You can get support from us when it’s the right time for you – you don’t need to be referred by anyone.

We know that it can be really scary to come to a service like this for the first time, and we want to make it as easy as possible for you.

How you get in touch with us is up to you, you can phone us on our support line on 01786 469518, drop in to visit us in our offices at Unit 7 in the Stirling Arcade or email us at info@stirlingwomensaid.co.uk

Phone lines are open weekdays from 9am until 4.30pm.

Our Drop-in service is available weekdays 10am until 3pm, although we may also see people at other times by appointment.

Please make sure that you arrive so that we have time to see you, as the drop-in will close at the times indicated.

You will be able to speak to a female member of staff who will listen to you, believe you, not judge you and support you to make the decisions that are right for you at this time.

She will talk to you about the kind of support you are looking for, how we can best meet your needs and tell you about any other agencies that may be able to help.

When you first speak to someone, that worker will try and help your work out which area of our service is right for you. That could mean looking at refuge accommodation, linking you up with a family outreach worker, referral to a specialist service for black and minority ethnic women or recommending that you come to our drop-in on a regular basis.

We can offer support in a variety of areas including:

• One to one emotional support
• Helping you make a safety plan
• Supporting you to access safe accommodation, either in our refuge or elsewhere
• Information on housing, benefits and legal issues and helping you to fill out any relevant forms
• Support you to go to any appointments you need to, and advocating on your behalf

We can help you put together a safety plan to keep you and your children as safe as possible, and support you to find safe accommodation if that is what you are looking to do.

You can drop in just once to get some information, or come back as often as you need to get emotional support and practical information.

Leaving an abusive relationship can seem really overwhelming, but we are here to help you through this.

We can provide information about housing, benefits, and legal issues; support you to attend appointments and advocate for you to get the services that you need.

If you choose to report your experience of domestic abuse to the police we can support you to do this; however, we would never pressure you into doing this if you don’t feel that this would be right for you.

We can also refer you to legal and welfare advice services.

We will support all children between the ages of 0 and 18, even if you decide that now isn’t the right time for you to get any support.

For more information on this, see the children and young people page.

People often think that domestic abuse only occurs in heterosexual relationships, but this is not the case.

If you are woman who is in an abusive relationship with another woman, you are welcome to use our service.

We understand that you may feel worried about not being taken seriously because of misconceptions, but we committed to treating lesbian and bisexual women in the same way as all other service users.

We offer a confidential support service, which means that the only reason we would pass on any information without your permission is if you say something that indicates that a child or a vulnerable adult may be at risk of harm.

We will always talk to you if we think we will have to do this.