Lord Wasserman (Con):...I am sure that my noble friend would agree
that neither of those jobs was easy, but I can tell noble Lords
that, on the basis of reports I have had from Police and Crime
Commissioners around the country, my noble friend has carried
out both jobs with great distinction and that she leaves her most
recent post, that of Victims’ Commissioner, with the heartfelt
thanks and deep respect of all those who care about victims and are
trying to help them... ...I...Request free trial
(Con):...I am
sure that my noble friend would agree that neither of those jobs
was easy, but I can tell noble Lords that, on the basis of reports
I have had from Police
and Crime Commissioners around the country, my
noble friend has carried out both jobs with great distinction and
that she leaves her most recent post, that of Victims’
Commissioner, with the heartfelt thanks and deep respect of all
those who care about victims and are trying to help them...
...I very much regret that I do not have the time to mention any of
the many innovative, non-technological domestic abuse prevention
and support programmes which Police
and Crime Commissioners up and down the country have
developed and are funding, often out of their own resources. I have
had emails from at least 10 PCCs giving terrific examples of what
they are doing. I am sorry that I have not been able to include
them, but I suspect that my noble friend Lady Seccombe will tell us
something about what at least one PCC is doing in this area...
(Con):...I
have spoken of domestic violence, this hidden form of abuse, on
previous occasions, and I commend the Government for the measures
that have been taken and are ongoing, such as the strategy to end
violence against women and girls by 2020. The Government have also
started a consultation, which closes in early August, that would
enforce the provision of secure accommodation for victims. There is
also a strategy to confront domestic abuse within the Armed Forces
and defence communities. Some £22 million has been allotted to 63
projects over two years to help those who have suffered this abuse.
Many councils are involved in the effort to protect women, as are
some charities. In Warwickshire, my son, the police and crime
commissioner, awarded a three-year contract to Barnardo’s and an
independent charity based in Rugby, RoSA, which supports victims of
rape or sexual abuse. They will provide a range of support
services, including face-to-face, telephone and online support, to
meet the current and emerging needs of victims...
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Williams
of Trafford) (Con):...It also includes £20 million
specifically for domestic abuse. Of this, we have allocated £8
million specifically for services to support children, who are so
badly affected by domestic abuse. One of the projects we are
funding in north Somerset will create a new support service to help
children and young people recover from their experience of domestic
abuse, using specialist therapeutic interventions and
individualised programmes based on the child’s developmental needs
and experience of domestic abuse. That is in addition to the
funding provided by local commissioners, including local
authorities, Police
and Crime Commissioners and health commissioners.
In 2017-18, PCCs reported that they spent approximately £23.5
million on support services for victims of domestic abuse...
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