Yesterday, the UK Government’s Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, set out the Autumn Budget in parliament. Welsh Women’s Aid were pleased to see allocated funding to support domestic abuse specialists in control rooms, however despite Labour’s pledge to halve violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence (VAWDASV), there is no dedicated funding to support this aim.
Economic pressures especially post COVID, such as the cost of living, inflation, and government budgets that haven’t increased in line with inflation, have heightened the need for financial support as services supporting survivors struggle to cover operational costs. We cannot continue to place the burden of ending violence against women and girls, domestic abuse and sexual violence on the third sector without providing adequate and consistent funding to support the critical work that is carried out by the sector to provide lifesaving, needs led support to end and prevent violence.
With the £22.1 billion Home Office settlement allocated in the budget, there is mention of the need to tackle violence against women and girls. Welsh Women’s Aid welcomes and supports initiatives including implementing “Raneem’s Law,” which adds domestic abuse specialists in control rooms. However, the budget lacks detailed funding specifically aimed at VAWDASV prevention, which is vital to meet the goal of halving violence against women and girls.
We support the allocation of budget towards housing, especially towards Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) which will assist low-income households facing essential cost burdens like housing, energy, and food. For Wales, this plays an essential role in supporting survivors who may face housing instability. We hope that Local Authorities will consider survivors in the allocation of this funding.
We hope that the increased funding for the Ministry of Justice can be used to strengthen VAWDASV-specific protections. This includes supporting survivors with trauma informed access to the justice system, as well as better protections for survivors with the implementation of the Early Release of Prisoners scheme.
The Welsh Government will also receive additional funding from the UK Government. This will potentially enable investment across housing, health, and social care. We urge the Welsh Government to utilise this funding to support VAWDASV services in Wales.
Although we appreciate this increase, it is only with long-term survivor-centered funding solutions that we can ensure adequate resources can be earmarked to support survivors in Wales, to create real change that lasts and end violence against women and girls.
ENDS
For more information, please contact Stephanie Grimshaw, Head of Public Affairs and Communications on [email protected]