Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial support her Department provides to domestic abuse victims in Solihull to help them to leave abusive relationships.

Domestic abuse is intolerable and sometimes fatal, yet it is far too common. It is high volume, high harm, and high cost.

Our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan published in March 2022 invests £140 million to support victims, including over £47 million in ringfenced funding for victims’ services over three years (up to 2025).

Following a commitment in the plan, the Home Office is also working closely with Women’s Aid to provide £300,000 for one-off payments of £250 to victims of domestic abuse, rising to £500 where a victim is pregnant or has children.

The funding has been granted to support victims to leave abusive relationships and will help victims to pay for essentials such as groceries, nappies, sanitary products and rent on their previous property whilst they are in a refuge, or it could be put towards a deposit on new accommodation when they leave a refuge.

This will soon be available across the country through Women’s Aid members such as Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid and Panahghar, a service run by and for Black and minorities survivors in the Solihull area.

On 22 November, we commenced an open commercial competition (VAWG Specialist and Support Services Fund) for ‘by and for’ and specialist services. This will enable vital services, who are based in the communities they serve, to support victims often facing the greatest barriers to getting the help they need. Funding for the services will begin from 1st April 2023, totalling £8.4 million in financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25.