News & Campaigns

All the latest from HER-itage and our affiliates

4 July 2021 ~ Final round of tampon tax fund launched – Closing Date

Charities can now apply for funding to support projects helping thousands of women and girls across the UK, as part of the latest and final round of the Government’s Tampon Tax Fund.

  • £11.25 million to be made available for charities working with disadvantaged women and girls
  • Threshold for applications reduced to £350,000

A pot of £11.25 million has been made available to charitable organisations to bid for, with priority given to those working to end violence against women and girls, as well as organisations that support a network of charities.

For this round of funding, the grant threshold has been reduced from £1 million to £350,000. This means that more organisations will be able to apply, increasing accessibility to organisations that support this vital work.

The Tampon Tax Fund was introduced in response to VAT being imposed on sanitary products by the European Union, and following this round will have provided more than £90 million of funding supporting women and girls charities.

As per the government’s manifesto commitment, the Chancellor announced at the Budget in March 2020 that the tax would end on 1 January 2021 following the UK’s exit from the EU, as part of a wider government strategy to make sanitary products affordable and available for all women.

The government is particularly encouraging applications from specialist women’s networks whose projects include making onward grants to other women’s’ charitable organisations. This will make use of the expertise in the charitable sector, ensure this round of funding reaches as many disadvantaged women and girls as possible and help the country to build back better following the pandemic.

Grants may be for 12 or 18-month projects, and all activities must be concluded and funds spent by 31 March 2023.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 4 July 2021.

For full details and application process go to https://www.gov.uk/government/news/final-round-of-tampon-tax-fund-launched

 

June 4, 2021

3rd Round of Safer Street Funding to focus on making women and girls feel safer on the streets – Home Office

The third round of the Safer Streets Fund also opens today, providing another opportunity to bid from a fund of £25 million for the year 2021/22.

This next round of funding will go beyond essential environmental measures like improved street lighting and encourage police to secure innovative bids for plans primarily focused on helping make women and girls feel safer on the streets, as well as projects which could include an emphasis on changing attitudes and behaviours in local communities.

Minister for Safeguarding Victoria Atkins said:

“No one should feel afraid while walking the streets, yet for so many people, particularly women and girls, a background hum of feeling uncomfortable or even unsafe in public spaces has become an all too common occurrence.

“We want this fund to help the police and local councils ensure that our streets are safe for everyone.”

Extract from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-more-funding-for-projects-to-make-our-streets-safer

Funding is available for interventions to improve the safety of public spaces for all, with a particular focus on areas of potential concern to women and girls.

he third round of the Safer Streets Fund enables Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities in England and Wales, and the British Transport Police, to bid for investment into innovative as well as traditional interventions to improve the safety of public places.

The main aims of the fund are to:

  • reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) and increase women and girls’ feelings of safety in public spaces
  • build the evidence base for what works on reducing VAWG crimes and increasing feelings of safety in the public domain
  • improve both the national and local data picture regarding VAWG crimes in public spaces, which could include increased reporting for some crime types
  • make public spaces safer for all

Extract from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safer-streets-fund-round-3-application-process

June 4, 2021

3rd Round of Safer Street Funding to focus on making women and girls feel safer on the streets – Home Office

The third round of the Safer Streets Fund also opens today, providing another opportunity to bid from a fund of £25 million for the year 2021/22.

This next round of funding will go beyond essential environmental measures like improved street lighting and encourage police to secure innovative bids for plans primarily focused on helping make women and girls feel safer on the streets, as well as projects which could include an emphasis on changing attitudes and behaviours in local communities.

Minister for Safeguarding Victoria Atkins said:

“No one should feel afraid while walking the streets, yet for so many people, particularly women and girls, a background hum of feeling uncomfortable or even unsafe in public spaces has become an all too common occurrence.

“We want this fund to help the police and local councils ensure that our streets are safe for everyone.”

Extract from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-more-funding-for-projects-to-make-our-streets-safer

Funding is available for interventions to improve the safety of public spaces for all, with a particular focus on areas of potential concern to women and girls.

he third round of the Safer Streets Fund enables Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities in England and Wales, and the British Transport Police, to bid for investment into innovative as well as traditional interventions to improve the safety of public places.

The main aims of the fund are to:

  • reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) and increase women and girls’ feelings of safety in public spaces
  • build the evidence base for what works on reducing VAWG crimes and increasing feelings of safety in the public domain
  • improve both the national and local data picture regarding VAWG crimes in public spaces, which could include increased reporting for some crime types
  • make public spaces safer for all

Extract from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safer-streets-fund-round-3-application-process

June 4, 2021

Over One Million Girls in the UK Struggled to Afford or Access Period Products During the Pandemic – Plan International UK

More than a third (36%) of girls aged 14-21 in the UK have struggled to afford or access period products during the Coronavirus pandemic – up a fifth on last year, according to a new survey released by international children’s charity Plan International UK.

That is equivalent to over one million girls in the UK[2]. Half of these girls did not have enough money to buy period products at all at some point over the past year. Three quarters (73%) of those had to use toilet paper as an alternative to period products like pads.

Of the girls who found it difficult to afford period products but were able to buy them, some girls said they had to cut back on other essential items like food (30%), hygiene products like soap or toothpaste (23%) and clothing (39%).

Rose Caldwell, CEO of Plan International UK, said:

“These new figures are shocking but sadly not surprising. It is deeply concerning that the situation has continued to deteriorate since last year, with over a million girls and young women now estimated to have been affected by period poverty during the pandemic.

“We have seen great progress in public awareness of period poverty over the past several years thanks to the tireless work of grassroots organisations, but this is a wake-up call that much more needs to be done to ensure that all girls can access period products when they need them.”

These new findings come despite the introduction of several government and retailer schemes to provide free period products in schools, public buildings, and supermarkets.

The polling showed that only around half (49%) of girls aged 14-18 in England and Scotland said free period products have been provided in their schools and colleges.

Ms Caldwell added: “While access to period products is essential to tackling period poverty, it is only part of the solution. Period poverty is driven by a ‘toxic trio’ of issues, which on top of access to period products, includes a lack of education and the stigma and shame surrounding menstruation.

“We must ensure that girls and young women are not only supported with free access to products, but also receive education on periods and feel able to talk about the issue without fear of shame or stigma.”

For more information, visit plan-uk.org/periodpoverty

 

June 4, 2021

Brain injury & domestic abuse: A Practitioners’ Perception – Report from the Disabilities Trust

The new study, which adds to mounting evidence, examined the brain injury knowledge of domestic abuse practitioners across the UK.

Practitioners working in domestic abuse services were invited to answer a short online survey to understand their perception of the prevalence of brain injury in those they support, alongside their level of experience of, and understanding of acquired brain injury.  The study reveals that:

  • Survivors ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ report symptoms or causes of brain injury, including:
    • blows to the head, face or neck (56%),
    • being thrown against the wall or floor (56%),
    • having their teeth knocked out (66%) or,
    • loss of consciousness (66%).
  • 81% of domestic abuse practitioners who responded had received no previous training on brain injury
  • 62% felt ‘mostly unprepared’ to identify symptoms meaning that the potential life changing impacts of a brain injury remain invisible.
  • 10% had heard of The Disabilities Trust’s Brain Injury Screening Index (BISI) and there was even less knowledge of other screening tools for brain injury.

The results of this important study show that questions about possible causes of brain injuries are not being asked regularly or consistently enough in domestic abuse services and there is an apparent disconnect between what domestic abuse practitioners believe the prevalence to be, in comparison to the regularity of potential causes of injuries reported by survivors.

Research, however, is still lacking into how common brain injury is amongst survivors of domestic abuse in the community. Therefore, moving forward the Disabilities Trust is working collaboratively with survivors of domestic abuse and the specialist practitioners who support them, to gather further evidence and campaign for change in policy and processes to ensure training and holistic, tailored support is provided nationally.

Please engage in the discussion on social media using the campaign hashtag #throughoureyes

  • Read the full report here

http://www.endthefear.co.uk/2021/06/04/report-the-disabilities-trust-brain-injury-domestic-abuse-a-practitioners-perception/

June 4, 2021