Supporting Victims Fund
1st May 2015
A new fund bringing benefits to victims of crime has been launched by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird.
The Supporting Victims Fund has been set up to strengthen, enhance and improve victims’ services across Northumbria.
The aim 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 cover from their experience.
Funding is available for organisations who provide support to Northumbria victims of crime helping them to cope with the aftermath and assist in their long-term recovery. Individual applications can be made or organisations can apply together as a partnership.
The fund is open to a wide range of voluntary and community sector organisations, local partnerships, youth offending teams and charitable organisations in the Northumbria area.
It compliments the newly launched Victims First Northumbria – an independent referral service putting victims at its heart and providing a central point of contact so they can be supported through their recovery with best possible support and advice when they need it.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird said: “Putting victims first is a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan.
“In Northumbria, we are striving to ensure victims of crime with the greatest need have access to support that is tailored to them and will best help them to cope and recover.
“I also want to make sure that victims of crime feel confident to seek help when they need it and when they do, the right support is available for them.
“Through the Supporting Victims Fund, all of this will be made possible. We hope to see more victims come forward, improved victim and witness experiences at court, identification of the most vulnerable victims of crime so that they are provided with personal support and all round enhanced services for those who need it most.
“I welcome individual applications from the excellent organisations within Northumbria that give much needed support to victims in the area. However, we’re also very keen to see these organisations join together to seek funding so that their vital cross boundary work can be maximised which in turn will provide an enhanced service to those who need it most.
“I am also particularly keen to see applications which will provide support to the most vulnerable in our society such as victims of domestic and sexual abuse and hate crime, plus those who are under the age of 18 or have mental health needs and may be more at risk of abuse and harm.
“The fund will compliment the ongoing work of Victims First Northumbria so that victims, whoever they are and whatever crime they have suffered, will always be put first and given the best possible service which will do whatever is in their best interests according to the particular needs they have.”
For more information on the fund and information on how to apply, visit the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner website:
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