£600k funding lifeline for survivors of domestic abuse & sexual violence
15.07.22 - Merseyside
Nearly £600,000 of extra funding has been secured by Merseyside’s Police Commissioner to enhance the specialist support offered to survivors of domestic abuse and child victims of sexual abuse.
Working with partners across the region, Emily Spurrell has secured the extra money to fund four additional Independent Domestic Abuse Advisers (IDVAs), as well as a specialist Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) who will focus on providing tailored support for children and young people affected by sexual violence.
IDVAs and ISVAs provide essential practical and emotional support and advocacy for survivors, as well as helping them through the criminal justice process and with practical help with issues including housing, employment, and financial advice.
The funding, which was secured from the Ministry of Justice, will run for the next three years.
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “IDVAs and ISVAs provide a lifeline to people who have been subjected to the most devastating and horrific crimes to help them to cope and recover, so it’s very welcome news that we have secured this additional funding to expand their services.
“The caring, dedicated professionals who deliver this specialist support are highly skilled and are on the frontline of care. Yet due to years of chronic underfunding by the government, their caseloads are often staggeringly high and in many areas of Merseyside, there are worryingly long waiting lists.
“This new funding will help to enhance and expand the service they can offer, meaning each IDVA and our specialist new ISVA can dedicate more time and care to each victim, and we can reduce the time survivors have to wait to access support.
“We have done our best to ensure this additional funding will be directed to the areas where there is greatest need and can make the biggest difference, but we will still need more, and I will continue to lobby government at every opportunity I get to provide it.”
If you have been affected by crime, please visit www.victimcaremerseyside.org for information, advice and the details of more than 70 organisations on hand across Merseyside which can offer you support.