If you haven't seen the article about domestic abuse funding, you can click here to read it in full.
Unfortunately the story doesn't give enough information about the wider context, and to that effect it could potentially be misleading. It's important to RISE to clarify our position, so we are not perceived as having mishandled a Council contract, and to reassure the public that vital domestic and sexual abuse services in the city will not cease next year.
Comment from RISE
The article that appeared on the Brighton & Hove News website is based on discussion at council committee and does not accurately reflect the wider current situation. The article implies that support services for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse survivors will end at the end of next year, which is not the case. We need to have this clarified to avoid people of Brighton & Hove feeling unsafe.
The services in the city will continue to exist. Currently negotiations are taking place around who will be delivering the services and how they will be delivered.
Only last month Councillor Emma Daniel, chair of the NICE Committee, attended RISE’s AGM to talk about Brighton & Hove City Council’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls in the city and providing much needed support.
Whatever the outcome of the current contract negotiation, residents of Brighton & Hove and East Sussex will continue to receive support from specialist agencies, such as RISE, if they’re experiencing sexual or domestic abuse.
As reported, these specialist organisations receive part of their funding from statutory bodies such as Brighton & Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council and the Office of the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner. Crucially, they also receive funding from national funding bodies as well as fundraising from the local community members and businesses.
The article also takes sections of the committee report out of context and in doing so implies that the contract has been mishandled by RISE, our partners Change Grow Live and Survivor’s Network. This is not the case at all. We need to put the record straight to reassure people receiving essential and lifesaving support. It is important for people experiencing domestic or sexual abusive and violence to feel confident to ask for the help that they need.
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