Gender Based Violence: Victim Support Schemes
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of funding available for specialist by and for violence against women and girls organisations that support (a) Black, Asian and minority ethnic survivors, (b) migrant victim-survivors and (c) migrant victim-survivors with No Recourse to Public Funds.
Answered by Jess Phillips
This Government recognises the specific challenges that both Black, Asian and minority ethnic survivors, and migrant victim-survivors, can face when accessing support. These can include cultural and language barriers, fear of reporting to the police, and difficulty accessing refuge and support.
To address this, we fund financial and wraparound support to migrant victims of domestic abuse through a scheme delivered by Southall Black Sisters, a by-and-for organisation. This can include accommodation, subsistence, counselling and immigration support. Funding for the scheme was increased by £398k in 2024/25, with a further uplift of £600k in 2025/26, bringing total investment to £2.4m. Migrant victims here on certain visa routes can also access the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession, which provides three months recourse to public funds.
In addition, we are investing £1.96m in the Flexible Fund, delivered by Women’s Aid Federation England and a consortium of over 470 services. This provides financial support to victims of domestic abuse, including those with no recourse to public funds, to enable them to leave abusive situations where their financial situation otherwise prevents that.
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