£20m cash boost available to help support survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen is urging support providers to bid now for a chance of securing extra funding to increase help for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced plans to increase investment in support services for survivors of abuse and sexual violence to £185m between now and the end of 2024/25 - including additional funding over the next three years to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs).

Grant funding will be available to PCCs for the purpose of commissioning local support services that meet the needs of victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence and expand ISVA/IDVA provision in their communities.

Commissioner Allen is now inviting voluntary, statutory and community providers to apply for funding to ensure County Durham and Darlington receives the maximum level of financial support available to strengthen support services. 

In 2022/23, PCCs can apply for a share of an extra £15.7m of ring fenced funding for domestic abuse and sexual violence support services.

Meanwhile, a further £3.73m per annum is available to help the MoJ recruit an additional 100 ISVA/IDVA posts over the next 12 months - on top of the £69.1m of core funding already awarded to PCCs.

It is part of a national plan to boost the number of IDVAs and ISVAs to 1,000 over the next three years.

The PCC is currently preparing a needs assessment to gather information on the individual needs of survivors and the resources and provision required to meet demand locally over the next three years.

Commissioner Allen said: "Supporting victims of crime is paramount to everything I do. It is critical we are there when survivors need us to support recovery and protect people and their families from future harm. I'm pleased to see that our domestic violence and survivors champion has been working hard to ensure that victims' voices are heard which will inform future plans for service enhancements.

"As Commissioner, I have met many brave survivors whose lives have been safeguarded and transformed by the care they have received from our dedicated support workers. These services are facing unprecedented demand and I am determined to secure the resources and financial support necessary to sustain this provision in the future.

"This extra MoJ funding will boost our work with frontline charities and voluntary services and enable us to build resilience in the system thanks to multi-year support. I would urge organisations already supporting victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence to contact my office urgently due to the tight timescales involved in submitting information to the MoJ."

ISVAs and IDVAs provide practical and emotional support and advocacy for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. Demand for the specialist roles has increased during the pandemic.

To meet the target of 1000ISVA/IDVA posts, the MoJ plans to recruit an additional 300 posts by 2024/25 -at least 100 of which will be in post in 2022/23.

For more information on how to apply, contact Charles Oakley-Head of Governance and Finance at: Charles.Oakley@durham-pcc.gov.uk by 29 April 2022.