Violence

“Our time is now” – Plan launched to improve safety of women and girls across West Yorkshire

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The safety of women and girls in West Yorkshire is Mayor Tracy Brabin’s top priority, she said as she unveiled a plan to bring about societal change and end generations of injustice.The country’s first and only female metro-mayor has this week launched her Safety of Women and Girls Strategy at West Yorkshire’s annual Third Sector Conference in Calderdale.The strategy reveals the shocking experiences and challenges facing women and girls, including a recent survey that found 97% believe ‘being a woman’ affects their personal safety, and outlines a plan to tackle this.This will be resolved through four key areas of work to bring about change:

  • Education and Prevention: through events to raise awareness of the issue in schools, colleges, and universities across the region.
  • Behaviour Change: including delivering a behaviour change programme to empower men to be allies.
  • Safe Spaces: working to improve safety in the public, private and digital space.
  • And Supporting the Sector: securing funding for vital services in the region through working together with partners, including the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and private businesses.

Each are underpinned by two cross-cutting themes, which are ‘the role of men and boys’, and ‘equality, diversity and inclusion’.The strategy, which puts the voices of women and girls at its heart, will be delivered in partnership with West Yorkshire Police, local councils, community organisations, businesses, and the public. A further £1 million of funding has been made available by the Mayor to support the it’s delivery. This builds on considerable work already ongoing in the region including:

  • £14 million for victims’ services across the next three years, many of which support women and girls.
  • A SmartTag spray for use in night-time venues that tags offenders with a unique forensic code so they can be identified and brought to justice.
  • Funding “Ask for Angela” services which enables those who feel vulnerable or unsafe to seek assistance in bars, clubs or businesses.
  • Over £500,000 for domestic abuse perpetrator programmes across West Yorkshire to reduce re-offending.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:  “We owe it to every little girl growing up in our brilliant and diverse region to provide them with a future where they are safe from harm. Male violence against women and girls is a scourge that must be addressed, and as someone who has experienced this first-hand, I have made that my top priority.“This plan, which has been co-designed with women, male allies and organisations across the region, sets out how together, we can make West Yorkshire a safe, just and inclusive place for women and girls.“Our time is now – we must do this together to overcome generations of injustice and harm and drive this important change.”

Alison Lowe OBE, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said:  “As a survivor of sexual and domestic abuse, I feel a strong personal responsibility towards making West Yorkshire safer for women and girls.“When it happened to me many years ago, I did not believe that I had a voice. But I am here now as the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime in West Yorkshire to tell you that you will be heard, you will be believed, and you will be supported.“This Strategy builds on years of work, there’s still lots to do, but I can’t wait to see the incredible things we will achieve together.”The Mayor of West Yorkshire’s Safety of Women and Girls Strategy was co-designed through dedicated consultation events, a West Yorkshire wide call for evidence and public feedback from the Police and Crime Plan consultation.To find out more about the ongoing work to improve the safety of women and girls and read the strategy, visit https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/a-mayoral-combined-authority/mayoral-pledges/the-safety-of-women-and-girls/safety-of-women-and-girls-strategy/.

Health and care leaders back a trauma informed approach across West Yorkshire

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Health and care leaders across West Yorkshire are united in their support to tackle and address barriers that people affected by trauma can experience when accessing care.

The West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme, jointly delivered by West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP) and West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), has an ambition to ensure West Yorkshire is a trauma informed and responsive system by 2030. Initiatives to prevent harm and improve wellbeing, particularly for those who are most vulnerable and face multiple difficulties, include:

  • Training to thousands of multi-agency colleagues including the police, schools, housing providers, primary care, accident and emergency and local authorities
  • Developing an adversity, trauma and resilience web portal bringing shared resources together – coming soon

West Yorkshire’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE is also the Senior Responsible Officer for the Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme and said:

“People who experience adversity and trauma are at higher risk of poor physical and mental health. Children are more likely to adopt anti-social and health-harming behaviours, get involved in violence, be excluded from school and attain low exam results. Adults facing multiple disadvantages can be more predisposed to addictions, dying by suicide and being absent from work than those who don’t.

“While fully eradicating trauma remains unlikely, by working together we can help to strengthen community resilience, mitigate existing harm and ultimately improve lives for people living and working in West Yorkshire.”

Chief Superintendent Jackie Marsh, West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) Director, said: “Collaboration is key to make sure that we do not add to harm and that we work in ways that mitigate the impact of where there has been harm already.

“Trauma and adversity cannot be prevented and responded to by one sector. That’s why it’s crucial that all our organisations and system leaders work together and that we listen to grassroots expertise to deliver the shifts in culture and practice needed to achieve our vision of ensuring the area is trauma-informed and responsive to people’s needs. We have a way to go but that work has started and is happening right now across West Yorkshire.”

The West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme was set up in June 2020 and comprises over 300 members.

Mayor of West Yorkshire urges community organisations to apply for biggest funding pot yet

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Groups across West Yorkshire that are helping to end the scourge of violence in the region are being urged to step forward and apply for the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund.

Application Deadline November 11

West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracy Brabin, has made £350,000 available to voluntary and community groups, charities, and partners with an innovative project that will make their local area safer.This is the largest round of the Safer Communities Fund which has supported projects to the tune of £4.3 million since 2014. It will focus on ‘Safer Places and Thriving Communities’ and the Mayor is welcoming applications from projects that address anti-social behaviour, serious violence including knife crime, drug misuse, hate crime, road safety and more.The Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund is financed by money from criminal activities recovered by police and prosecutors under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Through the fund, this money is used for projects that aim to make their communities a safer and better place.Recognising the financial challenges many organisations are currently facing, the Mayor has increased the amount of funding a project can apply for, from £6,000 to £8,000. Organisations have until 11th November to get their bids in for funding.Speaking about the opening, Mayor Brabin said: “I am determined to end the scourge of violence on the streets of West Yorkshire – whether that is hate crimes, county lines gangs exploiting our children or violence against women and girls. This has no place in our society.“That’s why we are providing vital money to organisations that are helping to build a safe, just, and inclusive region.“I encourage anyone with a project that aims to make their local area safer to apply.”West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable John Robins QPM DL, said: “The Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund is an excellent way for local groups, projects and organisations to make use of cash we have seized from criminals, so it is put back into the hands of people who want to make their community a better place.“I welcome the opening of the latest grant round and would urge anyone with a community-based initiative to consider applying for this funding, so it can be used to address local issues and make our neighbourhoods safer.”This announcement comes after the Mayor and her Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE, awarded funds to 61 innovative projects from across West Yorkshire.Some of the latest projects to receive this funding include drugs intervention and prevention workshops for men and boys in Bradford, weekly self-defence and fitness classes for women in Kirklees, and a programme for young offenders, combining rehabilitation with horsemanship, in Leeds.This latest grant round of the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund is open until 11th November 2022, 12pm (noon). Organisations can apply for grants of up to £8000 for projects that align with the Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan.For more information about the fund, including how to apply, visit https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/policing-and-crime/mayor-s-safer-communities-fund.

Expression of Interest for Funding to Delivery Services Tackling Violent Crime

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Calderdale’s Community Safety Partnership:
Expression of Interest for Funding to Delivery Services Tackling Violent Crime

Calderdale’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP) has been allocated funding at a borough level following the successful award from the Home Office to the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). The awarded funding for 2022/23 to the VRU from the Home Office is to support a programme of interventions across West Yorkshire to contribute towards the following:

  1. A reduction in hospital admissions for assaults with a knife or sharp object and especially among those victims aged under 25.
  2. A reduction in knife-enabled serious violence and especially amongst those victims aged under 25, and 
  3. A reduction in all non-domestic homicides and especially amongst those victims aged under 25 involving knifes.

Calderdale CSP has been allocated funds from the VRU for the purpose of delivering a local programme of interventions in quarters 3 and 4 (September 2022– March 2023), and in doing so contribute to the above listed outcomes.

Calderdale’s intervention programme for 2022/3 has been informed by a Violent Crime Needs Assessment as well as the CSP’s own Strategic Assessment. Calderdale CSP (with support from providers and partners) has successfully delivered VRU interventions for the last two years and has used the evidence provided by the evaluation of these programmes to formulate the following specification for this year’s (Q3 & Q4) intervention activity.

The following funding opportunities are available:

  • Outreach Provision (Inviting bids of up to £12,000)
  • Enriching Activities, 1:1 & Group Work Programmes (Inviting bids of up to £12,000)
  • Focused Deterrent (Teachable Moments) (Inviting bids of up to £30,000)

Click Here to Download the Word Document for Full Details.

All Expressions of Interest received by the required deadline will be evaluated by the Violent Crime & Safer Streets Delivery Group. Applicants will receive notification of the outcome of applications on the week commencing the 10th of October 2022.

Please return to Expression of Interest form to 
community-safety@calderdale.gov.uk by 9AM on 03/10/2022. 

Download Expression of Interest Form Here (Word Document)

National day of Memory for Victims of Honour Killings

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Honour-based violence incidents are acts committed to defend the supposed honour or reputation of a family and community.

This week would have been the 30th birthday of Shafilea Ahmed, who was killed by her parents when she was 17 after suffering years of “honour-based” violence and the National Day of Memory for Victims of Honour Killings takes place annually on 14 July in remembrance of Shafilea.

Jasvinder Sanghera, CEO of Karma Nirvana, a charity which supports victims of honour crimes and forced marriages, said:

“We are going to be honouring the memories of the most honourable human beings where the perpetrators tried to erase them completely. It’s also an opportunity to raise awareness about the issue of honour based abuse and the scale of the problem in Britain.”

If you know someone is at immediate risk call the Police on 999. For non- emergencies call West Yorkshire Police Safeguarding Unit on 01422 337041.

For advice and support contact Calderdale StayingSafe on 01422 323339 or Calderdale Multi-Agency Safeguarding Team (MAST) supports anyone concerned about a child or young person at risk. Tel. 01422 393336 or email: MAST@calderdale.gov.uk.

Karma Nirvana will listen in complete confidence and offer support. It doesn’t matter how old you are, male or female. Tel: 0800 5999247