Violence Against Women and Girls Advocacy Support Fund Pre-Market Engagement Registration

The following information is provided for context only. Detailed delivery requirements will be developed and confirmed as part of any future grant competition.

The Home Office is conducting market engagement to help shape the upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Helpline and Victim Advocacy support grant funding competition process(s). This funding will provide vital support for victims of VAWG.

The purpose of these sessions is to: 

• Engage potential providers early  

• Share initial expectations for the application process and associated suite of documents. 

These sessions are not a competitive process and there is no funding attached to attendance.

Helpline Funding

The VAWG Helplines Fund will support a suite of helpline services that together provide national coverage across a range of violence against women and girls (VAWG) harms and affected groups.

The Helplines are:

Covering England only:

·       Domestic Abuse Helpline for female victims of DA

·       Men’s Domestic Abuse Helpline (male victims of DA)

     Covering England and Wales:

·       Advice Line for Domestic Abuse Perpetrators (all perpetrators of DA) 

·       ‘Honour’-Based Abuse Helpline 

·       Stalking Helpline

·       Helpline for victims of non-consensual intimate image abuse with capabilities to ensure images are removed.

·       Helpline for LGBT+ victims of VAWG

·       Helpline for older victims of VAWG

·       Helpline for children demonstrating harmful VAWG behaviours which aims to address teenage relationship abuse and child to parent abuse

·       Helpline for victims of VAWG from ethnic minority groups (including Gypsy and Irish Traveller and victims of different faiths)

·       Helpline for Deaf and disabled victims of VAWG

Funded services will provide support through helpline delivery, which may include telephone, online or digital channels. Services are expected to offer free and confidential advice and support, including emotional support, safety guidance, and information about available options and rights. Helplines may also provide advice to professionals, family members and others supporting people affected by VAWG.

The fund will also support new helpline provision where there is evidence of unmet need, particularly for groups who are underserved or face significant barriers in accessing existing support.

Funding must be used to deliver activity that aligns with the objectives of the VAWG Helplines Fund.

Funding can be used to support the delivery of helpline services, including:

·       Providing free and confidential advice, information and emotional support

·       Delivering support via phone, online or digital channels

·       Supporting victims, survivors, families, professionals and, where relevant, these concerned about their behaviours

·       Safety planning, crisis support, signposting and referrals to onward services

·       Awareness raising activity to ensure people know how to access support

Funding cannot be used for:

·       Activity that is not related to VAWG

·       Services that sit outside the scope of helpline provision

·       Activity that does not contribute to the fund’s stated objectives

Funded helpline services are expected to provide high‑quality, trauma‑informed support that is appropriate to the needs of the people contacting them.

Services may support:

·       Victims and survivors of VAWG

·       Family members, friends or others seeking advice on how to support someone affected by abuse

·       Professionals seeking guidance, information or support in responding to concerns

·       In some cases, people exhibiting harmful behaviour, where early advice and intervention can reduce the risk of further harm.

Helplines are expected to work within the wider victim support system, including alongside  local services, statutory agencies and other specialist providers. Effective signposting, referral and collaboration are important to ensure people can access the right support at the right time. Helplines should collaborate together to improve resilience, quality, efficiencies, and ensure support for overlapping cohorts.

The Home Office recognises that different services will operate in different ways depending on their focus, expertise and the needs of the people they support. Applicants will be asked to set out how their proposed service will meet the objectives of the fund.

VAWG Victim Advocacy Support Funding

The VAWG Victim Advocacy Support Fund will support a suite of national advocacy services that together provide accessible, specialist support for victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG), particularly those facing additional barriers to accessing help.

Funded services will provide one-to-one advocacy support, delivered by trained advocates or caseworkers. This support is independent, victim‑centred and trauma‑informed, and aims to help individuals navigate the impact of abuse and access the services they need.

The VAWG Victim Advocacy Support Fund are:

·       Older victims of VAWG

·       LGBT+ victims of VAWG

·       Disabled victims of VAWG

·       Victims of VAWG from ethnic minority (inc. Gypsy and Irish Traveller) and faith groups

·       Victims of ‘Honour’-Based Abuse (HBA)

·       Victims who have been sexually exploited

·       Victims of non-consensual intimate image (NCII) abuse

The Home Office intends to fund advocacy services that:

·       Provide specialist support for specific victim cohorts who face the greatest barriers to accessing services due to low population densities or unmapped needs.

Funding must be used to deliver activity that aligns with the objectives of the VAWG Advocacy Support Fund.

Funding can be used to support the delivery of advocacy services, including:

·       Providing direct advocacy support to victims and survivors

·       Delivering needs assessments, safety planning and ongoing casework support

·       Supporting victims to engage with, or navigate, wider systems, services, and multi-agency arrangements

·       Building and maintaining referral pathways with local and national partners

·       Awareness‑raising to ensure victims and professionals understand how to access support.

Funding cannot be used for:

·       Activity that is not related to VAWG

·       Services that fall outside the scope of advocacy provision

·       Activity that does not contribute to the fund’s stated objectives

Advocacy services are expected to play a key role within the wider support landscape, working alongside helplines and local provision to ensure that victims can access the right support at the right time, regardless of location or circumstance.