£43,000 handout to tackle domestic abuse

WARRINGTON  has  been given a share of a £3.5 million government grant to make sure that victims of domestic abuse get access to the support they need
The £43,090 funding will allow the borough council to raise public awareness of where victims can find support and will provide specialist training for staff.
The largest proportion of the grant will improve services and facilities for victims and their children.
Warrington  is one of 46 local authorities across the county getting a share of the fund. This will mean that there will now be 710 new bed spaces in a range of safe accommodation providing shelter to victims of domestic abuse across the country.
With successful bids from every corner of England – from Plymouth to Gateshead –the extra money will also mean that a range of services will now be offered to victims across the country.
Successful bids range from specialist domestic abuse refuges for young women aged 16-25 to specialist training for domestic abuse advisors to cater for the specific needs of Britain’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
The funding boost is in addition to the newly secured funding of £40million over the next four years to support victims of domestic violence, announced as part of the Spending Review.Communities Minister Baroness Williams, who with Home Office Minister Karen Bradley, has already led a review of services working with women’s domestic abuse charities, said:“Domestic abuse is an appalling crime that shatters lives and this Government is determined to ensure that no victim is turned away from the support they need.
This new funding will help Warrington Borough Council and specialist charities provide a strong safety net for anyone facing the threat of abuse in their own home.
“In the Spending Round we have also secured an additional £40m over the next four years – to make sure that victims can access support anywhere in the country. “We’ll set out how this money will be used for victims and areas that most need it with the publishing of the new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.”
Cllr Pat Wright (pictured), lead member for statutory health and adult social care said at Warrington, said: “This is really welcome news as we need to continually raise awareness of domestic violence and the appropriate training.  In the midst of the wide spread cuts we have faced in public health, this is a small element of relief.”