Steps to Safety initiative introduced in 12 areas across England
Phase 1 of Steps to Safety will enable GP practices across 12 areas in England to connect people experiencing domestic abuse with specialist support.
Overview
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has begun rolling out a new referral service across general practices for people experiencing violence and abuse. The Steps to Safety programme is being introduced in 3 phases which started in April 2026, with a goal of national provision of the service in England by 2029.
Steps to Safety will ensure general practice staff are trained to spot the signs of domestic abuse and sexual violence, so they can connect victims and survivors directly to local specialist support services.
DHSC committed to the Steps to Safety programme in the Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy, published in December 2025.
What this means for patients
Patients will be able to talk to any member of staff in a participating GP practice about their current or previous experience of domestic abuse or sexual violence. Their disclosures will be dealt with sensitively and they will be referred into the specialist support service, if they agree. The specialist support worker will be a single point of contact for them, and will advocate for their needs when accessing specialist services.
What this means for general practices
Each group of practices will have access to independent domestic abuse and sexual violence (DASV) specialist workers funded through the programme. They will work alongside them, receive referrals and provide specialist support. The specialist workers will:
- train GP practice staff
- provide ongoing support
- receive referrals
- advocate for patients
- develop safety plans
- conduct risk assessments
- arrange access to specialist services
What this means for integrated care boards
Participating integrated care boards (ICBs) will receive targeted funding to:
- commission independent DASV providers in their area to deliver the programme
- cover the training costs
- secure DASV specialist support workers to support GP practice staff and provide tailored support to victims and survivors
Phase 1 of Steps to Safety
In September 2026, 12 ICBs were selected for the first phase of Steps to Safety. They will receive a total of up to £34.4 million over 3 years to commission or expand local specialist services and strengthen referral pathways between general practices and domestic abuse and sexual violence support.
Table 1 shows the ICBs selected for phase 1 of Steps to Safety and the funding allocations over the next 3 years.
Table 1: funding allocation by ICB for Steps to Safety phase 1
| ICB | Year 1 - 2026 to 2027 (£) | Year 2 - 2027 to 2028 (£) | Year 3 - 2028 to 2029 (£) | Total (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire and Merseyside | 363,803 | 670,467 | 676,523 | 1,710,793 |
| North East and North Cumbria | 856,446 | 1,900,756 | 1,927,358 | 4,684,560 |
| Essex | 949,525 | 1,769,524 | 1,735,075 | 4,454,124 |
| Norfolk and Suffolk | 487,155 | 1,151,767 | 1,168,706 | 2,807,628 |
| Black Country | 227,863 | 412,191 | 424,713 | 1,064,767 |
| Birmingham and Solihull | 950,000 | 1,005,000 | 1,050,000 | 3,005,000 |
| Coventry and Warwickshire ICB (joint bid with Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB) | 1,280,052 | 2,649,710 | 2,742,451 | 6,672,213 |
| Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB | As above - joint bid with Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | As above - joint bid with Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | As above - joint bid with Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | As above - joint bid with Coventry and Warwickshire ICB |
| Surrey and Sussex | 1,522,984 | 1,263,901 | 1,258,416 | 4,045,301 |
| Kent and Medway | 225,112 | 982,811 | 987,615 | 2,195,538 |
| Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire | 1,089,245 | 969,025 | 996,692 | 3,054,962 |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 194,586 | 267,112 | 260,620 | 722,318 |
| Total | 8,146,771 | 13,042,264 | 13,228,169 | 34,417,204 |
Supporting the rollout
DHSC and NHS England are developing national support to help ICBs, specialist providers and general practices deliver Steps to Safety consistently.
This will include:
- training and resources
- opportunities to share learning
- targeted help for ICBs and specialist providers as they set up and deliver their services
An independent national evaluation will examine how Steps to Safety is delivered and its impact. The findings will help inform the future delivery and development of the programme.
Victims and survivors support fund
DHSC is also investing £15 million across all ICBs over 3 years to boost local specialist support services for victims and survivors.
The funding is being allocated to ICBs proportionately based on the average number of patients registered at a GP practice between April and July 2026. We are asking ICBs to focus the funding on:
- improving support for victims and survivors
- easing potential pressure on onward evidence-based support and outreach services
- helping support local specialist support service capacity in ICBs