Leading violence against women and girls organisations issue letter to ministers highlighting the urgent need for sustainable funding in the upcoming Autumn Budget and the next Spring Spending Review
Women’s Aid alongside 20 other VAWG organisations have sent a letter to the Chancellor, Deputy Prime Minister, Home Secretary and Justice Secretary highlighting the urgent need for sustainable funding for specialist services in the upcoming Budget and Spring Spending Review.
The group warmly welcome the Government’s commitment to halving VAWG over the next decade, but we are deeply concerned that this pledge will not become a reality unless the VAWG sector is put on a secure financial footing in the upcoming budget. The expertise and sustainability of the specialist VAWG sector will be vital to delivering this ambition.
The letter outlines joint concerns about the impact of uncertainty on government funding allocations and to urge the Government to provide updates on allocations impacting VAWG services as soon as possible. We are concerned that services commissioned under contracts linked to government funding are about to face a funding cliff-edge, as contracts are due to expire on 31st March 2025. In addition, undervalued contracts are leaving specialist organisations reliant on insecure fundraised income to subsidise operational costs and staff salaries. This insecurity has been exacerbated by a growing trend towards short-term contracts and regular competitive tendering in the local commissioning of domestic abuse services.
These organisations are calling for:
- A minimum funding settlement of £516m per year in England to enable early intervention with specialist domestic abuse services, which includes:
- A minimum of £228m for refuge services via the Statutory Duty to fund safe accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse, which forms Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, combined with a minimum of £288m statutory funding for community-based support services.
- A minimum total of £178m from this should be ring-fenced funding for specialist led ‘by and for’ Black and minoritised women, migrant women, d/Deaf and disabled women and the LGBT+ community, as recommended by the DAC
- Guaranteed funding at a minimum of £2m for the Home Office Flexible Fund for 2025/26 and beyond.
- Dedicated funding for child survivors in line with their legal status in Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
Read the full letter here: VAWG Sector Letter to Chancellor, Deputy Prime Minister, Home Secretary and Justice Secretary on Autumn Budget
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