A new £3.2 million fund for the support of domestic violence victims has been launched by the government.
Local authorities can now bid for a share of the money, originally announced in July’s budget, to help fund shelters and support services for victims in their areas. The new money following the announcement of £10 million earlier in the year.
Authorities interested in the extra money will have to submit cost-effective proposals for innovative “accommodation-based” and support services aimed at victims of intimate partner violence. They will also need to set out plans to develop local anti-domestic violence strategies.
Baroness Williams of Trafford is the current Communities Minister. She said:
“Domestic violence and abuse is a devastating crime that shatters the lives of victims and families, and this government is committed to ensuring that we have a strong safety net for anyone who finds themselves in a situation where they are forced to leave their home.”
A further £131,000 has also been announced to hire additional staff for UKRefugesOnline, a national database of services for domestic violence victims.
This is a great step forward for all victims and survivors. I just hope that some of the funds can go into more training for professionals in not just the understqnding on paper but the techniques used by victims whether that man women or child. There are different ways in which it is dealt with and with little understanding except what is read on paper. A domestic abuse team trained for local authorities specialalising in the field is whats needed. Sidass and womens aid cqn assist in the courses they do but better understanding is whats needed.
I don’t think it is a good idea for local authorities to be in charge of domestic violence support services as they use the confidential information trusting victims give them to take victims children’s off of them in care proceedings. This is already happening in some local authorities who run the Freedom Programme. It is a completely disgusting use of a course that is supposed to help vulnerable victims
UkRefuges online is run by Women’s Aid across the UK and only deals with women and children.