16 Days of Activism: Refuge and The Co-operative Bank tackle economic abuse with specialist training

• Refuge and The Co-operative Bank partner to deliver vital economic abuse training to customer service teams in Manchester and Coventry 

• Training comes in time for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence 

During the UN’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (November 25- December 10), Refuge and The Co-operative Bank are highlighting the outcome of a specialist joint training programme, which saw over 80 colleagues empowered to support survivors of economic abuse. 

Economic abuse involves a perpetrator restricting someone’s ability to acquire, use and maintain money or other economic resources. It can take many forms, including controlling or spending someone’s money, taking out debt in their name, damaging their possessions or property, or preventing them from accessing work or welfare payments. 

Refuge research with The Co-operative Bank found that 16% of adults in the UK – around 8.7 million people – know they have been subjected to economic abuse. However, a total of 39% of UK adults have likely experienced economic abuse based on behaviours reported during the research¹. Ahead of a specialist training programme led by Refuge, around 70% of Bank participants described economic abuse as highly relevant to their work, noting that they encounter it frequently ². 

Providing Co-operative Bank colleagues with the information and confidence they need to support survivors, Refuge’s sector-leading Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment team delivered seven full-day CPD-accredited training sessions to around 80 Co-operative Bank and Coventry Building Society colleagues across their vulnerable customer teams in Manchester and Coventry. 

Designed specifically for professionals in the finance industry, the training equipped Co-operative Bank colleagues with the knowledge to spot the signs of economic abuse and manage abuse disclosures in a trauma-informed way. It also trained them to gather evidence of economic abuse while providing survivors with effective signposting and resources to help them access vital support.  

The training programme marks the continuation of Refuge’s 10-year partnership with The Co-operative Bank. This collaboration has included groundbreaking research on the scale of economic abuse, a cross-sector review of the impact of online banking on survivors, and ongoing campaigning to put survivor safety at the heart of the financial industry. 

The sessions took place at the beginning of November, ahead of the UN’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence – a global campaign calling for an end to violence against women and girls (VAWG). 

Francesca Ferrier, Economic Empowerment Partnership Manager at Refuge, said: 

“Economic abuse is devastatingly common but often goes unrecognised, leaving many survivors unsure where to turn for support. Bank colleagues are in a unique position to spot economic abuse as it happens, so it is crucial they feel confident to act.  

“The long-standing partnership between Refuge and The Co-operative Bank has been pivotal in driving sector-wide awareness and understanding of economic abuse. Thanks to the recent specialist training sessions, even more colleagues are now equipped to identify and respond to economic abuse, helping ensure survivors can access the support they deserve.” 

Kim Ashurst, Vulnerable Customer Lead at The Co-operative Bank, said:  

“When our customers pop into their local branch or call us about a payment, they might confide in us that someone is controlling them or their money. And unfortunately, we are coming across these situations all too often.  

That’s why it’s so important that my team and others who speak to customers every day feel empowered to know what to look out for and what to do if faced with that situation. Thanks to this training, we can be part of the journey to make sure survivors get the help they need, when they need it.” 

Following the sessions, 100% of participants said they would recommend colleagues take part in specialist training with Refuge ³. To support more colleagues across the financial sector and other industries, corporate training packages on economic abuse and technology-facilitated abuse are available to book now.