The South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit are pleased to announce that the Home Office has now confirmed the funding of £1.6m for the year 2021/2022.
It was previously announced that funding would continue for Violence Reduction Units for a further year, however, there was still a bidding process required in order for the funding to be approved, which has now been completed.
Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner said: “I very much welcome the announcement of this funding.
“The Violence Reduction Unit is a long-term project which has two main aims. First it seeks to find ways of stopping people, particularly young people, being exposed to or drawn into violence in the first place. And second it will help those who have been involved in violence to turn their lives around.
“The Violence Reduction Unit is a big and bold partnership bringing together a range of partners – including local authorities, the police, the NHS, Public Health, DWP, youth offending teams, schools and colleges, the voluntary and faith sectors.
“We also seek to support those community groups who are helping young people to keep away from violence.
“We will reduce violence and violent crime in South Yorkshire through a combination of tough policing and preventive work.”
The South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit was set up in 2019 to help prevent and reduce violence across South Yorkshire. Using a public health approach, the unit works with a range of partner agencies and local community groups.
Graham Jones, Head of the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit said: “This announcement of confirmation of the funding is very welcome. It will now allow us to continue our work with partners and communities to support people away from a life of violence in South Yorkshire.
“A requirement of the funding is that at least 50% should be directed in to initiatives that support the public health approach. This year we will continue with the funding of the Plan B Custody Navigators, who work in our custody suites with people arrested in relation to violence offences. The custody navigators support people with issues such as alcohol and substance misuse, finance and accommodation, and support them in to education and work placements.
“We will also continue funding of the A&E Navigators, who provide a similar support service to people brought in to the A&E Department with injuries as a result of violence and the Forging Ahead initiative that supports ex-offenders in building skills for employment so they can be deterred from returning to or becoming involved in criminality.
“In addition to the initiatives, we will continue to work on the Mentors in Violence programme to be delivered in schools across South Yorkshire and to engage with our communities to understand how violence affects them. We will also support community groups and organisations working with young people.”
For more information on the initiatives and projects funded by the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit, please see our website on https://southyorkshireviolencereductionunit.com/