If domestic abuse is happening in Sandwell, there is local support whether the abuse is physical, emotional, coercive, sexual, financial or linked to care and support needs. You do not have to wait for a crisis to ask for help, but there are also urgent routes if you are unsafe right now.
Who this page is for
This guide is for adults experiencing domestic abuse, people worried about an older or disabled adult, and professionals or relatives who need the local Sandwell route quickly.
The main local specialist support route
Sandwell’s domestic abuse pages point residents to Black Country Women’s Aid as the main specialist support service for women and men in Sandwell.
- 24-hour helpline: 0121 552 6448
- Webchat / WhatsApp route also promoted by the council: 07384 466 181
- Support includes emergency accommodation, legal advice, court support, counselling, rape and sexual violence services
The council’s pages also explain that domestic abuse is not limited to physical violence. It includes coercive control, emotional abuse, financial abuse, stalking, digital abuse and other patterns of harm.
Urgent safety and emergency routes
- Call 999 in an emergency
- Call 101 for police help if it is not an emergency
- If housing is unsafe, contact the Housing Solutions Team on 0121 368 1166 and use Sandwell’s homelessness route
- If an adult with care and support needs is at risk, report adult abuse to 0121 569 2266 or through the safeguarding route
Sandwell’s housing pages also mention practical options such as target hardening measures and support to access refuge accommodation.
Domestic abuse and adults with care and support needs
Sandwell has separate information for vulnerable adults and for older people and those with care and support needs. This is important because abuse can be hidden inside caring relationships, family dependency, disability or age-related vulnerability.
If the person affected may have difficulty understanding information, making decisions or protecting themselves, use both the domestic abuse and safeguarding adults routes.
Useful Sandwell links
- Domestic abuse
- What is domestic abuse?
- What support is available
- Vulnerable adults
- Older people and those with care and support needs
- Report adult abuse
- Homeless or at risk of losing your home
