Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey has welcomed the Scottish Government announcement that more than 100 organisations working to tackle violence against women and girls will share in a funding uplift of £2.4 million.
If this year’s Scottish Budget is approved, the fund will provide £21.6 million for the year ahead to support the country’s strategy to eradicate violence against women and girls.
As a result of the funding uplift, counselling service Liber8 Lanarkshire, which is based in Blantyre, is set to receive over £258,000, South Lanarkshire Council would receive over £26,000 and Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire (WASLER) are set to receive over £450,000.
The funding boost will bring the total Scottish Government investment in the Delivering Equally Safe Fund, which funds projects by organisations across Scotland to prevent violence and support survivors.
Ms Haughey told the Rutherglen Reformer: “Grassroots organisations such as Liber8 are at the heart of tackling violence against women and girls. Their work is fundamental to creating a country free from gender-based abuse.
“Saoirse for example is a joint project between Liber8 and Women’s Aid that offers women a range of holistic and person-centred interventions and activities, including 1-1 support, group work, educational workshops and self-development opportunities.
“This funding boost will support these organisations, will help prevent abuse occurring and ensure that women and girls who have experienced violence can continue to access the support they deserve.”
WASLER provides a specialist service for women, children and young people who have experienced, or who are currently experiencing, gender-based violence.
A Women’s Aid specialist can meet with people to discuss all the wide range of options that 1-1 support can cover, including local services, housing advice, temporary accommodation, solicitors, benefits and safety planning.
Saoirse helps women in the group to manage the distinct challenges they face through a range of holistic and person-centred interventions and activities, including 1-1 support, group work, educational workshops and self-development opportunities.
The service is tailored to the needs of each individual – after getting in touch to make a referral, a member of the team will phone you to assess your needs and suggest which elements of the service will be the most suitable for you.
Groups are open to all women who have experienced domestic abuse or substance use. Go to https://liber8.org.uk/saoirse for more details.
Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart announced the funding increase last week.
She said: “Grassroots organisations across Scotland are at the heart of tackling violence against women and girls. Their work is fundamental to creating a country free from gender-based abuse.
“This funding boost will support these organisations, will help prevent abuse occurring and ensure that women and girls who have experienced violence can continue to access the support they deserve.”
The Delivering Equally Safe Fund supports organisations across Scotland in their work to tackle violence against women and girls, and has done since 2021.
It is the Scottish Government’s funding programme to support third sector organisations and public bodies to contribute to the objectives, priorities and outcomes of the Equally Safe strategy – Scotland’s strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls.
A £19.2 million funding extension to allow these organisations to continue their work until March 2026 was announced in December 2024, provided the Scottish Budget 2025-26 is approved by parliament.
This funding uplift of £2.4 million brings the fund total for 2025-26 to £21.6 million.
* Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!