Almost £300,000 of funding has been allocated to six new projects which aim to support victims and prevent violence against Women and Girls.
At the beginning of 2022 Suffolk, launched its Violence Against Women & Girls Strategy for 2022-2025.
Alongside the strategy, Suffolk County Council released more than £350,000 of funding, to be allocated across two phases, so that bidding organisations could help progress the aims and ambitions that had been identified in the Strategy including preventing violence, supporting victims, pursuing perpetrators and strengthening the system.
The fund has been administered by the Suffolk Community Foundation with all decisions carefully considered and made by the county’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Steering Group. The VAWG Steering Group includes representation from Police, Police & Crime Commissioner, Health, County Council, District & Borough Councils, Anglia Care Trust, Probation and representatives for Voluntary & Community Sector organisations representing victims and survivors.
The VAWG Steering Group are pleased to announce that the following organisations have been successful organisations and three-year projects have been awarded as follows in phase one:
Families Together Suffolk - To provide 1:1 emotional support through the keeping safe programme. The programme also offers practical support around patterns of domestic abuse and forming healthy future relationships. In addition to this, Families Together Suffolk run a dad’s group for male victims of Domestic Abuse. Visit Families Together Suffolk to find out more.
Fresh Start - new beginnings - To reach children and young people who are slipping through the net. The request will pay for an outreach worker to raise awareness of sexual abuse, sexual violence and exploitation of children and young people with staff and managers of supported accommodation, children’s homes, and education facilities. In addition to this, Fresh Start New Beginnings will run workshops with CYP and families to raise awareness and help through the disclosure process. Visit Fresh Start new beginnings to find out more.
Lighthouse Women's Aid - Grant request towards a newly developed children and families service for women and children suffering Domestic Abuse. The programme includes advice sessions (including legal, debt and child contact arrangements); Emotional Literacy Support Assistants; Stronger families’ programme. Visit Lighthouse Women's Aid to find out more.
Suffolk Law Centre - The grant will help to fund a caseworker, supervisor, and paralegal to support domestic abuse survivors in Suffolk to access legal advice and representation. Visit the Suffolk Law Centre website to find out more.
Terrence Higgins Trust - This grant will expand current Relationships and Sex Education service for children and young people to tackle VAWG problems through six, eight or twelve week programmes, one off workshops, weekly zoom meetings and drop-in clinics at schools and pupil referral units. The sessions will focus on healthy relationships, wellbeing, consent, empowerment, safety planning, signposting, support, and information. In addition to this, there will be professional training around these topics including online safety, safety planning, how to support young people in abusive relationships. Visit Terrence Higgins Trust to find out more.
The Mix Stowmarket - To expand the diadem project; a group of up to 12 young people aged 13-23 where topics are discussed, including healthy friendships, the fine line between banter and bullying, safe romantic relationships, spotting the signs of exploitative relationships, coercion, consent, and body image. The project aims to increase confidence and self-esteem and will be offered to females, non-binary people, people with special educational needs, those from LGBTQIA+ community and the programme will be developed and offered to males to recognise their role in VAWG. The mix will also develop posters, short films (for use in schools and other venues) and 121 support. Visit The Mix Stowmarket to find out more.
Councillor Bobby Bennett, Cabinet Member for Equality and Communities, said:
“It is so important that many valuable projects will be supported through this fund. I have no doubt that they will succeed in making a difference to those that need it throughout the lifetime of the current strategy and its objectives. This is another positive step in our efforts to prevent Violence Against Women & Girls in Suffolk.”
Successful projects for phase two funding will be announced in January 2023. Suffolk’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy for 2022 – 2025 can be viewed on the Suffolk County Council website.
