Funding Arrangements for Victims and Survivors to be Overhauled

There will be a new funding arrangement for victims and survivors under the new strategy published by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM).

The newly established Victims and Survivors Service will be the focal point for funding work with victims and survivors and will replace a number of existing funding schemes. These include the core funding and development grant schemes currently operated on behalf of the OFMDFM by the Community Relations Council (CRC). This will continue as the service is established to ensure no gap in provision to either groups or individuals.

In the interim CRC will continue the existing core funding scheme operated on behalf of OFMDFM coupled with an enhanced development grant scheme to:

• provide greater support for befriending services and carers
• enable victims and survivors groups to make the transition to new funding arrangements and to participate in the Victims and Survivors Forum
• address the issue of respite care.

These schemes provide resources to victims and survivors groups and other voluntary organisations working with victims and survivors.

The new Service will also have the role of providing funding to individual victims and survivors. Organisations seeking funding will be required to relate their proposed activities to a comprehensive needs assessment and have regard to the need to comply with agreed standards and outcome measures for services.

In considering any applications by victims and survivors groups the Victims and Survivors Service will be able to consider applications from single identity groups. This is in keeping with the principle that some victims and survivors only feel comfortable with people from within their own community.

The Victims and Survivors Service will use appropriately qualified staff to:

• process applications against a clearly published set of criteria;
• speak directly with individual victims and survivors and groups to identify with them what needs they have direct individual victims and survivors and victims and survivors groups towards other services and to relevant grants
• keep relevant information that will be useful for the Commission and the OFMDFM in needs analysis.

The new Victims and Survivors Service will be independent of government with regard to its day to day operations. It will allocate funding in a transparent and open way in accordance with clear and published criteria.

As the new Service will replace the schemes currently funded by the OFMDFM Minister in relation to the provision of support to individual victims and survivors and groups involved in this area of work, it is anticipated that the administration costs will be offset by resources currently deployed on administration under existing arrangements.

A copy of the full document “Strategy for Victims and Survivors November 2009” is available from: www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/victims