Helpline for women suffering economic abuse expands to East Renfrewshire
The Purple Phone Hotline can be contacted at 0343 841 0132.
Scotland’s first confidential helpline for women suffering financial abuse has been launched in East Renfrewshire.
The Purple Phone Helpline will offer victims and survivors of economic abuse financial advice and support to help them recover.
The guidance will cover issues like safe bank accounts, access to benefits, and coerced debt – when someone has been forced to take on debt by an abusive partner.
Councillor Katie Pragnell told {{stationName}} it’s important the issue doesn’t fly under the radar.
0343 841 0132
She said: “I think with launching this helpline, we want it to come to the fore.
“It’s important to realise that actually a lot of people don’t realise they’re in economic abuse situations, and if they see a phone line they might be able to talk to someone and recognise that those behaviours are not normal.”
Run by a charity called Financially Included, it comes after woman’s aid organisations urged MSPs to ensure that those leaving abusive relationships have access to comprehensive financial and legal advice.
The helpline is part of an economic abuse pilot supported by the Scottish Government.
"A lot of people don't realise they're in economic abuse situations"
Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “The abuse of women and girls takes many forms, financial abuse is one quite considerable part of that, and it can be very complicated to work your way through the entanglement of financial abuse, and this is going to help women to do that.”
Project manager at Financially Included, Amber Cully, said: “Through this partnership, we will deliver training on recognising and responding to economic abuse, provide a second-tier advice service for frontline workers supporting victim-survivors.
"Using additional funding from the Scottish Government this year, we are expanding our work nationally, with East Renfrewshire the first area to commit to working with us in this way.
"Our vision is to grow this into a Scotland-wide network, ensuring a consistent, sustainable and trauma-informed response for victim-survivors across the country."
Where to access support
The Purple Phone Helpline number is 0343 841 0132.
It is open Monday 4.30pm to 7.30pm, Wednesday 10am to 1pm and Thursday 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
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