Invaluable £500,000 funding boost for abuse victims and survivors in Lancashire

Over £500,000 is set to be distributed to local services to support victims and survivors of domestic or sexual abuse after a new funding boost was secured.
Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive GrunshawLancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw
Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw

Provided by the Ministry of Justice, the invaluable funding will help local services to meet the additional costs which they have incurred during a period of adaptation to their services in response to the coronavirus pandemic as well as assisting them in coping with any increases in demand as a result of lockdown.

"I'm delighted to secure extra funding to support people affected by domestic or sexual abuse right here in Lancashire," said Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw. "It is so important that victims and survivor have access to specialist services where and when they need them and this funding will ensure that this is happening.

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"The pandemic continues to put extra pressures on families and relationships and whilst that should never be an excuse for any kind of violence, the reality is that some people will be affected by abuse," Mr Grunshaw added. "We have fantastic local services and I am really pleased to be able to offer them this additional support."

Some 14 organisations across Lancashire - including Lancashire Victim Services, Safenet, and The Birchall Trust - will benefit from the funding, which will be used cover costs for additional support such as work with Independent Domestic Violence Advisers, extra counselling hours or investing in online chat facilities and telephone support to provide additional help remotely.

Debbie Fawcett, CEO at HARV and Chair of the Lancashire Domestic Abuse Forum, commented: "This is really welcome news both for services and for anyone affected by abuse here in Lancashire. As a collective, services across the county work really hard to support abuse survivors and the extra funding will help us to further adapt our services in response to the pandemic so that we can continue to help people in the best way possible."

Catherine Smith, CEO at Trust House, a specialist service for sexual violence survivors, agreed, saying: "It is really important that we can continue to offer the best support to victims during the pandemic. The current situation is hard for everyone but survivors of sexual violence and abuse need our support more than ever. The funding will help us to continue to offer that support so that anyone affected can access the support they need and deserve to move forward."