Lisa Townsend, the police and crime commissioner for Surrey, has secured nearly £1million of funding to help young people in the county affected by violence against women and girls. The money, which comes from the Home Office’s What Works Fund, will finance projects designed to help children understand self-worth and build self-confidence.
Specialist training will be given to teachers who deliver personal, social, health and economic education in every Surrey school, via the government’s Healthy Schools scheme. Surrey teachers, alongside key partners from Surrey Police and domestic abuse services, will also be given additional training, enabling them to support their students and reduce the risk of them becoming a victim, or an abuser.
The Surrey Domestic Abuse Services, the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre and the YMCA’s What is Sexual Exploitation programme will be supporting the training.
Prevention, not intervention
Lisa said:
“Perpetrators of domestic abuse inflict devastating harm in our communities, and we must do everything we can to end the cycle before it can begin. The aim is prevention, rather than intervention because, with this funding we can ensure greater unity across the system…joining the dots between schools and services.”
Find more information about Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner at surrey-pcc.gov.uk.
