People’s Scrutiny Committee Safer Communities Annual Report 2022/23
1.1 The Safer East Sussex Team (SEST) successfully secured several income streams during 2022/23 totalling over £3.5m.
1. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) New Burdens funding to provide support in safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse: £1,072,232; this is above the core funding commitment into refuge services.
2. There has been significant investment into drug and alcohol treatment and recovery above the core funding commitment:
- Project ADDER: £1,350,000
- Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment & Recovery Grant (SSMTRG): £390,000
- Individual Employability Placement Support Grant (IPS-AD): £138,937
- Rough Sleepers Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant (RSDATG): £245,935
- Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant - Housing Support Grant (SSMTRG HSG): £78,996
3. East Sussex is in receipt of funding from the Home Office via the Sussex Violence Reduction Partnership and alongside partners have commissioned several interventions which are predominantly delivered by Children’s Services totalling £839,442 since 2019/20.
4. The SEST supported Children’s Services in a successful bid to the pan-Sussex Violence Reduction Partnership for £19k for work around the educational authorities and engagement with young people requirements of the new Serious Violence Duty.
5. The SEST bid for additional funding to support the work in Devonshire Ward, Eastbourne securing funding from Safer Streets 4 (£25k).
1.2 This funding was complemented by over £300k of additional funding secured by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for domestic and sexual violence initiatives, sex-work outreach, and to disrupt Modern Slavery during 2022/23 (above the core funding into domestic and sexual violence services jointly commissioned with ESCC):
1. £5k into Across Rainbows domestic abuse service for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
2. £40k for Brighton Women’s Centre to offer women only hubs in St Leonards-on-Sea and Eastbourne.
3. £137k for Change, Grow, Live to offer additional IDVA[1] capacity.
4. £40k into Counselling Plus Community to provide therapeutic support to survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
5. £20k into Home-Start East Sussex to deliver a Lotus groupwork programme for survivors of domestic abuse who are parents.
6. 27k into Sussex Community Development Association to employ an IDVA to work with Black, Asian and Minority survivors of domestic abuse.
7. 40k for a Victim Navigator to support Modern Slavery cases within Sussex Police.
8. £19k into the Oasis Sex Work Outreach Project.
1.3 In addition, the OPCC secured funding for several pan-Sussex services which benefitted residents of East Sussex, including:
· Capa First Response: an online platform supporting families and professionals impacted or working with child to parent abuse.
· Home-Start East Sussex to deliver a ‘Who’s in Charge’ programme for parents experiencing harmful behaviours from their children.
· Friends, Families and Travellers supporting Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.
· Hersana: provision for those affected or at risk of harmful practices and for Black and Asian communities.
· Hourglass: Community Response model for older victims of domestic abuse.
· LGBT Switchboard to employ a specialist IDVA and offer group support.
· Mankind to provide a specialist Male ISVA[2] and counselling support in partnership with Survivors Network.
· Survivors Network for additional ISVA capacity (including for those with multiple, compound needs) and a groupwork programme.
· My Sisters House to deliver a DART+ (Domestic Abuse Recovery Together) 10-week programme for mothers and children affected by domestic abuse.
· RISE to deliver ReGroup Programme for survivors of domestic abuse.
· Streetlight which supports women who face sexual violence and exploitation, alongside police operation support.
· YMCA Downslink to work with children and young people subject to exploitation alongside Sussex Police.
· Victim Support for additional IDVA support in their multi-crime team.