Over £250,000 in Home Office funding has been secured by Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner to tackle domestic abuse in Preston, South Ribble and the rest of Lancashire.

The Commissioner, Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Blackpool Council and Lancashire’s Violence Reduction Network will match the funding bringing total investment in Lancashire to over £450,000.

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The money will be used to expand the Blackburn-based Wish Centre’s work with perpetrators of domestic abuse, and to establish a new programme aimed a tackling child to parent abuse across the county.

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The aim of the Young People’s Programme is to work with children and teenagers that show abusive behaviours to help them form healthy relationships and improve family dynamics.

Ultimately the programme will strive to prevent repeat offending and reduce the likelihood of children and young people becoming the next adult perpetrators of domestic abuse when they form intimate relationships.

The funding will also help to further roll out the Wish Centre’s established ‘Make the Change’ programme which will be available across the whole of Lancashire going forward.

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Shigufta Khan, CEO at the Wish Centre, said: “We are really pleased to be able to introduce the Young People’s Programme to Lancashire. The sooner we can work with young people to help them manage emotions and develop a better understanding of healthy relationships the more likely we are to stop them from offending in the future.

“Our work with adult offenders will now cover the whole of Lancashire which is really good news. Given the right tools and support people can change.

“We can help perpetrators and young people showing abusive behaviours understand and break the pattern of abuse which means that they are far less likely to commit domestic abuse in the future which is the ultimate aim.”

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Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw added: “We need to tackle domestic abuse from all angles. Vital support for victims of abuse is already established across Lancashire and I am pleased that the additional funding can be used to focus on working with perpetrators.

“Breaking the cycle of abuse is so important and programmes like this can make that difference.

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“I am really pleased that partners across Lancashire have come together to support this approach which means that the existing perpetrator programme is now available across the whole of the county and that young people can be supported to change.”

The new programme is expected to start in early 2021. Anyone wishing to find out more can contact the Wish Centre on 01254 260465 or by emailing info@thewishcentre.org.uk.

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What do you think of the funding to combat domestic violence? Let us know in the comments.