In March 2020, the Home Office announced £10m of funding was being made available for interventions working with perpetrators of domestic abuse.  The application process was opened in August 2020 and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) led a successful application for funding supported by the Suffolk Constabulary, Suffolk County Council and local charity Iceni.

Following the successful application, the Home Office awarded grant funding of £238,307 to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk for delivery of a Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme in Suffolk.  Home Office funding supported the programme between October 2020 and March 2021, and match funding from partners supported delivery of the programme between April 2021 and September 2021.  The programme of work will be delivered by Suffolk Constabulary who will work on one to one behaviour change with perpetrators and by Iceni, who will expand the Venta Programme, a unique group programme tackling offending behaviour.

PCC Decision Paper 1-2021 – Suffolk Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme & Grant Funding for the Venta Programme (PDF, 213KB)

In April 2021, the Home Office proposed additional funding to continue the work with perpetrators in its current format.  The OPCC proposal was accepted and the Home Office awarded further grant funding of £246,000 for the continued delivery of the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme in Suffolk for the 6-month period between October 2021 and March 2022.

PCC Decision Paper 1-2022 – Suffolk Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme – Grant Funding Extension (PDF, 208KB)

In April 2022, the Home Office proposed additional funding and following a further proposal from the OPCC, the Home Office awarded grant funding at the same rate as the previous period of £246,000 for a 1-year period between April 2022 and March 2023.  Match funding of £110,000 was required to meet the overall costs of the programme and was afforded through the Suffolk Constabulary’s existing budget and Iceni’s fundraising.

PCC Decision Paper 25-2022 – Suffolk Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme – Grant Funding Extension (PDF, 241KB)

In November 2022, the Home Office announced £36.29 million of funding, over two years, for local policing areas to expand its work with perpetrators via interventions.  The OPCC for Suffolk submitted a successful bid, securing £652,014 over the two-year period between 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2025.

In 2023/24, the Home Office would provide grant funding of £320,059 and match-funding* of £278,000 has been secured for Year One.

In 2024/25, the Home Office would provide grant funding of £331,955 and match-funding* of £289,000 has been secured for Year Two.

*match-funding is predominately resource in kind from each partner organisation

PCC Decision Paper 18-2023 – Suffolk Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme (Amended 7 July 2023) (PDF, 383KB)

In 2020, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced the ‘National Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) Fund’ to provide emotional and practical support to victims of rape and domestic abuse and guide them through the criminal justice process.  The fund aims to increase the number of ISVAs and IDVAs in England and Wales, expanding service capacity and increasing the number of specialist advisors available to victims.

Suffolk allocation

In 2020, following a successful application, the MoJ confirmed new funding of £34,535 for the 6-month period between 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021 and a further £71,716 for the 1-year period between 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.  The funding would employ 1.81FTE ISVAs and further details can be found in the PCC decision paper 20-2020.

In 2021, following a further successful application, the MoJ awarded £472,560 (£223,545 in 2021/22 and £249,015 in 2022/23) for the 2-year period between 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2023 to employ a further 6FTE ISVAs and IDVAs.  The MoJ also extended the previously awarded funding for a further 1-year period between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 at the same rate of £71,716Further detail can be found in the PCC decision paper 19-2021.

In 2022, another successful application was awarded totalling £324,144 (£71,742 in 2022/23 and then £126,201 in years 2023/24 and 2024/25) for the employment of 3FTE additional ISVAs located in the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC).  The MoJ also announced that funding would be extended for a further two-year period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2025 for the existing ISVAs and IDVAs totalling £641,462 (£320,731 in each year).  Further detail can be found in the PCC decision paper 26-2022.

In 2023 the MoJ announced further grant funding of £106,332 for 2FTE ISVAs (£24,632 for part of 2023/24 and £81,700 in 2024/25), bringing Suffolk’s additional ISVA total to 7.81FTE.

The total breakdown of funding per financial year is:

2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
ISVAs £34,535 £111,261 £188,223 £267,314 £324,382
IDVAs £184,000 £204,250 £204,250 £204,250
Totals   £34,535 £295,261 £392,473 £471,564 £528,632

Between 2023/24 and 2024/25, Suffolk will benefit from an addition 12.81FTE posts through the MoJ ‘National ISVA and IDVA Fund’:

ISVAs The Ferns – Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) 1.81 FTE ISVAs to work cases and address the increase in demand 

1 Lead ISVA to work cases and engage with under-represented groups

3 ISVAs specialising in: young people, learning disabilities and domestic abuse

2 FTE ISVAs to work cases

IDVAs East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) 1 IDVA specialising in elderly victims of domestic abuse
Leeway – Suffolk IDVA Service 4 IDVAs specialising in: young people, male victims, victims from minority communities and support at court

 

In accordance with the provisions in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 the Police and Crime Commissioner can commission services that:
a) secure, or contribute to securing, crime and disorder reduction in Suffolk;
b) are intended to help victims or witnesses of, or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour.

Following an application process, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk was allocated funding of £991,023 by the Home Office until 31 March 2025 for delivery of three proposals under the ‘Safer Streets Round 5’ funding.  Note the Home Office subsequently reduced the funding available to all PCCs for delivery within 2024/25.

The three proposals submitted address anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls and neighbourhood crime across Suffolk.

The Home Office funding has been awarded on a financial year basis with the Year 1 funding period grant agreement totalling £456,023

Funding is conditional on partner contributions (match funding) to the total of 50% of the funding granted. Match funding of £706,649 for the total project has been generated through a cash contribution from Public Sector leaders of £150k, in-kind (resource) contributions from each local authority, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Constabulary and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The funding will enable crime and disorder reduction activity and support the delivery of Objective 2 in the Police and Crime Plan.

PCC Decision Paper – 31 – 2023 – Safer Streets Fund Round 5 (PDF, 271KB)

The PCC accepts the grant agreement from the Home Office for £456,023 for Year 1 delivery of the Safer Streets Fund Round 5.

The PCC awards funding to the following from the funding for delivery of the project in Year 1:

1. East Suffolk Council a grant of £163,000 for delivery of Proposal 1 in Lowestoft

2. Ipswich Borough Council a grant of £155,000 for delivery of Proposal 2 in Ipswich

3. For delivery of Proposal 3 in the West Community Safety Partnership area a total of £138,023 as follows:

  • West Suffolk Council £28,575;
  • Babergh and Mid Suffolk Councils £65,898;
  • Funding of £28,550 for Suffolk Constabulary to deliver target hardening interventions;
  • Funding of £15,000 for Suffolk County Council to deliver training and awareness.

The PCC supports delivery of the project through match funding resource (management and administration) from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk for the duration of the project

Year 2

PCC Decision Paper – 16 – 2024 0 Safer Streets Fund, Round 5, Year 2

On 14 December 2023 the Home Office confirmed that funding for the Year 2 period would be capped at £355,000 per PCC and requested revised delivery plans.

The PCC accepts the Year 2 grant from the Home Office for delivery of the Safer Streets Fund Round 5.

The PCC awards funding to the following from the funding for delivery of the project in Year 2:

1. East Suffolk Council a grant of £110,887 for delivery of Proposal 1 in Lowestoft

2. Ipswich Borough Council a grant of £118,300 for delivery of Proposal 2 in Ipswich

3. West Community Safety Partnership area a grant of £125,813 for delivery of Proposal 3 as follows:

  • West Suffolk Council £121,663;
  • Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils £4,150.

The PCC supports delivery of the project through match funding resource (management and administration) from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk for the duration of the project.

Serious violence has a devastating impact on victims and their families, instils fear within communities and is extremely costly to society. Incidents of serious violence have increased in England and Wales since 2014 and all Local Authority areas have challenges and opportunities in preventing and responding to serious violence.

Following public consultation in July 2019, the Government announced that it would bring forward legislation introducing a new Serious Violence Duty on public bodies which will ensure relevant services work together to share data and knowledge and allow them to target their interventions to prevent and reduce serious violence.

The Serious Violence Duty was enacted on 31st January 2023 and all Strategic Needs Assessments and Strategies needed to be in place by 31st January 2024; Suffolk successfully submitted its assessment and strategies by this date.

Suffolk’s response

The Home Office has set out 3 requirements:

1. Statutory duty holders must form a partnership group – to steer activity.

Suffolk’s response: The Suffolk Serious Violence Duty Partnership formed in late 2022 and involves all statutory duty holders (‘the Partnership’). The partnership has met monthly to progress the development of the Strategic Needs Assessment and the Strategy and to consider the award of funding for interventions which support the solutions within the local strategy.

2. Statutory duty holders must undertake a Strategic Needs Assessment – sharing data and knowledge to understand the root causes of serious violence and where there are challenges and opportunities in Suffolk.

Suffolk’s response: The Strategic Needs Assessment was undertaken by the Suffolk Office of Data and Analytics (SODA) which included setting a definition of serious violence. To support the development of the Strategic Needs Assessment, the views of a wide range of groups and individuals were sought on serious violence in Suffolk which included public sector organisations, voluntary organisations, service users and members of the public.

3. Statutory duty holders must produce a Serious Violence Strategy for Suffolk which must be published by 31 January 2024.

Suffolk’s response: The findings from the Strategic Needs Assessment was reviewed by duty holders to inform and develop the Suffolk Serious Violence Strategy.

Duty holders

The duty holders in relation to the Serious Violence Duty are: Suffolk Constabulary, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Youth Offending Teams, Probation Service, Ipswich Borough Council, West Suffolk Council, Babergh & Mid Suffolk Council, East Suffolk Council, Integrated Care Boards and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service.

The involvement of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk (OPCC)

The OPCC has specific functions granted by legislation that permits: issuing funding to specified authorities in line with the Home Office Grant Agreement; support to the specified authorities in the exercise of their functions relating to the Duty; the monitoring of activity by specified authorities in relation to their delivery function under the Duty, and reports its findings to the Secretary of State.

Suffolk’s funding allocation

The Home Office has allocated funding to Suffolk for the period 31 January 2023 – 31 March 2025. The funding provided  cannot be moved between financial years, or between Home Office specified cost allocations.  The OPCC, on behalf of the Partnership, submits quarterly claims to the Home Office.  Cost allocations are:

Labour costs

Costs incurred by the Partnership to develop the Strategic Needs Assessment and Serious Violence Strategy.

Non-labour (interventions) costs

Funding awarded for interventions supporting the Strategy.

The below table summarises the total amounts available in each financial year and the actual costs claimed by the OPCC from the Home Office.  ‘Actual claim’ spend is updated quarterly:

Period Cost Type Allocation available to claim Actual claim at end of Q1 2024/25
31 January 2023 – 31 March 2023
Labour £30,000 £11,378
Non-labour 0 0
1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024

Labour £180,000 £112,636.86
Non-labour £107,118.42 £107,114.82
1 April 2024 – 31 April 2025

Labour £96,302.13 £29,480.92
Non-labour £300,983.74 £47,277.50
Totals:     £714,406 £307,888.10


Other relevant documents/links:

Home Office Serious Violence Duty
Home Office Serious Violence Strategy
Suffolk Office of Data & Analytics
Suffolk County Council webpage
Serious Violence Duty infographic
Suffolk Serious Violence Response Strategy 2024-2027

The PCC took the decision to award grant funding of £10,000 per annum to Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue (SuLSAR) between 1 October 2021 and 30 September 2024.

SuLSAR provides specialist search and rescue teams to support Suffolk Constabulary searches for high risk vulnerable adults and missing children.  The funding will be used for operational costs that allow SuLSAR to continue and expand their work. The specialist service reduces the amount of police resource that would be required for searches without SuLSAR and increases the likelihood of a positive outcome for vulnerable adults, missing children and their families.

Read the full decision paper

Visit the SuLSAR website