Children North East Benefits from Funding
17th September 2015
Children North East has received funding to support its West End Youth Enquiry Service (WEYES) following a successful funding bid to the Supporting Victims’ Fund, which helps Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird strengthen victim services across Northumbria.
Newcastle West End- based charity Children North East will receive a cash boost of over £58,622 to help continue its successful new service, which offers emotional well-being support to young people aged 11 to 18 years old who have been victims of crime such as domestic or sexual violence.
The WEYES project was launched over a year ago with great success and the charity plans to use the funding to grow its capacity in offering specialist and targeted support to more young people and their families.
The money will be used to fund counselling and support services to help victims cope and recover from their experience. It will also be used to help fund coordinated peer group work which brings together groups of young people with similar experiences so they can share stories and ways to cope.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird, said: “A key part of my role as Commissioner is about addressing domestic abuse and sexual violence against young people, and putting victims first – this project is about making a difference in both these areas so I am delighted to help out with this funding.
“I cannot stress enough that no victim of crime should ever feel that they are on their own. This service is about offering victims the support that is right for them, whether practical or emotional. Young people have their whole lives ahead of them and nothing should stand in their way.
“To date the WEYES project has been extremely successful and the more people who can benefit from it the better. This funding will make a huge difference in making that possible.”
Jeremy Cripps, Chief Executive at Children North East, said: “At a time where funding cuts are impacting on many charities we would like to thank Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner for putting her confidence into the WEYES counselling service at Children North East. By doing so Commissioner Baird and the team are helping us put confidence back in to the futures of children and young people in the west end of Newcastle who are victims of crime such as domestic or sexual violence.
“In the past year, 35% of young people accessing the service have said that domestic violence was a significant factor in the reason they contacted us. We also know that time, location and accessibility are important to young people who need the service and this funding will enable us to better respond to the needs of young victims of crime in the west end of Newcastle.”
The Supporting Victims Fund has been set up to strengthen, enhance and improve victims’ services across Northumbria.
Theaim of the fund is to maximise the potential of organisations to deliver vital services supporting victims of crime in the Northumbria area, helping them to cope and recover from their experience.
For more information on Children North East, visit the website www.children-ne.org.uk or telephone 0191 256 2444.
For more information on Victims First Northumbria, visit the website www.victimsfirstnorthumbria.org.uk or contact the service’s dedicated Freephone number – 0800 011 3116.
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