As the Government prepares to launch its new national Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, we highlight both the positive steps and the urgent gaps that must be addressed to keep women and children safe — especially here in West Mercia – in the following press release:
PRESS RELEASE:
West Mercia Women’s Aid responds to initial indications for the Government’s forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy
As the Government is set to launch its new national Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (VAWG), local charity West Mercia Women’s Aid responds to initial indications of what it will contain.
The new strategy has been created with the commitment to change from all Government departments, which is vital to achieving the ambition laid out in the strategy to halve the incidence of violence against women and girls in the next 10 years.
As it stands now, current funding for services to keep women and children safe from domestic abuse is not enough. The total budget settlement for all local authorities included £480m over a three year period for safe accommodation and associated services. Since the Domestic Abuse Act in 2021, local authorities have had a duty to provide sufficient safe accommodation for those fleeing to safety from domestic abuse and, in West Mercia, this has included the provision of communal refuges and satellite accommodation in single unit ‘safe houses’. Women’s Aid Federation England annually undertakes a national audit of services for the victims of domestic abuse, and the 2025 Audit reported that nationally when a survivor is referred to refuge, there is a 27.5% chance that she will be unable to find a local refuge with the space to accommodate and support her. In West Mercia, demand on WMWA refuges and safe houses means that all vacancies are filled within 48 hours.
The Local Government Finance Settlement is the first multi-year spending settlement in a decade, which is extremely welcome. However, the amount available to local authorities for the safe accommodation duty will not increase with inflation, which will have a negative impact in services in years 2 and 3 as inflationary costs will hit all providers
Women’s Aid Federation England calculate that a total of £222m a year is required to meet the need of victim/survivors for safe accommodation across the country, based on current data in relation to need and costs.
West Mercia Women’s Aid looks forward to the formal launch of the national Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and the opportunity to better understand the implications for the organisation and the women and children that it supports.
West Mercia Women’s Aid CEO Sue Coleman, comments; “We are hearing that the VAWG Strategy will deliver an additional £19m nationally towards this provision – it is vital funding but is still set to have a limited impact in bridging the gap between the budget settlement and the resources needed to provide safe accommodation and support for women and children fleeing violence – both nationally and locally.
“It will also achieve little in helping organisations like West Mercia Women’s Aid respond effectively to the needs of women and children for advocacy in navigating the legal system and help in moving to permanent accommodation; for ongoing support to enable them to process their experience of abuse and rebuild their everyday lives; and for counselling to help them to work through the deep-rooted trauma of living with the cruelty, coercion and fear that is a part of the experience of domestic abuse.”
“In particular, we hope that the strategy will recognise the issues for women in rural areas living with domestic abuse. We know that it is part of the abuser’s ‘playbook’ to isolate women from family and friends so that they can control every part of a woman’s life with little chance that others will see what is happening. Women living in rural areas can already be physically isolated – from services, from information, from other people who could offer them help. We know first-hand that abuse is a hidden issue for so many women living in rural parts of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. We hope that the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will recognise this issue and call on all public services to make sure that they hear the voices of women trapped with violence and abuse in all corners of the countryside.”
WMWA works for a world that is free from domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, where everyone can live without the fear and reality of all forms of violence, abuse and discrimination. For ways to support our work including Regular Giving please visit https://www.westmerciawomensaid.org/support-our-work/
Those looking for support can call the helpline on 0800 783 1359 (Herefordshire), 0800 229 4066 (Shropshire), 0800 840 3747 (Telford & Wrekin), 0800 980 3331 (Worcestershire) or access LiveChat via https://www.westmerciawomensaid.org
ENDS
About West Mercia Women’s Aid
For a future free from Domestic Abuse
1 in 4 women in the UK will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives. WMWA’s core purpose is to reduce the incidence and impact of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls in West Mercia by providing support, protection and prevention services that empower those affected by violence and abuse to rebuild their lives and those of their children.