A significant collaboration aimed at tackling the insidious issue of financial abuse within domestic relationships has been officially launched by Women’s Aid, the leading national charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, and AXA UK, one of the nation’s prominent insurance providers. This partnership introduces the innovative ‘What They Say. What We Hear’ campaign, designed to demystify the subtle yet pervasive signs of financial control, alongside a comprehensive new support pathway for domestic abuse survivors, underpinned by a dedicated Survivor Support Fund. The initiative marks a pivotal moment in corporate responsibility, integrating specialist domestic abuse support directly into customer-facing operations, setting a new benchmark for how businesses can actively contribute to societal well-being.
The ‘What They Say. What We Hear’ campaign confronts the often-hidden nature of financial abuse, a form of control that can be exceptionally challenging for victims, and even external observers, to identify. Abusers frequently use seemingly innocuous everyday phrases to exert power over a partner’s financial independence, making it difficult for the victim to recognise the abuse or articulate their experience. The campaign meticulously translates these common phrases, exposing the underlying manipulative intent and highlighting instances of financial control and abuse. For example, a statement like “I’ll handle all the bills, you just focus on the house” might appear helpful, but in an abusive context, it can signify the abuser’s intent to seize control of all household finances, leaving the victim with no access or knowledge of their economic situation. Similarly, questions such as “Why do you need money for that?” or declarations like “You spend too much, I’ll manage your budget” can systematically erode a person’s financial autonomy, isolating them from resources and choices. By making these connections explicit, AXA UK and Women’s Aid aim to empower individuals to recognise these warning signs, both for themselves and for others they might encounter. This proactive awareness campaign serves as a crucial first step in breaking the cycle of abuse, bringing a critical issue into public discourse.
Unpacking the Pervasiveness of Financial Abuse
Financial abuse is a widespread but often overlooked component of domestic abuse, affecting individuals across all demographics. Research consistently demonstrates its devastating impact, trapping survivors in dangerous situations by severing their access to money, credit, and economic independence. According to Women’s Aid, financial abuse is present in 95% of domestic abuse cases, making it an almost universal tactic employed by abusers. This form of control can manifest in numerous ways: restricting access to bank accounts, accumulating debt in a partner’s name, sabotaging employment, forbidding education, controlling spending, or even stealing money or assets. The consequences are profound, extending beyond immediate financial hardship to long-term economic instability, homelessness, and psychological trauma. A study by Refuge indicated that nearly one in five adults in the UK have experienced financial abuse. These statistics underscore the urgent need for initiatives like ‘What They Say. What We Hear’ to increase public understanding and provide pathways to escape.
The partnership between Women’s Aid and AXA UK has culminated in the establishment of a robust, trauma-informed support pathway, now fully operational across all AXA UK services for its direct insurance customers. This collaborative effort brought together AXA UK’s extensive customer-facing teams with Women’s Aid’s unparalleled specialist expertise, ensuring that survivors receive not just assistance, but safe, compassionate, and effective support precisely when they are most vulnerable. The pathway was meticulously co-designed, drawing on the lived experiences of survivors and the deep knowledge of domestic abuse professionals, to ensure its practicality, sensitivity, and efficacy.
A New Model for Corporate Intervention and Survivor Support
At the heart of this innovative pathway is the training and deployment of a dedicated network of Domestic Abuse Champions within AXA UK. These champions, strategically placed across the company’s customer phone lines, have undergone intensive training by Women’s Aid specialists. Their comprehensive curriculum equips them with critical skills to:
- Recognise and Respond Safely: Champions are trained to identify subtle indicators of domestic abuse, including financial control, that might emerge during customer interactions. This goes beyond overt disclosures, encompassing changes in tone, hesitancy, specific language used by the caller, or unusual patterns in their inquiries. They learn to listen empathetically and create a safe space for potential disclosure.
- Provide Trauma-Informed Support: Understanding that survivors may be experiencing trauma, the champions are taught how to communicate in a way that minimises re-traumatisation. This involves using non-judgmental language, offering choices, respecting boundaries, and validating their experiences.
- Offer Practical Information: Once potential abuse is identified, champions can provide clear, concise, and confidential information about the support available, ensuring the survivor understands their options without feeling pressured or overwhelmed.
- Facilitate Secure Referrals: The champions are trained in a dedicated referral protocol that seamlessly connects survivors to direct, expert support from Women’s Aid. This ensures that individuals are quickly linked with specialist services tailored to their specific needs, without having to navigate complex systems on their own. The referral process is designed to be confidential and prioritises the survivor’s safety at every step.
This proactive approach means that a routine call to an insurance provider can transform into a life-changing opportunity for a survivor to access help. The moment a survivor is identified, AXA UK’s teams follow a carefully constructed referral pathway that directly connects them to Women’s Aid, ensuring continuity of care and access to immediate, specialised assistance.
Empowering Independence: The Survivor Support Fund
Beyond the crucial referral pathway, AXA UK has demonstrated a profound commitment to survivors by establishing a dedicated Survivor Support Fund. This fund represents a tangible and immediate form of assistance, designed to help individuals referred through the programme navigate the acute financial challenges often faced when fleeing an abusive situation. Leaving an abuser frequently entails significant costs, including securing new accommodation, legal fees, replacing essential documents, or simply meeting basic living expenses during a transition period. For many, financial insecurity is the primary barrier to escaping abuse. The Survivor Support Fund directly addresses this critical need, providing vital economic lifelines that can mean the difference between remaining in an unsafe environment and achieving independence. This financial commitment underscores AXA UK’s understanding that effective support for survivors must be holistic, addressing not only emotional and practical needs but also the fundamental requirement for economic stability.
A Partnership Built on Purpose: Official Perspectives
The enthusiasm for this groundbreaking partnership is clearly articulated by the leaders of both organisations. Sophie Duggan, Partnership and Development Manager at Women’s Aid, expressed immense pride in the rapid achievements of the collaboration. "We’re incredibly proud of what this partnership has achieved in such a short time," Duggan stated. "AXA UK’s willingness to invest in training, create a clear pathway, and provide direct financial support shows a genuine commitment to protecting and empowering survivors. Together, we’re ensuring that people who disclose abuse are met with understanding, expertise, and real, practical help." Her comments highlight the critical components of the partnership: investment in human capital (training), systemic change (pathway), and direct financial aid, all working in concert to deliver impactful support.
Echoing this sentiment, Tara Foley, AXA UK & Ireland CEO, emphasised the company’s core mission and its broader societal role. "As a business, we aim to protect what matters most and we have a valuable role to play in supporting our customers when they’re in need," Foley added. "That’s why with expert guidance from Women’s Aid, we have trained our call centre teams to support those who disclose that they are experiencing domestic abuse and offer practical assistance. Working together we want to empower everyone to recognise the signs of abuse and help them find the words to seek help when they need it most." Foley’s statement reinforces the ethical imperative driving AXA UK’s involvement, aligning corporate objectives with social responsibility, and underscoring the preventative aspect of the campaign in raising general awareness.
Broader Impact and Implications for Corporate Responsibility
This partnership extends beyond a simple corporate social responsibility initiative; it sets a significant precedent for how major corporations can integrate social purpose into their core operations. By training front-line staff and establishing a direct referral pathway, AXA UK is effectively transforming its customer service touchpoints into potential safe harbours for those experiencing abuse. This model challenges other industries, particularly those with extensive customer interactions like banking, utilities, and telecommunications, to consider how they too can leverage their platforms to identify and support vulnerable individuals.
The collaboration also contributes to destigmatizing domestic abuse. By openly discussing financial abuse through the ‘What They Say. What We Hear’ campaign and providing accessible support, the initiative helps to normalise conversations around a topic often shrouded in silence and shame. It sends a clear message that survivors are not alone and that help is available from unexpected quarters. This public acknowledgement by a major insurer validates the experiences of survivors and encourages a societal shift towards greater empathy and proactive intervention.
The implementation of a trauma-informed approach is particularly critical. Traditional customer service interactions are not designed to handle the complexities of domestic abuse disclosures. By investing in specialised training, AXA UK ensures that their staff are equipped not only to recognise abuse but to respond in a way that respects the survivor’s autonomy, safety, and emotional state, thereby fostering trust and empowering them to take the next steps.
The journey to this comprehensive partnership involved extensive consultations and development phases, ensuring that the pathway was not only robust but also scalable across AXA UK’s diverse operations. From initial discussions focused on identifying unmet needs to the co-design of training modules and referral protocols, the collaboration exemplifies a best-practice approach to multi-sectoral partnerships. The rapid embedding of the pathway and the commencement of referrals underscore the efficiency and dedication of both organisations.
In an era where consumers increasingly expect businesses to demonstrate social conscience, AXA UK’s partnership with Women’s Aid serves as a powerful example of a company moving beyond rhetoric to deliver tangible, life-saving support. It’s a testament to the idea that protecting what matters most extends beyond insurance policies to the fundamental safety and well-being of individuals in society. This initiative is a beacon for corporate engagement, demonstrating that strategic partnerships between charities and businesses can yield profound positive impacts on communities.
The pathway is now fully embedded across AXA UK’s customer-facing operations, with all Domestic Abuse Champions trained and referrals already being supported, marking the successful transition from concept to impactful reality.
To find out more about the project and AXA UK’s ‘What They Say. What We Hear’ campaign, please visit: https://www.axa.co.uk/about/inside-axa/domestic-abuse/
If you are interested in Women’s Aid’s work with corporate partners, please visit: https://womensaid.org.uk/get-involved/give/become-a-corporate-partner/
