Victims of rape and sexual violence will be better supported following a £26 million investment in specialist services across England and Wales announced today (3 August)
- £26 million awarded to over 60 specialist support services over next 2 years
- funding forms part of commitment to quadruple funding for victims by 2025
- government hits third Rape Review ambition 18 months ahead of schedule as CPS charges return to 2016 levels
The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF), initially launched in 2011, is part of the government’s commitment to quadruple funding for victim support services by 2025 compared to 2010.
Innovative projects set to be funded for the next 2 years as a direct result of today’s cash boost include:
- Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre, who offer support for adults and young people, including parent and carer sessions and family therapy – keeping victims connected to their loved ones
- Trafford Rape Crisis, supporting women in Greater Manchester include offering a new holistic service which is specifically focused on supporting black and minoritised women
- We Are Survivors, who provide male-specific sexual assault and rape support
The news comes as new figures show the government has achieved its third and final ambition in its landmark End-to-End Rape Review 18 months ahead of target - restoring Crown Prosecution Service charges to 2016 levels.
Victims have benefitted from funded support services for over 10 years thanks to the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which was recently extended as one of the commitments in the government’s Rape Review.
The fund was informed by rape victims to better understand their experiences and what they want from support services, helping to inform the commissioning of future support for victims.
62 grants have been awarded to organisations across the country to offer victims tailored support programmes, including counselling and therapeutic services, advocacy, outreach, and group activities.
Nusrat Ghani said: "Wealden continues to be a safe place to live with consistently low levels of crime, but I continue to campaign for better resources to support victims in Wealden and across the country. This additional funding will help ensure that our charities and organisations are able to continue doing their vital work protecting victims of sexual abuse and help them rebuild their lives.”
The funding comes as CPS data published today shows charges for adult rape-flagged cases increased to 567 in the latest quarter, (January – March 2023), 5% over the 2016 quarterly average and Rape Review ambition of 538. This means the Government has already met all 3 key ambitions in the Rape Review ahead of schedule – restoring the number of police referrals, CPS charges and cases reaching court to 2016 levels.
In July all 43 police forces across England and Wales, and all rape prosecutors across the country, began implementing a new approach to dealing with rape and other serious sexual offences, ensuring forces conduct thorough investigations which put the focus on the suspect and centre the rights and needs of victims.
This new approach, developed through Operation Soteria and previously piloted in 19 police forces and 9 Crown Prosecution Service Areas, uses academic evidence and insight to enable forces and prosecutors to transform their response to rape and serious sexual offences.
The Rape Review progress report published last month shows improvements have been made in response to rape across every stage of the criminal justice system and, crucially, data suggests more and more victims are reporting these abhorrent crimes to the police – demonstrating an increase in victim confidence.
A £1.2 million training programme has also been launched for Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse Advisors who provide emotional and practical support to victims. The government is funding 1,000 of these posts and the training to make sure these vulnerable victims get better help and stay engaged with the criminal justice system.
The original announcement is available here.
