The Domestic Abuse Counselling Service for Warwickshire is delighted to announce that the BIG Lottery fund, ‘Reaching Communities’ has awarded us £498,185, that will support us to continue our work with victims of domestic violence in Warwickshire for the next five years.

Kate Farmer Chief Officer and founder of the charity states:

This is our 3rd Lottery Grant in the last 7 years. We are very, very proud to be supported by the National Lottery fund ‘Reaching Communities’.

The BIG Lottery fund has granted us an award for our project ‘Feeling Safer’ This is a project that will offer therapeutic intervention to victims of abuse that is designed to focus on reducing the risk of repeat victimisation. Victims of domestic violence have the highest rate of repeat victimisation of all UK recorded crime (home office).

Domestic violence has a negative long term emotional effect on the whole family and is a huge contributing factor to the break up of families. A large percent of children that are placed in the ‘care system’ or at risk of being placed into care, come from families that have experienced domestic violence. This project will give vital support to victims of abuse to help provide them with skills to reduce the risk of repeat victimisation and help them towards providing a safer home for their children.

This Charity opened its doors to victim of domestic violence in January 2006. We provided help to 98 victims in our first year. We now see more than 100 victims each month throughout Warwickshire.

We do not receive any government funding for our work. We rely on independent funders, fundraising and donations. We would like to thank the National Lottery for their support of our work. We believe the Lottery Fund is way a head of National and local government funding policy, in terms of recognising the real issues and needs of our communities. The Lottery shows awareness and recognition that therapeutic intervention is vital and valuable work that supports the multi agency framework working face to face with victims of domestic violence. The Lottery fund respects this charity’s fundamental view that preventative work to reduce the risk of repeat victimisation is the key to reducing domestic violence in our community and that with investment has the potential to save the Nation millions of pounds in crisis support.

I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the BIG lottery fund, the DACS board of Trustee’s, my staff and volunteer Counsellors for their support and commitment to reducing domestic abuse in our community.

Kate Farmer: Chief Officer

To contact DACS call 0845 004 4075