What We Do

Providing support and access to legal aid for domestic abuse victims

WEPROTECT

The free-to-use WEPROTECT app and online portal have been developed by our team here at the Domestic Abuse Alliance in partnership with police forces and specialist support service providers. All victims referred by these services through the WEPROTECT app will benefit from appropriate legal support and intervention. This ensures relevant protection is immediately actioned.

Teams using WEPROTECT can create referrals and follow the victim through their legal journey in real-time via the WEPROTECT portal. This secure, cloud-based platform provides referral partners with a customised data dashboard, displaying an overview of all referrals made by their organisation, and the outcomes of the legal support provided.

“I just wanted to say thank you for everything you have done for me so far. My head was so messed up on Saturday and you understood that I needed time to talk to you. Thank you for your kindness and understanding tonight. I know that you are trying your best to help me out of the situation I find myself in. Everything seems so confusing and draining for me and I know that I could not do this alone.”

Karen B

survivor of domestic abuse

DI David Savill

Cambridgeshire Police
“We had a great example of a victim being contacted within ten minutes of officers leaving an incident – she e-mailed the officer to say how impressed she was with the service.”
“My practitioners tell me that we always get a great service, the clients feel really supported and a really key thing for us is that they get the help quickly.”

Nicola P

Stepping Stones (Domestic Abuse Support Service Provider)

WEPROTECT transforms the response to domestic abuse

For referral partners, WEPROTECT offers:

  • Benefit from specialist legal expertise
  • Real-time monitoring of the victim's journey
  • Saves essential time and resources
  • Offers tangible data and insight
  • Has zero cost for instant victim referral

For people being referred it offers:

  • Early legal assistance and protection
  • Access to empowering advice and information
  • Specialist legal representation in court
  • Legal Aid for those eligible*
  • Pro-bono support for victims with no access to public or private finance

*Approximately nine out of ten individuals who are referred to the DA Alliance will be eligible for legal aid. For individuals who are ineligible for legal aid and have no recourse to private funding, we have made a commitment to provide support pro bono – at no cost to the victim. This is relevant when, for example, there is significant equity in a victim’s home but in practical terms, they do not have access to the capital. Individuals who are in employment and eligible for legal aid may be required to make a contribution towards their legal costs (due to their employment earnings). This is a decision that is determined by the Legal Aid Agency, not the DA Alliance or our legal partner network.

Independent evaluation of the WEPROTECT referral service

A recent service assessment of the impact of the WEPROTECT service (in Cambridgeshire) revealed that 72% of victims (for whom the DA Alliance had helped to secure a court order) were no longer suffering from abuse. These findings are now being independently verified.

WEPROTECT is the only service of its kind to be selected for independent evaluation by the Home Office, which has awarded What Works grant funding to The University of Birmingham to complete its research.

The evaluation will look at the impact of WEPROTECT on reducing re-victimisation and on reducing the mental health burden on survivors. It will also include an economic analysis of the service against the estimated £66 billion that the Home Office estimates domestic abuse costs the UK economy each year.

To find out more about the evaluation click here.

Victim referral in under 60 seconds with WEPROTECT on Android and Apple iPhone.

Download WEPROTECT today

Create referrals and follow the victim through their legal journey in real-time.

Access a personalised data dashboard that provides a customised overview of all referrals and the legal support provided.

Protecting in Partnership

We bring together organisations working on the frontline of domestic abuse with the legal sector to deliver immediate legal assistance and protection for victims. Please complete the enquiry form below to find out more about becoming a WEPROTECT referral partner.

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