Our ‘Know This’ briefings are a regular note to alert colleagues to recent discussions happening in the sectors relevant to our work. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of major changes and developments in our sectors. If you see anything you think needs to be in a future bulletin, let us know at PracticeResearchUnit@interventionsalliance.co.uk and we will include it in the next edition.

Home Affairs report on VAWG funding 

The Home Affairs Committee report on VAWG funding was published on 11th July, available here. It includes some key conclusions and recommendations: 

• A new standardised definition of VAWG is needed to ensure consistent recording. This should also be reflected in the government’s VAWG strategy and reporting. 

• The Committee doesn’t think the Home Office has the ‘capacity or imagination’ to deliver Labour’s target of reducing VAWG by 50% – greater transparency on cross-governmental work is needed to build confidence. 

• Central and local funding for VAWG services is fragmented and not always transparent. Cross-government mapping of where funds are targeted need publishing, alongside the VAWG strategy. 

• It is not clear how interventions are assessed for effectiveness. A cross-government audit would identify what data is needed and to link metrics to effectiveness of funded services. 

• Current value for money criteria skews funding decisions, which should be re-assessed to reflect a balance between value for money and outcomes from service users – using quantitative and qualitative data. Funding for local authorities should be weighted towards qualitative data and the impact on people’s lives. 

• Short-term funding for VAWG services limits their impact. Longer term (3-5 years) should be normalised, with an evaluation of the effectiveness of long-term funding. 

• By-and-for-services need certainty of funding – the committee recommends a ring-fenced pot of money with reduced administrative burden. 

• Prevention programmes are vital but insufficiently funded, partly due to difficulties measuring impact. The government should partner with universities/third sector organisations to fund and promote research into effectiveness of prevention measures. 

• Without additional funding for primary prevention measures Labour will not meet their target of halving VAWG in a decade. Money should be ring-fenced to invest in primary prevention, based on commissioned research. 

In the News

Government spends £53m on domestic violence programme 

The Drive project has received funding to expand the from three pilot areas to being delivered across England and Wales: Government spends £53m on domestic violence programme – BBC News 

 ‘A preacher asked me out. When I turned her down, the stalking began’ 

Read the story of Jay Hulme, a trans poet and author, who was stalked by a preacher at his church in Leicester in 2021, and let down by both the Police and his Church (who didn’t believe him and instead accused him of witchcraft). Leicester Church of England: A preacher asked me out and then started stalking me – BBC News 

‘Catch a Stalker’ Documentary on the BBC 

This month, the BBC broadcast a new documentary To Catch a Stalker which followed victims of stalking as they experienced the trauma, harm and torment caused by their perpetrators. 

It’s a stark and important reminder that tackling stalking isn’t just about enforcement – work to address the behaviour is a must. People working directly with perpetrators play a critical role in preventing ongoing victimisation. For that work to be effective, it must be grounded in the experience of victims/survivors. A must watch for practitioners working with perpetrators, who don’t always get to hear directly from those whose lives have been impacted. 

PSD colleagues are also working on developing an event for colleagues and commissioners following the programme. We hope to hear from the programme makers as part of the event – PSD will keep you posted! 

British Society of Criminology’s (BSC) Annual Conference – hosted by the University of Portsmouth, 2nd-4th July 2025 

The BSC conference is a huge date in the academic calendar for those working in criminal justice fields – this year the theme was ‘Criminology for Social Justice’. You can find the link to the (90 page!!) programme and abstracts here: BSC 2025 Programme. The conference saw many hundreds of delegates, from across the globe, all talking about the ways in which they are working to ensure the discipline of criminology is equitable, inclusive and socially aware. Jess and Kerry both attended, and presented, and returned with a new vigour for our research (if you are interested in our slides for the presentations – you can find them in the research section of the Colleague Information Hub). If you have any questions or want to know more about the event or its contributors, please do get in touch. Some of our personal highlights included: 

• Plenaries on Day 1:  

• Prof Liz Kelly – title: Still Surviving Sexual Violence: a reflection on a conceptual journey  

• Prof Anastasia Powell – title:  Towards a Trauma-Transformative Criminology 

• Plenaries on Day 2:  

• Prof Jane Monckton-Smith – title: Can Coercive Control theory balance inequities for women and girls in the criminal justice system? 

• Prof Nicholas Blagden – title: Rehabilitating and Reintegrating People with Sexual Convictions: Correctional Practice, Community Engagement and…Compassion? 

• Plenaries on Day 3:   

• Prof Sarah Lamble – title: Queer Criminology in an Era of Culture War Politics  

• Prof Onwubiko Agozino – title: On Impunity and Penal Abolitionism: The Withering Away of the Punitive Turn in Criminology. 

• And possibly our personal favourite – the Imagining Possible Futures team, a group of individuals (including Dr Gill Buck and Paula Harriot), committed to changing the way that we use the knowledge and expertise of people with lived experience, ensuring that their stories and vast experience share the same value and importance as the thinking and work from academics, researchers, campaigners and commissioners – check out their manifesto here – Imagining Possible Futures.