Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Accepted
Paragraph: 65
Increase multi-year funding for by-and-for honour-based abuse services via simpler grants
Recommendation
The Government should increase the funding available to by-and-for services that support victims of honour-based abuse. The Government should commit to providing this funding across multiple years. It should also assess the merits of that funding being made available in a simple grant form so it is accessible to smaller organisations which lack the resources to compete with larger providers in complex commissioning processes.
Government Response Summary
The government highlights existing measures, including the £8.3m VAWG Specialist and Support Services Fund for 2023/24 and 2024/25 and efforts to simplify funding applications for HBA charities, but does not commit to increasing overall funding or providing multi-year funding beyond the current period.
Paragraph Reference:
65
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government is grateful to HBA charities for the vital work they do. We understand the particular difficulties faced by HBA charities in bidding for funding, so we have sought to make it easier for them, for example, by promoting consortium bidding arrangements and providing more time than is standard for applications. In November 2022, we commenced an open commercial competition – the VAWG Specialist and Support Services Fund - which included £8.3m of funding for ‘by and for’ and specialist services, across financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25. These services cover many HBA organisations: for example, we are funding the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire who are working with Savera UK to increase reporting of FGM and forced marriage. In addition, Refuge are being funded to work collaboratively with specialist by- and-for organisations to support them in responding effectively to the risks of facilitated abuse through training, which will also include support for victims of HBA. This will enable vital services, which are based in the communities they serve, to support victims often facing the greatest barriers to getting the help they need. The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) National Statement of Expectations and Commissioning Toolkit8, which we published in March 2022, provides support to those commissioning services at a local level, this includes guidance to help them understand the importance of and considerations which apply in relation to the provision of ‘by and for’ and specialist services.