Our Team
Grounded in Lived Experience
Our Team
We do not share images of our team.
Why We Do Not Share Team Photos
Due to the sensitive nature of our work and the fact that our team is built around lived experience, we have chosen not to share images or real names of our team members on this website. This is to protect the safety, privacy, and wellbeing of everyone involved.
We hope you understand that, while we maintain anonymity online, all support is provided face-to-face, over the telephone, or via Microsoft Teams using real names. Our team is fully trained, professional, and committed to providing safe, empathetic, and confidential support.
Our Founder – Clare
(name changed for privacy)
Career Background
Clare is a qualified HR professional and an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). She spent 12 years working in various HR roles across multiple NHS organisations. After leaving the NHS, she became HR Director of a Community Interest Company supporting people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping.
In October 2025, Clare left that role and founded Survivors Corner CIC in response to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s October 2025 report, which highlighted that domestic abuse was present in 87% of family court files reviewed.
Lived Experience
Clare is a survivor of emotional/psychological, verbal, financial/economic, digital/online abuse, stalking and harassment, legal abuse, and coercive control.
She also experienced post-separation abuse, including legal threats, ongoing harassment, love bombing, gaslighting, and hoovering, which began prior to family court proceedings and continued throughout.
Throughout her journey, Clare accessed support from:
- An Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA)
- Various specialist domestic abuse organisations
- The Freedom Programme
While these services provided helpful guidance, Clare often found that professionals did not have lived experience of abuse, which made it difficult to relate, share openly, or receive support that fully addressed the emotional realities of navigating family court.
Clare also experienced the inconsistency of the family court system: some judges understood the dynamics of abuse and took steps to protect her and her child, while others, unfortunately, enabled the abuse to continue. This often left the perpetrator feeling in control and led to an escalation in abusive behaviour. These experiences were extremely challenging and highlighted the gaps in understanding and survivor support within the system.
As a parent, her child was recognised as a victim in their own right under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and Clare navigated the family court system on multiple occasions to obtain:
- An emergency Prohibited Steps Order
- Child Arrangements Order
- Non-Molestation Order
Since January 2022, Clare has been involved in five distinct family court applications, including proceedings in 2026 which finally resulted in a Non-Molestation Order. She received excellent legal support in three of these cases, while in others she navigated the system as a litigant in person. Despite this support, the repeated anxiety, stress, and retraumatisation of facing her abuser highlighted that legal representation alone was not enough.
Clare often found the system isolating and retraumatising, and recognised the need for a space where survivors could open up, feel understood, and support one another — which inspired the creation of Survivors Corner CIC.
Clare’s Vision
Clare’s vision is simple:
- To create a safe and supportive space where survivors feel heard and believed
- To ensure no one has to face family court and domestic abuse without empathetic, survivor-led support
- To offer practical guidance and emotional reassurance, alongside understanding from people who have been there
Through Survivors Corner CIC, Clare brings together lived experience and professional dedication to shape services that are genuinely reflective of the challenges survivors face — while fostering a culture of empathy, respect, and empowerment.
Our Board Director – Sarah
(name changed for privacy)
Lived Experience
Our Board Director brings both lived and second-hand experience of domestic abuse and the family court system, offering a vital and often underrepresented perspective within our leadership.
Having grown up in a household where domestic abuse was present, they experienced the impact of a parent perpetrating significant harm. This lived experience provides deep insight into the experiences of children who witness abuse, and the lasting emotional and psychological effects this can have. They use this perspective to help ensure that the voices and needs of children affected by domestic abuse are recognised and understood within our work.
They also have second-hand experience of the family court system, having witnessed their parent navigate proceedings to obtain protective measures. Through this, they saw first-hand the stress, uncertainty, and emotional impact the process can have on a parent seeking safety. This experience has given them a deeper understanding of the challenges families face when navigating the family court system.
In addition, our Board Director has:
- Supported our Founder throughout their family court journey
- Acted as a McKenzie Friend during a Non-Molestation Order hearing
- Provided peer support to survivors, drawing on both lived experience and practical knowledge
- Shared their lived experience to highlight the impact of domestic abuse on children
As part of the board, they play an active role in shaping our services, ensuring they remain trauma-informed, inclusive, and responsive to the real needs of survivors and their children.
They bring a range of key skills and qualities to their role, including:
- Empathy and compassion
- Strong understanding of trauma and its impact
- Advocacy and the ability to amplify survivor voices
- Insight into the needs of children affected by domestic abuse
- Effective communication and peer support skills
Peer Support Volunteers
(individuals not identified)
Building A Network
Our Peer Support Volunteers will be individuals with lived experience of domestic abuse and the family court system. This lived experience is essential to the role and ensures that the survivor-led ethos of our organisation is maintained.
While formal qualifications are not required, all Peer Support Volunteers will meet strict recruitment criteria and will be supported to provide safe, empathetic, and trauma-informed support.
Due to the nature of our work and the level of need, we aim to build a diverse and sustainable network of Peer Support Volunteers. This will enable us to respond effectively to demand while ensuring survivors can access timely, meaningful support.
Through their lived experience, our Peer Support Volunteers will create a space where survivors feel heard, believed, and supported, offering guidance grounded in first-hand understanding.
All volunteers will receive appropriate guidance, support, and supervision in their role.
Need Support?
— reach out to us today
