FINSAFE: Money After Control - Financial Safety and Digital Confidence for Women Rebuilding Independence

This is a practical, women-only, in-person workshop at Aston Students' Union. The event runs from 10:00am to 2:00pm and will combine short, accessible talks with facilitated activities, realistic scenarios, practical signposting and take-away resources. Topics will include understanding money coming in and going out, safe banking, debt and benefits, pensions and longer-term planning, and digital financial safety. There will be breaks and lunch will be provided. Participants will not be asked to share personal experiences and can choose how much they wish to take part in.

Money can become a tool of control within abusive relationships, including through restricted access to bank accounts, coerced debt, monitoring of spending, shared devices or banking apps, and post-separation financial control. This workshop will help women recognise these risks and build confidence in managing money and digital accounts safely. It will also cover where to find trusted support for financial, domestic abuse and digital safety concerns. The aim is practical empowerment rather than financial advice or therapy, with information presented in clear, culturally sensitive language.

The event is led by Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy, Senior Lecturer at Aston University and Director of the GRIIT Network. It is being delivered in partnership with Roshni Birmingham, who will support participant engagement, cultural relevance, safeguarding and signposting.

The event is for adult women aged 18+ in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands who have experienced, or may be at risk of, financial or economic abuse, coercive control, cyber-enabled abuse or intimate partner abuse. Places will be coordinated through Roshni Birmingham and its partner agencies, and advance registration/referral will be required.

It may be particularly useful for women who have had limited access to household financial information, have experienced control over wages, benefits, bank cards, pensions or debt, or are concerned about how shared devices, online accounts or banking apps may be used to monitor or control them.

Registration/referral will be coordinated through Roshni Birmingham and its partner agencies, specifically targeting the women they support.

15th October 2026