Jo Coles - York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime

Jo Coles - North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime

12 April, 2022

Commissioner Zoe welcomes funding applications to support victims and survivors of domestic or sexual abuse in North Yorkshire and York

Coordinated by Police and Crime Commissioners nationally, over £19m of Ministry of Justice funding will be available in 2022/23 to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse or sexual violence to cope with the impacts of crime, and, as far as possible, recover from the harm they have experienced.

Local organisations who support victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence or abuse are invited to apply for this funding – regardless of whether they are currently commissioned by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner – by completing a funding request form available on the Commissioner’s website by no later than 12noon on Friday 29 April 2022. 

Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire’s Police Fire and Crime Commissioner will undertake an assessment of need in North Yorkshire and York communities to ensure funding is allocated by the Ministry of Justice to most effectively support local priorities and demand on services.

Commissioner Zoe said:

“I’m welcoming applications from our key partners and local organisations that are doing great work to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence, who can use this funding to provide essential practical and emotional support and reduce the risk of further harm from these crimes.

“We know that these areas of crime disproportionally affects women and girls, and one of my priorities is to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls – who have a right to feel safe wherever they are, in their homes and in their communities.

“We must identify and support all vulnerable people as early as possible to prevent harm and provide support for victims to better cope and recover, which this funding will hugely contribute towards North Yorkshire and York.”

Commissioner Zoe will review all applications submitted by the deadline to confirm they meet the required eligibility before submission to the Ministry of Justice for final decision on allocation of funding.

Details on eligibility criteria along with funding terms and conditions are available on this page.

An online Q&A session will be held via Microsoft Teams at 2pm on Thursday 21 April to answer any questions about the funding opportunity from potential bidders and support with completing the funding request form. Please email [email protected] to book a place on this session, or alternatively submit any questions in writing to Sarah Arnott via email by 5pm on Tuesday 19 April 2022.

To apply

On 25 March 2022, the Ministry of Justice announced multi-year national investment to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse (DA) or sexual violence (SV) to cope with the impacts of crime, and, as far as possible, recover from the harm they have experienced.

Local organisations who support victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence or abuse are invited to apply for this funding – regardless of whether they are currently commissioned by the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner – by completing the Domestic abuse and sexual violence funding request form by no later than 12noon on Friday 29 April 2022. Any forms received after this time for whatever reason will not be considered.

The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner will review all applications submitted by the above deadline to confirm they meet the stated eligibility below and prioritise applications based on the evaluation criteria also outlined below, before submission to the Ministry of Justice for final decision of allocation of funding.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the funding, organisations must:

  • be based in England and Wales;
  • provide tailored direct support services which have the purpose of helping victims and survivors of DA and SV in North Yorkshire & the City of York to cope with the impacts, and, as far as possible, recover from the harm they have experienced, including but not limited to:
    • specialist support workers such as IDVAs or ISVAs;
    • specialist court support, including family court;
    • face to face or remote counselling for individuals and/or their families; and
    • specialist support for particular groups such as BAME/Disabled/LGBT/male victims.

This includes adults and children, and the funding can be used to support existing clients as well as new referrals. Honour-based abuse and stalking carried out by a former intimate partner or by a family member which falls within the government definition for domestic abuse is also included.

If you are not currently commissioned by the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner you will also be required to provide appropriate documentation for due diligence and fraud risk assessments to be completed.

Evaluation Criteria

All eligible funding requests will be evaluated based on the information provided in the DA&SV Funding Request Form using the following criteria:

  • evidence of demand and unmet need for your services in North Yorkshire & the City of York specifically, including any data relating to current caseloads and waiting lists;
  • evidence of gaps in provision specifically for underrepresented victims and survivors such as those with protected characteristics, males and children & young people and how your proposal will meet the needs of these groups, including evidence that you have a clear understanding of how underrepresented victims and survivors are currently supported and that you have proven track record of providing tailored services for these groups where applicable; and
  • evidence of how your proposal will support and enhance existing service provision, avoiding duplication and can be delivered over an initial 12-month period from April 20212 to March 2023 – please ensure you have referred to the current commissioned services in North Yorkshire & the City of York

The Ministry of Justice may offer partial funding depending on the number and quality of eligible applications submitted, so please include details of how your proposal could be scaled back if necessary, to still effectively meet the needs of victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence or abuse in North Yorkshire and the City of York.

Funding terms and conditions

Funding for support for victims of DA in refuge accommodation is subject to a separate funding process run by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and this funding cannot be used to provide safe accommodation or support services within safe accommodation.

This funding must be used to support direct service delivery to victims and survivors and cannot be used for campaigning activities. This funding also cannot be used for capital works such as building repairs but can be used for other capital costs such as ICT equipment.

There is no minimum or maximum amount you can request (up to the total funding available), and we encourage applications from small and/or ‘by and for’ organisations who support victims with protected characteristics.

Please note that we are required on completion of the funding allocation process to publish the names of all organisations that have requested funding not just those that were successful in securing this funding.

Contact

If you have any questions about this funding opportunity or the Domestic abuse and sexual violence funding request form, an online Q&A session will be held via MS Teams at 2pm on Thursday 21 April. Please email [email protected] to book a place on this session, or alternatively submit any questions in an email to Sarah Arnott by COP on Tuesday 19 April 2022.

Please note that due to the scale of this funding opportunity and short timescales involved, we will be unable to respond individually to all queries received however a full list of Q&As will be collated and circulated shortly thereafter.

Download the funding request form

Additional information