-----
Original Message -----
From: Julie.Buck@eastcambs.gov.uk
To: dave.mortimer@mensaid.com
Cc: Jane.Hollingworth@eastcambs.gov.uk;
Cecilia.Tredget@eastcambs.gov.uk
Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 8:28 AM
Subject: Official request for information by Men's Aid
Hi,
Further to the
e-mail you received from Jane Hollingworth, Principal Housing Officer,
ECDC, I would like to add that the East Cambs Community Safety Partnership
(of which ECDC is a member) has given some indirect support to victims
of DV as follows:
The East Cambs
Community Safety Partnership makes a contribution towards the costs
of the County Advocacy Service but this Service supports victims of
any gender or age. In 2006/07 they are making a £15,600 contribution
to the Advocacy service. They are also making a £3,000 capital
contribution to the Sanctuary Project. This is not mainstream funding,
so there is no guarantee that this will be avialable in future years.
Please contact
me if you need any further information.
Julie Buck
Corporate Strategy Officer (Community Safety)
East Cambs District Council
Babylon Bridge
Waterside
Ely
Cambs, CB7 4AU
01353 616394
----- Original Message -----
From: Jane.Hollingworth@eastcambs.gov.uk
To: dave.mortimer@mensaid.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 1:38 PM
Subject: Official request for information
The only service
East Cambridgeshire currently funds for victims of domestic abuse,
apart from our housing advice service, is the domestic violence sanctuary
scheme which we are funding to a minimum of £5000 this year.
This is available to victims regardless of gender who want to have
a safe room installed in their home, subject to certain criteria which
are to do with the structure of the building, the willingness of the
landlord to have the work done and that the perpetrator is not present
at the home and is not allowed to visit the home.
East Cambs does
not at present fund any domestic violence refuge spaces, although
we have a target of 8 spaces. We refer victims to refuges in the rest
of the county and in other areas. We have identified a budget of £10,000
this year to fund spaces but have not yet decided how this is to be
spent. Most (in fact I think all) of the refuges we refer to will
not accept male victims and have a female-only policy which excludes
male visitors
East Cambs has
had two male victims of domestic violence approach the homelessness
and housing advice service during the past year and these have been
found emergency accommodation within our usual temporary accommodation
network. At present the records we have of numbers of male victims
presenting to us would not justify the expense of provision of a separate
male-only refuge. However, we recognise that there is likely to be
significant under-reporting by male victims and this is continually
open to review. There is a county-wide group of officers which meets
to discuss cross-border issues. I would be happy to raise the question
of male victims at this group and to discuss whether there might be
a case for the provision of male-only refuge spaces for the county,
depending on what the county or sub-regional figures of males presenting
might be.
Apart from that
any funding provided for advice would be through our wider ranging
grants to the citizen's advice bureau and i do not know how many male
victims they advise..
