The Home Office has announced a new £17 million fund to support children affected by domestic abuse across England and Wales.
The funding will develop early intervention strategies to prevent violence against women and girls, the Safeguarding Minister announced this month.
More than £10 million has been allocated to organisations providing vital support to children who have survived domestic abuse, such as counselling and 1:1 support. These projects include Welsh Women’s Aid, The Children’s Society, and SafeLives.
This will be rolled out through the Children Affected by Domestic Abuse Fund. Originally set up in 2018, this fund has already supported thousands of children and families.
Minister for Safeguarding Sarah Dines said:
“The impact of domestic abuse is devastating and it is especially heartbreaking that children are being affected by this horrific crime. This is why we have invested additional funding into vital services supporting children who have been impacted.
We are also proud to invest further in projects which identify the most effective ways to intervene early and prevent these crimes from being committed in the first place, which will protect those most vulnerable to abuse.”
Minister for Children and Families Claire Coutinho added:
“Instead of a safe and stable family life, children who experience domestic abuse are growing up with pain and conflict at home as their norm. This investment will provide crucial support like 1:1 counselling and support work for those affected by domestic abuse.”
This latest iteration of the Children Affected by Domestic Abuse Fund will provide up to £10.3 million over three years and will go to eight organisations, including over £2.5 million for Welsh Women’s Aid.
From the £17.8 million, up to £7.4 million will be invested over three years to programmes which prioritise early intervention and research into the most effective ways of preventing abuse.
This will work to establish how to prevent violence against women and girls, marking a commitment in the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy.
This includes projects ranging from improving awareness of VAWG, through preventative work with young people to researching possible connections between increased use of online sites and sexual exploitation. Projects include Changing Lives, who will use the funding to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation online, and Surrey PCC, who will develop a public campaign to increase younger people’s understanding of stereotyping, misogyny, sexism, and sexual offences to enable them to challenge violence against women and girls.
