Offences against Children: Victim Support Schemes

Home Office written question – answered at on 4 August 2015.

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Photo of Tom Watson Tom Watson Labour, West Bromwich East

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which organisations have received funding from the (a) Sexual Abuse Support Fund and (b) Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund.

Photo of Tom Watson Tom Watson Labour, West Bromwich East

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the financial support her Department provides to community organisations who provide specialised support services to victims of child sexual abuse; and if she will increase such funding.

Photo of Tom Watson Tom Watson Labour, West Bromwich East

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library copies of the assessment criteria used to determine applications received to the (a) Sexual Abuse Fund and (b) the Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund since the launch of each such fund.

Photo of Karen Bradley Karen Bradley The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department

The Government allocated almost £40 million to specialist support services and national helplines to tackle violence against women and girls over the course of the previous Parliament.

In recognition of the fact that organisations providing specialised support services to victims and child sexual abuse are experiencing increased demand on their services, the Home Office and Ministry of Justice announced an additional £7 million for services supporting survivors of sexual violence in 2014/15 and 2015/16.

£2.15 million of that £7 million was provided as extra funding to 84 existing Rape Support Centres. The remainder was used to establish a £2 million Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund to non-statutory organisations who are reporting an increase in demand as a direct result of the announcement of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. A further £2.85 million was used to establish a Child and Adult Victims of Sexual Abuse Support Fund for non-statutory organisations providing support across England and Wales to help meet the increased demand on those their services.

The administration of these funds, and final decisions on allocation, have been led by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, with the close support of the Home Office. The assessment criteria for both funds are available on the website of the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner (http://www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/spend/commissioning/sexual-abuse-victims-fund/apply-for-sexual-abuse-victim-support-funding). Details of the 77 successful applicants were published on the website of the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner on 27 March. (http://www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/documents/OPPCN/decisions/2015/Decision%20No%202015.05%20-%20Sexual%20Abuse%20Victim%20Support%20Fund%20-%20Grant%20Awards%20for%202014-15%20and%202015-16.pdf

Whilst the majority of the £4.85 was allocated, a small proportion remains unallocated, and the Home Office is working alongside the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner to consider how to distribute the remaining funds in the most effective way.

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