The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s role is to stand up for victims and survivors, raise public awareness and to hold local and national Government to account in order to improve the response to domestic abuse, shining a light on both good and poor practice and policy.
The event brings together local services providing support for victims of domestic abuse as well partners involved in tackling abuse in the county including Lancashire Police and local authorities.
Mr. Grunshaw said: “I am really pleased to welcome the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to Lancashire, albeit virtually, to share her insights which will support the work of domestic abuse professionals in our county.
“This is a great opportunity for our professionals to learn more about the Commissioner’s work and to have their voices heard at national level.
“The response of our local services to the pandemic and the effort that has gone into ensuring that victims can continue to access the support they need has really impressed me over the course of this year.
“Over £500,000 in Home Office funding was secured by my office to support services through the additional challenges posed by the pandemic with further funding going towards work with perpetrators of abuse.
“I am really proud to see how Lancashire has come together during this difficult year to do what is right for victims and this event is an opportunity to thank everyone for their contributions and to build on what has already been achieved.”
Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs said: “We know that this has been an incredibly difficult year for everyone and, especially domestic abuse victims who have been forced to spend protracted amounts of time in lockdown living with their abusers. This has also put a huge amount of strain on domestic abuse services.
“It is essential that organisations including police, housing, health and local authorities come together with the specialist sector to tackle domestic abuse and I welcome the work being done in Lancashire to bring organisations together to support victims.”
The event will also explore the impact of the Government’s Domestic Abuse Bill on Lancashire services and share information about Nest Lancashire’s specialist support for children and young people affected by domestic abuse.
Anyone in Lancashire affected by domestic abuse can find details of local support services at noexcuseforabuse.co.uk.
