Each of our services has its own eligibility criteria:

One-to-One IDVA Support: available to women, trans, and non-binary people affected by domestic abuse, as well as to parents and carers experiencing child-to-parent violence (CAPVA). All our IDVA work takes a whole-family approach, offering tailored support such as safety planning, emotional & practical support, and help to access specialist services.

Women’s Recovery Groups: open to women who are no longer living with the perpetrator. These are delivered in line with our Single Sex Policy, creating a safe, women-only space for recovery.

Peer Support Groups (Lotus Blossom): for women who have completed the Recovery programme and wish to continue their journey alongside others with lived experience. These are also single-sex, women-only groups.

Child-to-Parent Violence (CAPVA) Groups:  open to parents and carers of children aged 8-17 who are displaying abusive or violent behaviour.

We provide single-sex domestic abuse recovery groups because many survivors tell us they feel safer and more able to share in women-only spaces. At the same time, we are committed to ensuring that our one-to-one IDVA support is inclusive, so that trans and non-binary people can access specialist help in a way that meets their needs.

Anyone can make a Referral either for themselves or on behalf of someone else. You don’t need to wait for a professional to refer you - survivors are welcome to contact us directly.

If an agency wishes to refer, they must first obtain the person’s consent to share the personal information requested on the form. This helps us ensure that every referral is made safely, transparently, and with the individual’s knowledge.

For more information, please email [email protected]. We aim to respond within five working days.

Please click here to fill in a referral form.

Referrers are asked to complete our referral form, making sure they have consent to share personal information first.

If you would like to self-refer, you can:

1. Complete the referral form yourself, or

2. Email [email protected] if you need any help with the form. We know forms can be difficult to complete on a phone or without support, and we’re here to make the process as easy as possible.

Reaching out for support is a big step, and our team will treat your referral with care and confidentiality. We aim to respond within five working days.

Lotus Families is part of the coordinated response to domestic abuse in East Sussex, and we work closely with other trusted services to make sure victim-survivors get the help they need.

If you self-refer and do not meet our eligibility criteria, we will not leave you without support - we will signpost you to another service that is better placed to help.

If a professional makes a referral that is not eligible, we will return it with guidance on where the individual may be best supported, based on the information provided.

Sometimes, during support, we may identify that you need additional help that we cannot offer. In those cases, we will connect you with the right local specialist services so that you receive the support you deserve.

We aim to contact you within five working days of receiving your referral. At this stage, we will acknowledge receipt, confirm your eligibility, and explain the next steps.

From April 2025, all new referrals are first offered support by one of our Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs). This provides immediate support, including a risk assessment, safety planning, and information about when you might be offered a place on a group. You will then be placed on the waiting list for the most suitable programme.

While you are waiting, you will continue to have contact with your IDVA, so you are not left without support. In the month before your group starts, you will be invited to book another call with us. This gives us the chance to check in on your current situation, make sure the group is still the right fit, and agree next steps together. You don’t need to chase us, we will contact you when your place is ready.

If you were referred before April 2025, you may not receive an IDVA call before being offered a place on a group. Please be assured that you have not been forgotten,  we are working through the waiting list carefully, and you will be contacted as soon as we are able to allocate you to a group.

Before taking part in any of our services, you will be asked to sign a privacy notice, which explains how we protect your information and keep your confidentiality.

If you have been referred by a professional, we will also keep them updated on the progress of your referral, with your consent.

Yes. Our group programmes are in very high demand, and we know how difficult it can be to wait for support. That’s why we changed the way we work.

Since April 2025, everyone referred to our Domestic Abuse Recovery or Child-to-Parent Violence Parenting groups now receives immediate one-to-one support from an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) while they wait for a place on a group. This ensures that safety concerns are addressed quickly and that no one is left without support during the waiting period.

In 2024, we also began offering IDVA support to people who had already been waiting the longest. Because the pre-April waiting list was very large, some people from that list have not yet been offered IDVA support. We are steadily working through those cases with care, and everyone on that list will be contacted in turn.

We made these changes because we recognised that groups on their own could not meet the urgent needs of families while they waited. By introducing early-intervention IDVA support, we can help people stay safe, stabilise their situation, and feel more ready to make the most of group support when their place becomes available.

Your safety and wellbeing are always our top priority.

• For referrals made from April 2025 onwards: you will be offered an initial call with one of our Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) as soon as your referral is accepted. This provides immediate support, including a risk assessment, safety planning, and tailored advice. While waiting for a group, you will remain in contact with an IDVA so that your safety and support needs are regularly reviewed.

• For referrals made before April 2025: you may not have received an IDVA call before being offered a place on a group. Please be assured you have not been forgotten. We are working through this waiting list carefully, and you will be contacted as soon as possible.

Across all of our services, we take a proactive and comprehensive approach to safety:

• We create a personalised Whole Family Safety and Support Plan, tailored to your needs.

• We use proven risk assessment tools to understand your situation and offer the right support.

• We collaborate closely with other agencies to make sure you have access to the right help at the right time.

• We review and update your safety plan as circumstances change, ensuring ongoing support.

• We empower you to make informed choices, regain control, and move forward with confidence.

At Lotus Families, you can trust that you are not alone. Your safety will always be central to the support we provide.

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Lotus Families has been awarded the nationally recognised SafeLives Leading Lights Quality Standard - the UK benchmark for specialist domestic abuse services.

This accreditation means we have met rigorous national standards for safety, effectiveness, and survivor-centred practice. It shows that our policies, procedures, and day-to-day work are designed to offer the highest quality of care and support. For you, this means reassurance: when you access our services, you can trust that your safety, wellbeing, and empowerment are always at the heart of what we do.

For our peer support programme, we are working in line with the Investing in Volunteers quality framework, which sets the UK standard for good practice in volunteer management. While we are not yet formally accredited, we are committed to meeting these standards to ensure that survivors who give their time and experience as peer mentors are supported, valued, and empowered.

We also believe in continuous improvement. We regularly review our practice, gather feedback from survivors and partners, and adapt our services so that we can keep building the safest and most effective support possible.

Your confidentiality is very important to us, and we take your privacy seriously.

• We have a clear confidentiality policy to protect your personal information. What you share with us stays confidential unless there are exceptional circumstances where disclosure is needed to keep you or others safe.

• We seek your informed consent before sharing information whenever possible. This gives you control over what is shared and with whom.

• Our staff and volunteers are trained in confidentiality and safeguarding and are bound by confidentiality agreements.

• In rare cases where we must share information for safety reasons, we do so carefully and transparently. Wherever possible, we will explain why this is needed and keep you involved in decisions that affect you.

Before you access any of our services, you will be asked to sign our privacy notice, which sets out in detail how we handle, protect, and store your information.

You can trust us to handle your information with care, respect, and discretion, while always putting safety and wellbeing first. If you have any questions or concerns, please talk to us—we want you to feel confident and supported every step of the way.