Organisations urged to bid for funding to help victims of domestic abuse in Norfolk
Organisations are being encouraged to bid to provide specialist services to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse in the county.
The service, which could run for up to five years will help female and male victims of domestic abuse as well as importantly, in some cases, children of those receiving support.
The £4.6 million contract, managed by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk (OPCCN), was originally advertised for tender in December last year but was cancelled due to a change in the procurement process.
This new procurement process* has now been adopted and organisations that can meet the criteria and demonstrate the right expertise and specialisms, are invited to bid for funding.
The contract will secure a specialist provider or consortium of providers to offer a targeted service for high and medium risk victims of such abuse.
Demand for services that support victims of domestic abuse has risen sharply over the last few years for a number of reasons including, an increase in victim confidence in coming forward, high-profile campaigns such as White Ribbon and the Home Office’s ‘Transforming the Response to Domestic Abuse’ draft bill.
PCC Lorne Green, said: “Supporting victims and reducing vulnerability is one of my absolute key priorities as Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
“We must do all we can to continue to give a voice to the women and men in our county who have been or continue to be affected by this crime and help them to regain their dignity and self-esteem that others have so cruelly sought to deny them.
“Every survivor of domestic abuse in Norfolk should be able to get the support they need first to be safe, then to recover.
”Together we must work to make a real difference and I would encourage organisations who meet the criteria to come forward.”
The number of domestic abuse crimes in Norfolk increased from 1,591 in the first quarter of the 2016/17 financial year to 2,736 in the final quarter of 2018/19 financial year – a 72% rise.
It is crucial that prospective providers understand the landscape of existing services in the county and it is vital they put the needs of victims and their children at the forefront of any decisions.
The contract is split into three areas:
- Delivery of high-risk domestic abuse services across all seven council districts, Breckland, Broadland, Norwich, Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk and South Norfolk.
- Delivery of medium risk domestic abuse services – including support for victims’ children and for victims who want to stay with a perpetrator in the Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk and West Norfolk and King’s Lynn districts.
- Delivery of medium risk domestic abuse services – including support for victims’ children and for victims who want to stay with a perpetrator in the Breckland, Broadland and South Norfolk areas.
*The original DA tender opportunity was cancelled due to the introduction of the new 7Force Strategic Collaboration process in January 2020.
The new tender opportunity ensures that the DA tender is in-line with new procedures which in turn ensure a more robust and transparent process. Additional elements have also been introduced in the process to ensure organisations demonstrate the ‘social value’ they bring to the community.
Who can apply and how?
Organisations that can demonstrate they meet the necessary criteria for the delivery of services and have the appropriate governance, safeguarding, organisational resilience and financial structures in place.
Partnership bids will be accepted however one partner must take the lead and will be accountable for the administration of the contract/funds on behalf of the partnership.
All correspondence, including application and clarification questions will be managed through the national Bluelight EU Supply Portal which can be found at https://uk.eu-supply.com
Deadline for applications 10 March 2020.
Prospective tenderers event
A special event is being held at Norfolk Constabulary headquarters in Wymondham for prospective tenderers to hear more about the new 7Force Strategic Collaboration Procurement process, get help with their application process, meet other potential tenderers and form possible partnerships.
The event, due to the held between 10am and 1pm on Wednesday 12 February, is limited to a maximum of two persons per organisation and can be booked through the Bluelight Portal.