Domestic abuse and sexual violence services at risk in Northumberland
Domestic abuse and sexual violence services in the North East could be under threat unless the Government urgently announces new funding, charities have claimed.
Four organisations providing support to victims across Northumberland have pleaded with ministers to confirm now that they will keep funding their services beyond March 2025, ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget at the end of this month.
The chief executives of Northumberland Domestic Abuse Service, Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland, Acorns, and Cygnus Support wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood last week, warning that the uncertainty risks trained staff being lost, victims missing out on vital support, and services being forced to make cuts or even shut down.
Sharon Brown, Sue Pearce, Abby Traynor, and Andy Watmough said the delay risked impacting things such as the provision of advocates who offer practical and emotional support for victims, including children, as well as specialist services dealing with issues like female genital mutilation (FGM) and stalking by a former partner.
Their services are currently reliant on a three-year Ministry of Justice settlement distributed by Police and Crime Commissioners, which is due to expire at the end of the current financial year, and they have feared that they may not discover if that will continue until the conclusion of the Treasury’s Spending Review next spring.
In their letter, the four charities highlighted how eight women in England and Wales are killed each month by a current or former partner and that more than 105,000 children are living in homes where there is high-risk domestic abuse.
They warned that services dependent upon the national funding ‘will risk reduction or in the worst-case scenario closure’, that victims ‘will not receive essential services at the point they are needed’, and that services will ‘lose staff who need job security’.
They add that even if funding was announced at a later date it would be “costly and time-consuming” to re-establish services and risk creating a gap in provision.
The letter states: “We note and welcome the Government’s plans to address DA/SV as outlined within Labour’s Manifesto and the Prime Minister’s commitment to ‘halve violence against women and girls within a decade’.
“Given these commitments, we urge the Government to confirm DA/SV funding for the year 2025-26, in advance of the Spending Review in order to: ensure continuation of support to victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence; ensure sustainability of services across the country; enable organisations to retain trained and specialised staff.”
Labour’s manifesto commitments to reduce violence against women and girls included introducing domestic abuse experts in 999 control rooms, fast-tracking rape cases through court to increase “shamefully low” prosecution rates, and strengthening the use of Stalking Protection Orders.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “It is vital victims have the support they need, when they need it which is why we have funded specialist support for victims such as counselling and a 24/7 support line for sexual abuse and rape victims. Decisions on funding from March onwards will flow from the Chancellor’s Budget at the end of this month.”