Vulnerable victims of violence ‘at risk’ over funding uncertainty
Abused women are being put at risk by funding uncertainty, say service providers [Image: Mark Goddard/Getty Images].
Apparently an MoJ spokesman has said funding allocations will be released “imminently”. Will they be accurate, or will they be more like the figures pushed out by its divorce settlement calculator?
Meanwhile, Labour former DPP Keir Starmer’s Victims of Crime Bill has its second reading soon, proposing a framework for victims’ services and a legally enforceable code for victims, including the right to question the CPS on a decision not to pursue a case.
Which seems preferable?
The most vulnerable victims of violent crimes, including abused women and refugees, are being put at a greater risk over uncertainty in funding to frontline services, officials have warned in a letter to the government.
Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) from across England have called on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to provide urgent clarification of the grants available to victims’ services.
There have been repeated calls for clarifications, sometimes on a daily basis, put to the MoJ from PCCs, about the issue of victim support funding – which has become a matter of urgency as many contracts come to an end in March.
Vera Baird, PCC for Northumbria and chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Supporting Victims Group, said: “Despite repeated requests to the Ministry of Justice, police and crime commissioners are still in the dark about how much money we will have to support victims of crime and vulnerable people.
“Putting victims first is at the heart of everything we do. The uncertainty created by this delay means that help and support for victims and vulnerable people may not be available in some areas, putting people at greater risk.”
Source: Vulnerable victims of violence ‘at risk’ over funding uncertainty | UK news | The Guardian
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Absolutely dammed disgraceful, however it fits in very nicely with the governments view of the so called “family unit”.
It was only a week ago that we where bombarded with promises of more marriage guidance therapists to sort “these problem families out”. Where in reality the victim and children need to go to a safe house, as the children will more than likely be victimized by the abuser as well.
So there you have it, a quick chat with a marriage councillor, and your partner will stop beating you. Very unlikely.
A lot of children will be traumatized by seeing their mother or father (lets not be discriminate here) being beaten, as well as trauma to the victim.
We already have thousands of children with trauma based issues. This government is just making sure a lot more children will go down the same road.
A very grim subject, this government is just trivializing the killer aspect of these issues.
they dont care about people and children. their focus is costs. the more they save in costs to prevent abuse more they can pay to cronies and thereby ensure they have a consultancy or shares in dodgy companies when they leave office.
“the issue of victim support funding – which has become a matter of urgency as many contracts come to an end in March.”
Which also shows that not just the funding, but the use of “contracts” to “service providers” is putting more strains on the system and more cost & uncertainty into the entire system. If these were services provided through public providers at least one level of uncertainty would be removed, and there would be stability so that the real issue – the amounts of money allocated – would be actually visible. ATM we can’t even use FoI to find out about what is actually happening under these and other contracts for public services.
thats why Foi should apply to private companies and Charities in prescribed situations. how are standards maintained without public pressure. ???