Over £250,000 Awarded To Victim And Witness Support Services In Sussex

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne has awarded financial grants to 16 Sussex services offering transformative support to victims and witnesses of crime.

The annual grant is provided to Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne from the Ministry of Justice. PCC Bourne then invites eligible services from across the county to apply for the grant through her Safe Space Sussex Funding Network which she established in 2018.

The Network is made up of approved providers who deliver high quality support services to victims and witnesses of crime.

With grants of up to £20,000 per service being offered, PCC Bourne has awarded funding to a range of specialist providers including: LGBTQ+ services, stalking awareness organisations, programmes that deliver support for victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse, as well as support for elderly survivors of crime and development of training for staff focusing on child sexual exploitation.

The successful applicants will use the funding in a variety of ways such as increasing training programmes, advancing their organisation’s technology, building on existing programmes, hiring additional staff or specialist positions and buying essential equipment needed to run their services.

As part of the application process, applicants were marked on how they work with partners to 'provide support to victims who may have multiple vulnerabilities and deliver knowledge exchange across specialisms'. This includes how services work with Sussex Police as well as mental health services and the county councils.

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said:

“Each year I look forward to awarding financial grants to successful applicants within my Safe Space Sussex funding network.

“Since its inception, the network of organisations continues to grow allowing us to have a wealth of top-quality services here in Sussex. The fund offers specialist and tailored support to a wide variety of people and communities. The collaborative work that is enabled across services is invaluable because it plays an important part in victim and witnesses of crime being able to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

“All the services that have been awarded funding display dynamic and innovative approaches, thereby strengthening the effective support we are able to offer across the county and reaching people who are most in need of help.”

Deputy CEO of Safe in Sussex, Louise Gisbey said: 

"We are delighted to have received the funding as it will enable us to invest in the training and development of our dedicated staff which in turn will enhance the delivery of the vital services we provide to people experiencing domestic abuse."  

CEO of Lifecentre, Kathryn Slatter said: 

“We are grateful to Katy Bourne and her office for their support through the Safe Space Sussex funding. This grant will help us provide life-changing therapy to survivors of sexual violence. One of our clients recently said of our service:

“Lifecentre not only saved my life, but it has also helped equip me for claiming my life and my voice back.”

Money from the PCC helps us to deliver a valuable service.”

Director BWC (Brighton Women’s Centre), Lisa Dando said:

"As the Director of BWC, I am delighted that we have been awarded funding from the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner to support women in their recovery from the experiences of living with domestic abuse.

"BWC is committed to supporting women through a trauma informed and holistic model of care to ensure women can move away from the damaging effects of domestic abuse. We are grateful that the PCC continues to recognise the importance of the work we do with women across Sussex living with multiple disadvantages."  

CEO of StreetlightUK, Helena Croft said:

 “The work of StreetlightUK enables an often forgotten and vulnerable group of women to access vital local services. The support of Sussex PCC Katy Bourne has been significant in helping us to effectively tackle sexual violence and Modern-Day Slavery across the region. We are so thankful for their ongoing support!”

CEO of Yada, Helen Moore said:

“The funding received from the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner means that we can further develop our services, providing essential, specialist support to women who have experienced sexual exploitation, helping them to recover from the impact of abuse, stigma and violence.”   

CEO of Home-Start East Sussex, Kate Lawrence said:

“We are delighted to receive this funding as it means that we can extend our ‘Who’s in Charge?’ programme and reach more families who are experiencing child and adolescent to parent violence and abuse. Families can self-refer or professionals can refer on their behalf via https://www.hses.org.uk/getting-help/parents-with-abusive-children-or-teenagers/”

The following support services have been successful in the latest round of Safe Space Sussex Funding: 

Across Rainbows, Counselling Plus Community, Home Start East Sussex, Streetlight UK, My Sisters House, Safe in Sussex, Survivors Network, Lifecentre, Brighton Women's Centre, The Daisy Chain Project, Veritas Justice, Yada, LGBT Switchboard, Mankind, YMCA Downlink Group, Oasis Project.