On the 24th April, the Commissioner spoke at the launch of the Investing in Safety report which sets out the financial case for investing in by and for services for victims and survivors with No Recourse to Public Funds. This event was hosted by Southall Black Sisters (SBS), in partnership with Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS), Safety4Sisters and Ubuntu.
The report showcased a new financial model, which calculated the financial savings to the state by ‘by-and-for’ services based on 40 case studies’ analysis and feedback from an advisory group of professionals across local government, NHS, policing, children, health and social care.
The Commissioner said, “I welcome the ‘cost benefit calculator’ proposed in this new report, as it highlights not just how beneficial ‘by and for’ services are to survivors, but also that there is an immense financial benefit to investing in the work that they do”.
Other speakers included:
- Selma Taha, Executive Director, Southall Black Sisters
- Alex Davies-Jones MP, Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding
- Carol Campbell-Judge (Greater Manchester Combined Authority Victims & Vulnerability Principal- Police, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire)
- Jasmine Mohammad, Director, Safety4Sisters
- Fiona Shiel, Consultant and principal researcher on the cost benefit analysis model
- Valle, Executive Director, Latin American Women’s Rights Service