THURROCK Council has been successful in its domestic violence ‘One Stop Shop’ bid in conjunction with South Essex.
The £500,000 funding comes from the DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government) after a successful bid in partnership with Basildon Borough Council.
The money will fund two domestic violence coordinators who will be employed on a secondment basis to help set up a One Stop Shop and formulate bids for future funding to ensure the project remains viable long term.
The funding will also go towards 28 refuge spaces which would have otherwise been lost.
Partners in the bid included: Thurrock Borough Council, SERICC (South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre), Changing Pathways, Castle Point Borough Council, Rochford District Council, Brentwood Borough Council, Basildon and Thurrock Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and Essex Police which supported the project.
Cllr Sue MacPherson, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods said: “This is a great result following excellent partnership working.
“Clearly domestic violence isn’t limited to individual Local Authority boundaries – this meaningful funding is a great step towards working more collaboratively in the longer term.”
The One Stop Shop will involve staff from housing, CAB, domestic violence co-ordinators and Essex Police attending one day per week and taking a partnership approach to tackling the issue.
Those fleeing or requiring advice regarding domestic violence issues will be seen and their issues often dealt with in a single day without the need for repeat signposting to other services.
Basildon Council will now work with partners to set up the One Stop Shop in an agreed South Essex location in the next few months.
