CITIZENS Advice Taunton is asking for your support to provide specialist help for abuse victims.

The future of thousands of women and children affected by domestic abuse depends on the victim defending their case in family court hearings.

In many cases this involves the victim facing cross-questioning from her abuser.

Citizens Advice Taunton is appealing to people to support its funding application to the Aviva Community Fund.

This would enable the bureau to provide specialist support to abuse victims to fight their corner in the law courts.

Since the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act came into force in 2013, the Taunton Deane area has seen a marked increase in victims of domestic abuse seeking urgent help in family law cases.

The National Audit Office reports an increase of 30 per cent in family court cases in which neither party had legal representation and a 22 per cent increase in cases where the abuser’s contact with children is decided.

Abused partners who earn too little to pay for lawyers but too much to be entitled to Legal Aid have no option but to represent themselves and their children in court as litigants in person, or to pay unqualified agents to act for them.

Jon Shoesmith, chief officer at Citizens Advice Taunton, said: “We already provide services to clients who are experiencing domestic violence.

"We want to be able to extend this support by providing these clients with practical assistance to prepare cases for court and to provide representation in the form of a trained ‘McKenzie Friend’ to provide at the hearing itself."

To vote for this project click here before November 18.