18 November 2020 PCC secures Home Office funding to help domestic abuse perpetrators change their behaviour An intervention service which supports domestic abuse perpetrators to change their behaviour has been successful in attracting over £238K funding from the Home Office. Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore submitted the bid to the Home Office on behalf of partners Suffolk Constabulary, local charity Iceni and Suffolk County Council. The £238,307 funding will enable a countywide roll-out of the Venta programme, a one-to-one behaviour change course with perpetrators delivered by Suffolk Constabulary and local charity, Iceni. The current Venta Programme, based in Ipswich, has supported 34 men since 2018 and been independently evaluated by the University of Suffolk with positive results. This new funding will expand the programme to other areas of Suffolk, including one in Lowestoft by March and at least a further four programmes by September 2021 including in the west of the county. Tim Passmore said, “I am absolutely delighted to secure this additional Home Office funding to help perpetrators of domestic abuse understand and change their behaviour. I have a responsibility to support victims and this is a very positive and practical way to help stop the abuse. “This programme has a very clear goal which is to reduce reoffending and repeat victimisation, while protecting victims and their families. “I have been very fortunate to have visited Iceni in Ipswich to meet one of the men on a previous programme and seen how successfully it has worked and now, thanks to this significant grant, we will be able to extend this further afield. “By addressing the needs of perpetrators and creating a ‘culture of responsibility’ among perpetrators we will improve outcomes for all those affected by domestic abuse. Which is exactly what we need.” Brian Tobin CEO of Iceni said: “We are delighted to receive this grant and look forward to working with our partners across the sectors who agree that a more nuanced approach is now called for if this pervasive social problem is to be effectively tackled. “We cannot simply ignore the increase and devastation domestic abuse causes, it isn’t going to go away and the number of victims will continue to rise. We believe that real safety for women and children needs to include the abusive man being made responsible for his behaviour, accountable for change and to engage him in this kind of work which will stop him from abusing his current partner or those in future relationships. “This grant will provide us with the opportunity to focus on the man who has perpetrated the abuse and hopefully, evidence that this work can prove to be an effective and sustainable solution to the problem of men’s abuse.” The Home Office grant will provide funding for a police officer and two Behavioural Change Case Workers who will be located in constabulary’s Crime, Safeguarding and Incident Management Command and work alongside the Domestic Abuse team. Work will target a range of offenders from first offence to those who have entrenched offending behaviour, using an assessment matrix, professional judgement and panel assessment to consider suitability for the programme. A tailored plan of interventions to reduce offending behaviour and address associated issues such as substance misuse is developed before work commences. Venta is a 16-week programme aimed at those who want to take personal responsibility and change their behaviour with current and future relationships. The programme combines skills development and group therapy and can be extended to address underlying factors such as poor mental health, substance misuse and Adverse Childhood Experiences.