Northamptonshire County Council will receive £510,862.50 for local services that enable domestic abuse victims and their children to stay safe, recover from the trauma, and access safe rehousing where needed.
This funding is part of a £16.6 million package announced by the government to support 75 projects across England that work with victims of domestic abuse and their children to keep them safe, including those in Northamptonshire.
The funding will be shared between councils to fund domestic abuse refuge services, helping up to 43,000 survivors have access to the help they need as they move towards a safe future, free from domestic abuse.
This is part of a wider drive by the Conservative Government to bolster protection for survivors of domestic abuse, including the landmark Domestic Abuse Bill which is due to be reintroduced in Parliament shortly. It delivers on promises made in the 2019 Conservative Party Manifesto to increase support for refuges and community support for victims of rape and sexual abuse.
Below are some of the finer points of the Government’s approach to protecting the victims of domestic abuse
- Funding 75 projects across England, boosting safe housing for survivors of domestic abuse. The projects will share £16.6 million and help up to 43,000 survivors access the help they need to move towards a safe future, free from domestic abuse.
- Introducing a new legal duty on councils to ensure domestic abuse victims are treated consistently across the country. Many councils already provide tailored support, but this will ensure families always receive appropriate accommodation-based support, no matter where they live, ending the postcode lottery.
The Domestic Abuse Bill and a wider package of measures will bolster the protection for victims and will help expose and bring the vile abusers to justice:
- Introducing the first ever statutory definition of domestic abuse. This will recognise that abuse can take many different forms – including psychological, physical, sexual, economic and emotional.
- Piloting polygraph testing of domestic abuse perpetrators. High-risk domestic abuse offenders could face mandatory lie-detector tests when released from prison.
- Establishing a Domestic Abuse Commissioner to drive the response to domestic abuse. They will stand up for victims, monitor the provision of domestic abuse services and hold the government to account.
- Prohibiting the cross-examination of victims by their abusers in the family courts. It is estimated that there are 11,000 cases each year which may be affected by this new provision.
- Introducing Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to further protect victims and place restrictions on the actions of offenders. The former will provide immediate protection following an incident, while the latter will provide longer-term protection.
- Making 120 additional commitments to tackle domestic abuse. This includes £8 million of Home Office funding to support children and additional for services for disabled, elderly and LGTB victims.
- Rolled out Clare’s Law nationally to protect people from potentially abusive situations. This allows the police to disclose information about a partner’s previous history of domestic violence or violent acts.