WWIN & AAFDA receive ‘Change Makers’ funding to tackle domestic abuse

• WWIN (Wearside Women in Need) and AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) one of twenty initiatives to receive share of £9.1 million funding from Comic Relief

• The charity will use the funding by Comic Relief to enable family, friends and communities to better support the people close to them who are subjected to domestic abuse

• New Change Makers programme supporting thousands of vulnerable people over 5 years throughout the Covid-19 recovery · For more information on Comic Relief funding visit www.comicrelief.com

This week, Comic Relief has announced a brand-new £9.1 million programme to support new initiatives that will deliver vital long-term support to thousands of vulnerable people across the UK during the Covid-19 recovery.

We're excited to announce that one of the successful recipients is WWIN, working with Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA), which will use an investment of £500,000 to tackle domestic abuse through an innovative new approach in the North East.

The new initiative will work with communities to increase understanding of abuse and how to safely and effectively help the people you care about. It will focus on equipping family, friends and the wider community with the skills they need to ensure their voices are heard. The project aims to improve the way services work with families, friends and the wider community, so that the lifesaving information which they often have, can be shared and acted on effectively.

Becky Rogerson, Director of WWIN, said; “Understandably, victims of domestic abuse are often not ready, or able to easily seek formal help, but instead they reach out to the people who are closest to them. Families, friends and neighbours are often the first to learn about abuse and can be best placed to offer support. They are the first line of protection for people being subjected to abuse, not services. However, there is a critical missing link in the way services work with families, friends and the wider community.

"This grant creates a fantastic opportunity to progress help and support to family, friends and community members who are worried about someone they know. Domestic abuse touches so many of us in different ways. It can be complicated and difficult to know how to respond, how to support, or how to get the help we need to protect the people we care about. It’s a gap we want to fill by opening up pathways and inspiring confidence that we can all make a difference.”

The Change Makers programme is launching twenty new initiatives involving 45 organisations, spanning all four nations of the UK, over the next five years. They will tackle serious issues that have seen increased demand for help throughout the pandemic including homelessness, domestic abuse and mental health. The programme aims to find innovative solutions to problems affecting vulnerable people that have been overlooked or under-resourced at a local, regional and national level.

Frank Mullane, Founder of AAFDA, said: "19 years ago when my sister sought my help, I knew nothing of the capability and practices of perpetrators. But we sought the help of the authorities who at that time were not up to it. The dangerousness of domestic abuse perpetrators is often underestimated by family, friends and the community. I sought to change that through AAFDA. And this project is the nearest I have got to it. I want to help other siblings, families, friends and other community members to help keep their loved ones safe"

About WWIN and Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse

WWIN (Wearside Women in Need) is a women-led, specialist domestic abuse service that delivers highly respected, trauma-informed victim support services. They deliver training for community members and professionals on responding and supporting survivors of domestic abuse. For more information about WWIN and the work they do, visit www.wwin.org.uk

WWIN are an independent registered charity working across Wearside. Charity Number: 1181932

Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA) are a Centre of Excellence for reviews after domestic homicide. They provide specialist and expert advocacy and specialist peer support to families and friends bereaved by domestic homicide, domestic abuse related suicides and unexplained deaths. AAFDA work on behalf of families and friends to ensure their loved one's voice is heard.

They also offer training, information, guidance and advice to professionals involved in cases of fatal domestic abuse. For more information about AAFDA and the work they do, visit www.aafda.org.uk

AAFDA are independent, a registered charity working nationally across the UK. Charity Number: 1185078 Company Number: 9527065

About Comic Relief

Comic Relief raises money to support people living incredibly tough lives. Through humour and stories of hope, we’ve shown that people can make a massive difference. We fund hundreds of amazing organisations who are working on the ground to support the most vulnerable people and communities in society including many of those hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis. This includes vulnerable children and young people, people who are homeless or who have been forced to flee their homes, women and families at risk of domestic abuse and those struggling with existing or new mental health problems.

For information about Comic Relief and the work it carries out, please www.comicrelief.com

Comic Relief, which is the operating name of Charity Projects, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)