West Yorkshire victims to get crucial £11.4m of vital funding
Victim-survivors of all forms of crime, including sexual violence, to benefit from Government funding.
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Victim-survivors of all forms of crime, including sexual violence, to benefit from Government funding
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Lord Chancellor Alex Norris visits the West Yorkshire Rape Crisis Partnership to meet the team and survivors
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Part of the Government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls and deliver swifter justice for victims
Thousands of victims of crime in West Yorkshire will benefit from counselling and better support thanks to £11.4 million in Government funding.
The investment allocated to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority offers therapeutic, emotional and practical support to victims of all types of crime over the next two years. The funding also goes towards vital specialist domestic abuse and sexual violence support services.
Today (Thursday 24th September), Lord Chancellor Alex Norris, visited the West Yorkshire Rape Crisis Partnership in Leeds to understand how this vital service and local victims will benefit from the funding.
The West Yorkshire Rape Crisis Partnership provides specialist and trauma-informed counselling for women and girls who have survived child sexual abuse, rape or any other kind of sexual violence.
The service also offers victims advocacy from Independent Sexual Violence Advocates (ISVAs) who provide support and information to victims and survivors who are considering reporting sexual violence to the police.
Lord Chancellor, Alex Norris, said:
Today I’ve met the extraordinary team at the West Yorkshire Rape Crisis Partnership and heard first-hand about the support they offer to women and girls. I’m extremely grateful to them for their work which makes sure victims of sexual violence are given the help they deserve to rebuild their lives.
Victim-survivors should always be at the centre of our justice system and that’s why we’re proud to support West Yorkshire with more than £11.4 million of vital funding. We will halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.
Heather Collington, CEO of Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (RASAC) and Lead Partner of the West Yorkshire Rape Crisis Partnership ISVA Service:
We welcome this continued investment in specialist survivor support across West Yorkshire and are grateful to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, particularly West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracy Brabin, and Baroness Alison Lowe for their continued support. As a partnership of specialist local organisations, Support After Rape and Sexual Violence Leeds (SARSVL), Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (RASAC), and Bradford Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Survivors Service (BRC&SASS), we rely on the support of the Government, local and regional authorities, grant-makers and donors to provide the often life-saving advocacy and therapeutic services that survivors of rape and sexual violence need.
We were pleased to welcome Lord Chancellor Alex Norris and to share with him the reality of the support survivors require, not only to navigate the often-retraumatising criminal justice system, but also to begin healing from the trauma from abuse. Our ISVAs, counsellors and helpline workers witness every day the profound impact that rape and sexual violence have on individuals, families and communities, and the difference that, compassionate and trauma-specialist support can make. We strongly welcome increased levels of funding, attention and commitment from both national and local government to tackle violence against women and girls, specifically rape and sexual violence. Sustainable investment in specialist services is essential if we are to meet ever-growing demand, reduce waiting times, improve outcomes for survivors and ensure that every survivor can access the specialist support they need, when they need it.
West Yorkshire’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Baroness Alison Lowe OBE said:
Supporting victims and survivors sits at the very heart of our work in West Yorkshire, and this multi-million-pound investment will allow us to continue providing the specialist services people need at incredibly difficult moments in their lives.
From counselling and emotional care to dedicated facilities for those affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence, we want everyone who experiences crime to know that help is there when they need it.
This funding recognises the vital role these services play in our communities and the huge difference they make.
This funding forms part of the unprecedented £550 million of Government investment over the next three years to help victims and witnesses through the justice process. Funding has been allocated across all Police and Crime Commissioner areas in England and Wales to support victims of crime in their local communities.
The Government has also awarded £8.7 million to Rape Crisis England & Wales to continue the vital 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line. Free to use, the helpline offers confidential emotional and listening support to all victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse aged 16 and over in England and Wales.
The Prime Minister has also blocked anyone in prison for rape, serious child sexual offences or grooming from the upcoming Sentencing Act changes, on top of a near £19m support package to provide more support to survivors.
Notes to editors
- The West Yorkshire Rape Crisis partnership is a collaboration between Support After Rape and Sexual Violence Leeds (SARSVL), Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (RASAC), and Bradford Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Survivors Service (BRC&SASS).