The Elm Foundation

The Elm Foundation began in 1985 as North Derbyshire Women’s Aid, when a group of local women opened the area’s first domestic abuse refuge for six women and their children. At the time, services for domestic abuse support in Derbyshire were extremely limited. Over the following decades the organisation expanded its refuge provision significantly, added specialist children’s and young people’s services, and broadened its community outreach. In 2018 it adopted its current name, and today it operates four refuges accommodating up to 26 bed spaces, including dedicated housing just for women and children and other spaces for anyone who needs to flee domestic abuse, but are unable to access suitable safe accommodation in the short term.

The organisation delivers a wide range of trauma-informed services tailored to individual need. Refuge accommodation includes a fully wheelchair-accessible site, a specialist complex needs provision, and a dedicated male refuge. The SafeLives-accredited community and outreach team supports both men and women to rebuild independent lives. Children and young people are supported through one-to-one work, group sessions, and partnerships with schools. The foundation also runs Let’s Make Changes, a perpetrator programme offering group and individual sessions alongside safety planning for partners. 

Each year the foundation supports an ever-increasing number of adults and children in the community, with many accommodated in refuges. Since 2020 it has also operated the Derbyshire Domestic Abuse Helpline – a county-wide service providing phone, text, and online support Monday to Friday. By combining direct crisis support with early intervention and perpetrator work, the foundation addresses domestic abuse across its full cycle rather than responding to it only at crisis point.