Services providing support for survivors of domestic abuse have received a boost with the news that the Government is to make around £19 million of new funding available.

Councils working in partnership with charities and other organisations will be able to bid for a share of funding to support survivors of domestic abuse.

This will be available for a wide range of services to help survivors rebuild their lives; including the provision of refuge beds, education, and employment and life skills training.

This funding builds on £20 million allocated in 2016 to 2018 which has helped provide more than 2,200 new bed spaces in refuges and other specialist accommodation, supporting more than 19,000 survivors with a safe space to rebuild their lives.

The Government has also published updated guidelines for councils, created in partnership with experts, to help ensure their response to domestic abuse is as collaborative, robust and effective as it can be, meeting the needs of diverse communities including BAME, disabled and LGBT victims.

“The release of the next round of funding for refuges and other accommodation for women escaping domestic abuse is desperately needed, and much welcomed,” commented Katie Ghose, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid. “Our national network of refuges not only save lives but transform them, helping women and their children to rebuild their lives.”

“Together we need to ensure that there is a sustainable, long-term funding solution for all domestic abuse services, including lifesaving refuges,” she added. “Only then can we guarantee that every survivor and her children can get the support they need to build a life free from domestic abuse.”

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