Government news and campaigns
COVID-19 local restriction tiers update
Following a review of COVID 19 local restrictions, some areas in the East and South East of England are now moving into Tier 3 measures. These include;
- Bedfordshire
- Buckinghamshire
- Berkshire
- Peterborough
- the whole of Hertfordshire
- Surrey – with the exception of Waverley
- Hastings and Rother, on the Kent border of East Sussex and Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant in Hampshire
These changes will take effect from one minute past midnight on Saturday morning.
The Health Secretary has issued a Written Ministerial Statement on the review of local restrictions which lays out the reasoning for restrictions in each area. You can check what tier you are in using the postcode checker and a full list of local restriction tiers is also available.
Violence Against Women and Girls: call for evidence
The Home Office has launched a call for evidence which is seeking to collect views on crimes considered as violence against women and girls (VAWG). The consultation will run for a period of 10 weeks, until the 19th February.
In addition to those with lived experiences of these issues, we are seeking the views of those who have expertise working with victims and survivors, are involved in preventative activity or providing services, and academics. This includes relevant professionals, such as those working in social care, education, law enforcement, local government, public health and healthcare.
You can participate in the call for evidence by completing the public survey. The link to the survey is accessible only through VAWG call for evidence GOV.UK page.
Further information on how to provide a written submission is available through the following link VAWG strategy 2021-2024: call for evidence.
‘Somethings Not Right’, #YouAreNotAlone and Community Safeguarding campaign materials
The Home Office is currently running a number of campaigns in response to the coronavirus pandemic. We would like to remind you of the following campaigns, information and resources;
- ‘Something’s Not Right’ aims to help secondary school children in England who suffered a range of harms, such as sexual and physical abuse, during lockdown. More information is available on the campaign web page and in the attached supporters pack. All campaign materials are available to download from the campaign portal.
- #YouAreNotAlone aims to raise awareness and signpost to information and support available for victims, family/friends and perpetrators of domestic abuse. On GOV.UK there is full guidance and easy read guidance on getting help for Domestic abuse during the coronavirus pandemic. An employer pack and translated campaign assets are available to download. There is more information in the partner pack attached
- The Community Safeguarding Leaflet contains information and guidance for those who are still operating in communities and may not be trained to recognise the signs of abuse or neglect. The guidance covers signs to spot and what to do if there is a concern. You can view the Community Safeguarding Leaflet here.
Ask for ANI codeword scheme
Ask for ANI has been developed by the Home Office with the domestic abuse sector to provide a simple and discreet way for victims to signal that they need immediate help from the police or other support services. The scheme will go live early next year, and in preparation for this we have shared materials with participating pharmacies to ensure staff are familiar with the training and guidance.
The training resources include a short video and guidance documents on responding to the codeword and information about domestic abuse. To inform customers that staff are ready to respond, pharmacies are also required to display Ask for ANI posters. The Ask for ANI training and promotional resources are available on gov.uk.
Separate training resources and co-branded posters are also available to those already participating in the Safe Spaces scheme.
Thank you in advance for your support with this important scheme. We will be in touch with more information ahead of launch.
COVID-19 Stakeholder and Influencer Toolkit
The COVID-19 Stakeholder and Influencer Toolkit has been updated. Please find this attached. We would be grateful if you could share the information with your networks to ensure that they are aware of local restrictions and to encourage them to follow local rules.
Government news and campaigns
Women’s Aid launches new domestic abuse campaign, Respite
Women’s Aid have launched a new campaign, called Respite, to raise awareness that women in abusive relationships have fewer opportunities to spend time away from their abusive partners during COVID lockdowns. The Respite campaign shows how any chance for survivors to get out, even for a few hours, has been drastically reduced. You can find out more about the campaign on the Women’s Aid website and amplify content via your channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Race + Conflict: Update from Leap Confronting Conflict
Leap has published some content self-reflecting on the impact of race and conflict within the organisation and racism within the charity sector. To learn more please read Race + Conflict on Leap’s website if you are interested in Courageous Conversations: exploring race and racism in the workplace two-day training for your team, with an optional two half-day follow up sessions.
