Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Scheme

Northumbria Police have successfully secured funding over the next two years via the Home Office Police Innovation Fund, to protect the most vulnerable in our communities. This funding will be split amongst a number of current and new projects which are central to the Force’s strategic objectives, as part of this funding the Force is looking to start two new projects relating to domestic abuse.

This opportunity specifically relates to one of the new projects which will be the creation of a programme to tackle domestic abuse perpetrators. The Force is looking to appoint a single organisation who can deliver programmes of education for perpetrators of Domestic Abuse across the whole Northumbria Policing area.

The programmes will focus on heterosexual male perpetrators who are 18 years old and over, however the Force would be interested in exploring whether services could also be offered to other groups of perpetrators. The educational programmes are to reflect the standards which are set and defined by RESPECT and the provider would be expected to work towards gaining RESPECT accreditation.

The organisations must provide perpetrators easy access to services in each of the six local authority areas in the Northumbria Police area as some perpetrators will not have the means to travel any distances. This could be through having an office base in each local authority area or some other easy access arrangement.

The local authorities covered in the Force area are: Gateshead Local Authority Newcastle Local Authority Northumberland Local Authority North Tyneside Local Authority South Tyneside Local Authority Sunderland Local Authority There are already voluntary domestic abuse perpetrator programmes set up in some of the outlined local authority areas across the force. The successful provider would be expected to work with these existing providers, not in competition with them.

The overall aim is effective service provision across the force area. It is expected that the successful provider will focus service provision in those areas that either don’t have coverage or in the areas where the demand outweighs capacity in those areas that do have coverage.

Funding available: £276,341 of the funding applies to the first year of the contract, ending 31st March 2016 £278,795 of the funding applies to the second year of the contract, 1st April 2016 – 31st March 2017. The funding allocated for each year of the agreement needs to be spent by the end of the financial year for this period.

For the avoidance of doubt the end of the financial year will be the 31st March. Contractors are asked to note that the second years funding is subject to further approval, if for any reason the second years funding is not made available to the Force, the contract will terminate at the end of the first year. The Force is open to all methods of delivery for this contract and openly welcome consortia, Special Purpose Vehicle’s (SPV’s)