In Conversation with DV Safe Phone Founder and CEO Ashton Wood

DV Safe Phone Founder and CEO, Ashton Wood.

This article was originally published in The Queen's Fund Annual Report 2024/2025, page 21.

Established in 2020, DV Safe Phone is a charity that collects, refurbishes and distributes donated phones to survivors of domestic violence (DV). The Queen's Fund is proud to establish a key relationship with DV Safe Phone this year. We sat down to chat with Ashton Wood, founder and CEO and asked him for his insights on the journey of setting up a charity that has had such a big impact on the community. 

Can you tell us a bit about DV Safe Phone – what is your charity’s mission and what do you aim to achieve?

DV Safe Phone’s mission is, “We empower domestic violence victims to live safe, connected lives through sustainable technology solutions.” We do this by gifting safe phones to DV survivors through our network of agency partners (safe houses, police stations, DV agencies, and hospitals). These safe phone kits (phone, charging cable, SIM card) provide survivors with hope, connection, and a means to escape their situation.

How did this all start for you personally – would you mind sharing your journey within the sector in setting up the charity?

DV Safe Phone’s journey began in 2020 when a conversation with an ex-police Senior Sergeant on the importance of a working mobile phone to domestic violence survivors changed my life. I immediately knew I could make a difference. DV Safe Phone was born to ensure that every call for help would be heard. Working out of a spare room at home, I started collecting phones and quickly realised the scale of the challenge. I knew I couldn’t do this alone, so I assembled a small team of dedicated professionals and called on everyone I knew. We developed solid relationships with support agencies and community groups to ensure DV Safe Phone could help as many survivors as possible.

What do you think the greatest challenge or greatest reward has been on this journey to getting DV Safe Phone to where it is today?

We have just sent out our 12,000th phone. That is 12,000 people who have been provided with a means to escape violence, rebuild, reconnect, and hope for a brighter future. I’m immensely proud of our nationwide networks of 400+ agency partners, 1,000+ phone collection partners, and hundreds of community and corporate partners. These networks were built from scratch and I’m so appreciative of everyone who’s supported us along the way. That little request for my old mobile phones has become a movement.

In working with other organisations, referral agencies, social workers etc – including The Queen’s Fund – what are the common themes or stories from survivors that they’re telling you, that you’ve come across?

We’ve received over 2,000 testimonials from agencies and victims, and the central theme is the positive difference a safe phone can make to a DV survivor. Many of the testimonials speak of gratitude, joy and relief for the survivor. They often ask when we need the phone back and it’s a pleasure to inform them that it’s a gift to them, as part of their new (and safer) life and it’s theirs to keep. 

What have you learned while partnering with organisations such as The Queen’s Fund and how do you think organisations like ours can support you/work with you in the future?

The Queen’s Fund is a very trusted name and other organisations know the due diligence you put into every funding decision. Sharing your support with others helps us build trust with others and helps us continue our mission, to ensure that no call for help goes unheard.

If you'd like more information on DV Safe Phone and the great work that they do, get in touch with Ashton and his team via their website or email info@dvsafephone.org