Government guidance explicitly says the unit can assist someone even if they choose not to report to police. Telephone: 020 7008 0151, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Out of hours: 020 7008 5000. Email: fmu@fcdo.gov.uk.
Hourglass specialises in abuse and neglect affecting older people. Its helpline is free, confidential and does not appear on a telephone bill. 24-hour helpline: 0808 808 8141. Text: 07860 052906. Email: helpline@wearehourglass.org.
Economic abuse can include controlling wages, bank accounts, benefits, debts, property or access to food. Surviving Economic Abuse has specialist information covering bank accounts, joint finances, debt, housing, economic abuse and the law. Its resources include a Banking Support Directory explaining what many banks and building societies can do when someone is experiencing financial abuse.
Immigration status can make leaving an abusive relationship particularly complicated. Depending on visa and circumstances, the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession may provide temporary permission to remain in the UK and enable access to benefits while an immigration application is considered. The rules are specific and not everyone qualifies, so specialist immigration advice is important.
Black and minoritised migrant women anywhere in the country can contact the Southall Black Sisters domestic abuse helpline for initial advice, including on immigration and no recourse to public funds. Telephone: 020 8571 0800, Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm. Full casework is geographically restricted, but Southall Black Sisters says people outside its London catchment area can contact the helpline for one-off advice, information and referral.
Support also exists for someone who recognises that they are using controlling, threatening or abusive behaviour towards a partner or former partner and wants to stop. The Respect Phoneline is a confidential national service. Freephone: 0808 802 4040, Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm. Webchat: Monday to Friday 9am to 10am.
There is no single correct entry point. Start with what feels most accessible.
Contact details and referral arrangements can change. The information in this guide was checked on 30 August 2026. Check directly with the relevant organisation before travelling.
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