Southall Black Sisters

What Southall Black Sisters does

Southall Black Sisters (SBS) is a specialist 'by and for' charitable organisation founded in 1989 and headquartered at 21 Avenue Road, Southall, in the London Borough of Ealing. It is constituted as a company limited by guarantee (company no. 3037955) and registered charity (no. 1204937), and is exempted by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (reference no. 200100577) to provide regulated immigration advice. The organisation's mission is to highlight and challenge all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG), providing free, confidential support to Black and minoritised women (BMM) and migrant women experiencing domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based violence, and trafficking.

Its core service portfolio comprises a free domestic abuse helpline (020 8571 0800, Monday-Friday 10am-4pm), holistic casework and advocacy, the SBS No Recourse Fund (a last-resort safety net funding safe accommodation for women with No Recourse to Public Funds), and the UK-wide Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) Scheme delivered with five regional partner organisations (BAWSO, Shakti Women's Aid, Foyle Women's Aid, Ashiana Sheffield, and Birmingham and Solihull Women's Aid). Complementing direct services, the Real Impact Series is a year-long policy accountability programme publishing reports on the UK Government's VAWG Strategy implementation.

SBS is funded by a diversified but concentrated portfolio of UK statutory and charitable grant-makers, including the London Borough of Ealing, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, MOPAC, London Councils, the National Lottery, Comic Relief, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and the Coutts Foundation, supplemented by individual donations. All services to beneficiaries are free of charge. The organisation operates under a volunteer Management Committee chaired by Rahila Gupta, with Selma Taha serving as Executive Director and Pragna Patel as Director. Over its 35+ year history, SBS is credited with securing the Domestic Violence Rule (2002), the Destitution Domestic Violence Concession (2012), and influencing the expansion of the MVDAC in 2024.

Name

Southall Black Sisters

Legal name

Southall Black Sisters

Website

https://southallblacksisters.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southall Black Sisters is a UK-registered charity founded in 1989 that provides free specialist advocacy, helpline, casework, and the No Recourse Fund for Black, minoritised, and migrant women experiencing domestic abuse and violence, supported by institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Abuse Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD), Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF)

Keywords

• Domestic abuse advocacy
• Women's support services
• VAWG intervention
• Immigration legal advice
• Community casework

Headquarters

HQ city

Southall

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Receives funding from government bodies and charitable foundations to support operations and service delivery for victims of domestic abuse.
2. Donations: Individual donations from supporters to fund vital work supporting women and girls to live free from violence and abuse.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Southall Black Sisters is a UK charity that provides specialist advocacy, casework and crisis support for Black and minoritised women and children experiencing domestic and sexual abuse, including those with insecure immigration status. Its core services comprise a free confidential helpline, one-to-one casework, the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) Women's Welfare Fund, the Surviving Mutual Visa (SMV) Scheme, and training/workshops for other professionals. It also undertakes policy work, campaigns and strategic litigation on VAWG and immigration-related issues.

Product overview

Southall Black Sisters operates as a specialist 'by and for' advocacy and support organization offering a suite of services for Black, minoritised and migrant women experiencing domestic abuse and violence. The core service portfolio comprises: a Domestic Abuse Helpline providing free confidential advice; Domestic Abuse Casework offering holistic advocacy; the SBS No Recourse Fund providing emergency accommodation funding for those with No Recourse to Public Funds; and the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) Scheme, a UK-wide partnership delivering housing, subsistence and wrap-around support. The organization complements direct services with policy advocacy through its Real Impact Series - a monitoring and accountability programme tracking government VAWG strategy implementation. All services are interconnected, designed to address the intersection of domestic abuse, immigration status, and structural barriers facing vulnerable women.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Confidential Domestic Abuse Helpline Free, confidential telephone and email helpline providing initial advice, safety planning and signposting to Black and minoritised women experiencing domestic and sexual abuse in the UK.
• One-to-One Casework and Advocacy Specialist advocacy and casework delivered by named caseworkers covering domestic abuse, family law, housing, welfare benefits and immigration, available to Black and minoritised women referred into the service.
• No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) Women's Welfare Fund Charitable fund providing small, short-term crisis grants to women with no recourse to public funds who are destitute as a result of domestic abuse, bridging them until statutory support or immigration status is resolved.
• Surviving Mutual Visa (SMV) Scheme Specialist advice, advocacy and (subject to legal-aid eligibility) immigration casework for women on spousal/partner visas whose leave is tied to an abusive partner, including representation under the post-Patel SMV framework.
• Policy, Research and Campaigns National policy, research and campaigns work influencing VAWG, immigration and NRPF policy, including briefings, reports and select strategic litigation.
• Training and Workshops for Professionals Commissioned training and workshops for local authorities, refuges, police, NHS teams and other professionals on domestic abuse in Black and minoritised communities, intersectional practice and immigration-related issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 129,765 survivors assisted annually by specialist 'by and for' services
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and supporting.

• BAWSO (Black Association of Women Step Out)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme, providing housing and subsistence support for migrant victim-survivors of domestic abuse with NRPF.
• Shakti Women's AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme.
• Foyle Women's AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme.
• Ashiana SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme.
• Birmingham and Solihull Women's AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme.
• Safety4SisterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the No Recourse? No Safety! project (2021-2024), a three-year project funded by Comic Relief's Change Makers programme focusing on strategically advocating and campaigning for the rights of migrant victim-survivors.
• Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the No Recourse? No Safety! project and co-campaigner on VAWG Strategy and migrant women's rights issues.
• Ubuntu Women SheltercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the No Recourse? No Safety! project.
• Angelou CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the No Recourse? No Safety! project.
• Step-Up Migrant Women coalitionstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in campaigning for migrant women's rights and safe reporting mechanisms.
• Garden Court ChamberssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal chambers providing support and expertise on VAWG and domestic abuse cases.
• ASCENT Advice Counselling PartnershipsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Solace Women's Aid for advice and counselling services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BAWSO (Black Association of Women Step Out): Wales-based specialist BME women's aid organization providing refuge, advocacy and support for women experiencing domestic abuse and VAWG. Direct SMV delivery partner with overlapping service model and beneficiary base.
• Imkaan: UK-wide federation of specialist 'by and for' Black and minoritised women's organisations working on violence against women and girls. Most direct comparable as a coordinating body for the same specialist BMM VAWG sector SBS operates in.
• Shakti Women's Aid: Edinburgh-based specialist organisation supporting Black and minority ethnic women, children and young people experiencing domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based violence. SMV delivery partner with directly comparable specialist model.
• Birmingham and Solihull Women's Aid: West Midlands-based specialist domestic abuse service for women and children. SMV delivery partner with comparable casework, advocacy and refuge provision for women fleeing abuse.
• Angelou Centre: Newcastle-based specialist resource centre for Black and minoritised women and children experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence and racial harassment. No Recourse? No Safety! coalition partner with directly comparable BMM VAWG focus.
• Safety4Sisters: Greater Manchester-based specialist organisation for women who have experienced domestic abuse from the North West, particularly migrant women with No Recourse to Public Funds. Direct coalition partner under No Recourse? No Safety! with overlapping NRPF advocacy.
• Ashiana Sheffield: Sheffield-based specialist service for Black, Asian, minoritised and refugee women, children and men affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence. SMV delivery partner offering culturally-specific support analogous to SBS.
• Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS): London-based specialist organisation providing advocacy and support for Latin American women experiencing gender-based violence and structural inequality. No Recourse? No Safety! coalition partner with directly overlapping migrant women's rights focus.

Broad incumbents

• Refuge: Large UK-wide charity providing specialist services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse, including refuges and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline. Operates broadly in the same VAWG space but as a non-specialist incumbent rather than 'by and for'.
• Women's Aid Federation of England: National federation coordinating a network of over 170 domestic abuse services across England. Operates in the same sector as a broad incumbent umbrella body, in contrast to SBS's specialist 'by and for' niche focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SBSisters
• Facebookfacebook.com/Southall.Black.Sisters/?locale=en_GB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southall-black-sisters

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Southall Black Sisters