Financial Abuse Legal Service
The Financial Abuse Legal Service provides free legal advice and support for women experiencing financial abuse to address complex legal and financial matters and reclaim their financial future. If your partner is controlling your money, has cut you off from accounts or assets or has taken out loans or accrued debts in your name, we can help.
The service combines specialist legal advice, a case worker to provide support and targeted referrals and access to financial counsellors through partnerships with The Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul.
What is financial abuse?
Financial abuse is a form of family violence. It happens when someone controls another person’s access to money, financial decisions, or resources to limit their independence.
Financial abuse can look like:
- Forcing someone to take on debt.
- Controlling all the financial decisions in a relationship.
- Spending joint money without the other person’s knowledge or agreement.
- Using shared assets or debts to stop someone from leaving an abusive relationship.
- Withholding child support payments.
- Using joint debts or assets to continue controlling someone even after the relationship has ended.
Financial abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of age, income or financial capability and is a form of coercive control.
We can help with:
- Joint debts and accounts
- Loans or debts in your name without your knowledge or consent
- Pressure to sign contracts and personal guarantees
- Debt Collection
- Credit files or credit history
- Hardship
How to contact us:
- Phone – (08) 9221 7066 and ask for the
Financial Abuse Legal Service - Email – fals@cclswa.org.au.
You can also use the form below to request a confidential discussion.
