Legal aid
Domestic abuse
You might be able to get legal aid if you have evidence that you or your children have experienced domestic abuse and you cannot afford to pay legal costs.
What counts as domestic abuse for legal aid
Domestic abuse includes:
- controlling behaviour
- emotional abuse
- financial control, for example being stopped from accessing a joint bank account
- someone harassing, threatening or hurting you or your child
The abuse could be from a partner, ex-partner, or family member.
If you’re not sure, you can check how to recognise domestic abuse.
Providing evidence
You’ll usually need to provide evidence to show that you or your children have experienced domestic abuse.
You can ask for evidence from:
- the courts
- the police
- a multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC)
- social services
- a health professional, for example a doctor, nurse, midwife, psychologist or health visitor
- a refuge manager
- a domestic abuse support service
- your bank, for example credit card accounts, loan documents and statements
- your employer, or education or training provider
- the provider of any benefits you’ve received
How to get evidence
You can use a sample letter to send to the police, courts, or medical and social services.
This helps you get the proof you need, depending on whether:
Give the letter to the person you’re asking to provide evidence. They’ll be able to fill in the details for you.
You might have to pay a fee for this.
Check if you can get legal aid
Use the ‘Check if you can get legal aid’ service to check your eligibility and find out how to get a legal advisor.
You do not have to get evidence before talking to a legal advisor, but they’ll need to see it before deciding whether you can get legal aid.