Cambridgeshire and Peterborough secure £345,000 from victim support fund

July 3rd, 2014

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Support for victims of crime in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will be boosted by additional funding thanks to a successful bid into the Ministry of Justice’s Competed Fund.

The fund, which Police and Crime Commissioners were invited to bid into, was created to enhance the support in each area for the most vulnerable victims of crime.

In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough it will enable the recruitment of workers to support child victims of sexual violence, provide mental health support to victims and secure the home of persistently targeted domestic abuse victims. It will also fund locally staffed helplines for victims of sexual violence and the development of peer support groups for survivors of such crimes.

The bid applications were led by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Cambridgeshire, in partnership with a number of delivery organisations.

Police and Crime Commissioner Sir Graham Bright, said: “I am thrilled that we have been so successful in securing this funding for the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The £345,000 will boost the services available and enable support organisations to help more people to cope with, and recover from, the impact of crime. It is particularly pleasing as we are one of only two Police and Crime Commissioner Offices that received the maximum amount of funding available to us from the Ministry of Justice.”

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) will be receiving £150,000 to run a mental health Pathfinder project to support victims. Mike Bell, General Manager of CPFT, Specialist Services Division, said: “This award will allow us to put in place a specialist team which will provide new help for a very vulnerable group of people, and we are confident the increase in support will play a significant role in helping them on the path to recovery. CPFT is grateful to the Ministry of Justice for this funding, and we would like to thank the Office of the Cambridgeshire Police & Crime Commissioner for all the help we have received in support of this bid.”

Norah Al-Ani, Development Officer at the Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, who will receive funding towards their rape crisis helpline and to set up sexual violence peer support groups said: “We are so delighted to have been part of a successful bid to the Competed Fund and to have secured funding to expand and develop our support services to victims of rape, sexual abuse and sexual violence. This funding will enable us to extend our sexual violence telephone helpline services and to develop peer support groups for survivors of sexual violence. These vital services will go a long way in supporting survivors of rape, sexual abuse and sexual violence to start the process of recovering and rebuilding their lives.”

Another successful bid was for The Cambridgeshire Police Shrievalty Trust which runs the Bobby Scheme, providing security for vulnerable people in Cambridgeshire. “We are delighted and so excited to receive funding from the Ministry of Justice to help us protect more victims of domestic abuse. The funding will make a real difference and help us to continue our work to reduce repeat incidents and improve the feelings of safety of vulnerable victims by securing their homes. The target hardening work carried out by the Bobby Scheme is a valuable resource in safeguarding vulnerable victims of domestic abuse in the county.”

The funding has been secured for six individual projects.

Projects
Security for Domestic Abuse Victims £36,000	Providing additional home security for 200 vulnerable and persistently targeted domestic abuse victims and their children. It will enable families to remain in their home rather than seeking re-homing which incurs significant costs.
Mental Health Pathfinders £150,000	A team of dedicated specialist mental health workers will work to ensure those victims with mental health problems are identified at an early stage and the appropriate treatment is accessed. The project will be delivered in partnership with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
Victim Hub Co-ordinators £51,000	This funding will provide one and a half caseworkers to act as a link between the county’s Troubled Families programmes and the Victims’ Hub. This allow support to be given to those victims whose needs are complex and dynamic in an existing structured environment.
Young persons’ Independent Sexual Violence advocate £46,000	The money will fund two posts to provide specialist support to young victims the most serious crimes, sexual violence, and child sexual exploitation.
Sexual violence helpline £30,000	The funding will double the number of hours victims of sexual violence can access locally-based specially trained volunteers via telephone support lines provided by Peterborough Rape Crisis and Cambridge’s Rape Crisis.
Sexual Violence Peer Support £32,000	This funding will enable development of the provision across the county of Peer Support Groups for the survivors of sexual violence. These groups will provide a staged exit strategy from more cost and time intensive mechanisms of support.

Projects

Security for Domestic Abuse Victims

£36,000

Providing additional home security for 200 vulnerable and persistently targeted domestic abuse victims and their children. It will enable families to remain in their home rather than seeking re-homing which incurs significant costs.

Mental Health Pathfinders

£150,000

A team of dedicated specialist mental health workers will work to ensure those victims with mental health problems are identified at an early stage and the appropriate treatment is accessed. The project will be delivered in partnership with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

Victim Hub Co-ordinators

£51,000

This funding will provide one and a half caseworkers to act as a link between the county’s Troubled Families programmes and the Victims’ Hub. This allow support to be given to those victims whose needs are complex and dynamic in an existing structured environment.

Young persons’ Independent Sexual Violence advocate

£46,000

The money will fund two posts to provide specialist support to young victims the most serious crimes, sexual violence, and child sexual exploitation.

Sexual violence helpline

£30,000

The funding will double the number of hours victims of sexual violence can access locally-based specially trained volunteers via telephone support lines provided by Peterborough Rape Crisis and Cambridge’s Rape Crisis.

Sexual Violence Peer Support

£32,000

This funding will enable development of the provision across the county of Peer Support Groups for the survivors of sexual violence. These groups will provide a staged exit strategy from more cost and time intensive mechanisms of support.