Rape Crisis hopeful of funding lifeline

Fundraising | Tania Mason | 1 Nov 2007

The inclusion of sexual violence targets within the government’s new Public Service Agreements could be the catalyst for reversing the decline in funding to rape crisis centres, according to some voluntary sector groups.

The Women’s Resource Centre has joined forces with NAVCA and Rape Crisis Centres to produce a briefing paper calling on local infrastructure organisations, such as councils for voluntary action, to lobby local councils to allocate funds to rape crisis services in order to help meet the proposed targets.

The briefing provides practical advice that such organisations can use to get sexual violence on the agendas of local government agencies. It has been produced to coincide with the current renegotiation of Local Area Agreements.

Rape Crisis Centres have been sustaining funding cuts for some time and are now facing a crisis. In 1984 there were 68 centres in England and Wales but now there are just 38 affiliated groups. The organisation fears that up to half of these will close in the near future unless local partnerships step in to fund specialist services.

NAVCA chief executive Kevin Curley (pictured) said the “dire funding situation” for Rape Crisis Centres had come about because there were no local targets for reductions in sexual violence.

“The new Public Service Agreements and National Indicators provide the best opportunity yet to get sexual violence priorities in to Local Area Agreements,” he said.

Angie Conroy from Rape Crisis (England and Wales) said support from other infrastructure groups should help to address the “postcode lottery” of rape crisis service funding.

Directory: National Association for Voluntary and Community Action
Who's Who: Tania Mason | Kevin Curley CBE

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