£288,000 to help victims of domestic and sex abuse

Cambridgeshire’s acting police and crime commissioner Ray Bisby has announced new funding to support victims of domestic and sexual abuse worth £288,000.

The financial support package follows a Government announcement on May 2 providing £76m extra funding; of this, £25m will be administered by the Ministry of Justice and distributed through Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) across England and Wales.

In Cambridgeshire, the money is being made available for charities and not-for-profit organisations who are supporting vulnerable people of all ages who have experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence including child criminal exploitation.

The funding can be used to support charities who have incurred additional costs since the March 24 lockdown in particular in transforming the way they deliver services. It is also available to meet increased demand over the next five months.

Mr Bisby said: “Organisations across the county rose to the challenge in the first few weeks and changed their entire models of service delivery. Face to face work went online and telephone helplines were re-routed into volunteer’s homes to enable them to continue to play their part. Clearly all this has cost implications and was unplanned for. Being able to bid for additional funds to cover these costs and enable them to continue their vital work supporting vulnerable people during this crisis is vital.

“For people experiencing domestic and sexual abuse, staying at home can present serious challenges and need to know there is still comprehensive support available. This funding will ensure existing support services meet the needs of the people who use them.

“The timescales are very tight therefore I encourage organisations to visit my website as soon as possible.”

Bids in Cambridgeshire will only be accepted from organisations whose primary aim is to support victims of domestic abuse or sexual violence and who are already providing services in the county.

The deadline for applications is 1st June 2020. For more details visit: https:// www.cambridgeshire-pcc. gov.uk/police-crime-plan/ victims/covid-19-extraordinary-da-sv-funding/