Why our work is so important

A Non Molestation Order (NMO) is the civil version of a Restraining Order, applied for by police, and is widely thought to be the single most effective remedy (other than imprisonment) to protect the lives of people and their families who are at high risk of significant harm or homicide.

A breach by a perpetrator would constitute an arrestable offence and, if found guilty, could lead to a 5-year prison sentence.

In most cases, this acts as an extremely effective deterrent to carrying out further offending. They are effective, but their effectiveness is inextricably linked to how quickly they are secured.

So why aren’t NMOs being used to effectively address the risk of significant harm or homicide? The problem is that authorities and individuals have relied on instructing solicitors to apply for NMOs. Solicitors are prohibitively expensive to most clients, but even if clients are fortunate enough to engage a Legal Aid solicitor, the whole process can be incredibly slow, sometimes taking up to 2 months before reaching court, meaning a significant risk of harm or homicide to the Applicant.

By applying to the court for a protective injunction as a Litigant in Person with the support of AAA, clients will have fast access to court protection while being supported by specialist DA personnel with a trauma-informed approach.

AAA staff are qualified IDVAs who have applied for and been successfully granted over 400 NMOs in the past 5 years with a 100% success rate. We are not solicitors.

Fast

• AAA can apply for an NMO within 24 hours of the initial conversation

• Most applications are applied for ex parte - meaning a hearing is likely to be within 2 or 3 days

• Abuse will generally stop after NMO is granted, meaning cases can be closed in one or two weeks, rather than the existing 3 months

Individual and expert for each case

• Each NMO is bespoke per client, not a ‘one size fits all’

• AAA clients are expertly supported from the initial conversation, preparing paperwork to sitting in court with them, supporting them and explaining process

• They are risk-assessed and given a robust safety plan

Collaborative and supportive of other resource-constrained organisations

• AAA supports existing statutory DA agencies by creating greater capacity for their caseworkers by minimising abusive behaviours quickly and efficiently

• We support police by minimising 999 calls to high-risk clients through effective bespoke NMOs

Cost-effective

• Solicitors charge between £5000 and £10,000 to apply for an NMO. AAA can complete an application, and support at court for all hearings (capacity permitting) for no cost to the individual client. This equates to a direct saving to the Ministry of Justice and an additional saving of time and resources of the police and other statutory DA agencies.

AAA can significantly improve the lives of families by providing this service.