A project in Liverpool which aims to reduce and prevent domestic violence is one of three in Manchester and Merseyside sharing in a total of £834,047 in grants from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities Programme.
Merseyside Domestic Violence Service Ltd (MDVS) will use their funding of £278,561 to help reduce the risk of harm, injury and in some cases murder to women, children and young people in Liverpool. The charity which provides free, confidential, non-judgemental support to women and families affected by domestic violence, will deliver a community co-ordinated response and intervention programme for men who have perpetrated domestic violence and want to change.
MDVS will run a series of 26-week programmes providing mentoring, group and one-to-one support to help participants develop the skills to form healthy non-abusive relationships and improved parenting skills.
While many other domestic violence projects tend to focus on supporting victims, this project will aim to tackle the root cause of the issue by working with perpetrators to help them break the cycle of abuse.
Recent statistics from Merseyside Police show domestic violence is reported to police almost 100 times a day and there have been over 33,600 incidents recorded over the past financial year.
Jacqui Nasuh, Founder and Chief Executive of Merseyside Domestic Violence Service Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have been successful in securing funding from the Big Lottery Fund as it will enable us to make a real difference by tackling domestic violence in a new and innovative way. Our new project will enable us to work with male perpetrators by providing them with an opportunity to change their abusive behaviour which will lead to a break in the cyclical nature of domestic violence and abuse.”
