Domestic abuse support in Scotland

If you're experiencing domestic abuse in Scotland, Scotland's Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline is here for you on 0800 027 1234, or by text and WhatsApp on 07401 288595. It's free and confidential, open to anyone affected, any time of day or night.

Scottish Women's Aid can connect you to your nearest local specialist service anywhere in Scotland, and there are clear guides to help you make a personal safety plan. You don't have to face this alone; reach out to any of the services below.

If this is a difficult page to read, go gently; you do not need to take it all in at once. In Scotland the civil courts can grant orders that put clear legal limits on what another person may do, including removing them from the home you share, and the police can act when those limits are broken.

• Civil courts can grant protection orders including interdicts, which order someone not to do something, exclusion orders, which order someone out of the family or shared home, and non-harassment orders (mygov.scot).
• If the person is a partner or former partner you can ask for your interdict to be treated as a domestic abuse interdict; with a power of arrest attached, breaking it is a criminal offence and the police can arrest the person (mygov.scot).
• A non-harassment order normally requires the behaviour to have happened more than once, but if it is domestic abuse it only needs to have happened once, and breaking the order is a criminal offence (mygov.scot).
• An exclusion order can also keep the person a set distance from your home, and you can ask for an interim exclusion order to protect you while the case is being decided (mygov.scot).
• The first step is to get help from a solicitor with experience in family law; if you cannot afford the costs you can apply for legal aid to pay some or all of them (mygov.scot).

Checked August 2026 against mygov.scot. This is signposting, not legal advice.

You do not have to be in crisis to reach out, and you do not have to decide anything straight away.

• Confidential support, whether you want to leave, stay, or are simply unsure.
• Safety planning for you and your children.
• Help understanding protective court orders and your housing options.
• Someone to talk it through with, free and without judgement.

If you are in immediate danger, call 999. It is free and works from any phone.