Question reference: S5W-35317
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 18 February 2021
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the £4.25 million funding for domestic abuse charities that it announced in September 2020 has been extended to September 2021.
Answer
The £4.25m the member refers to was additional funding allocated to ensure organisations could respond to changes in circumstance and increased demand for services caused by the pandemic, and covers the period to
30 September 2021. This payment was on top of the initial £1.5 million given to Scottish Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis Scotland and ASSIST at the start of the first lockdown to help with rapid redesign of services.
At the start of the Covid pandemic, all organisations and projects currently being funded under the existing Equally Safe Violence Against Women and Girls, and Rape Crisis Specific funds were granted an extension on their funding until September 2021. In December 2020, the new Delivering Equally Safe (DES) Fund was opened for applications to sustainably cover work taking place 2021-2024, with up to £13m being available per annum. The new DES Fund will support frontline organisations to tackle violence against women and girls, as well as projects that broaden access to support survivors. The deadline for applications to this fund is
28 April 2021.