On 2 May 2020 the government announced a £3million investment per annum into recruiting Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs), committed until March 2022. The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland (OPCC) submitted an expression of interest to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for additional provision based on local need and the anticipated increased demand as a result of COVID-19. This expression of interest was successful and £116,442 has been secured for an additional x2 35 hour ISVA posts from 1 July 2020 – 31 March 2022.
The OPCC currently commissions Arch North East to deliver a Tees-wide ISVA Service, this contract comes to an end on 31 March 2021. Work is ongoing in terms of a service specification for the ISVA service post March 2021. This decision therefore seeks approval for:
- Arch North East be awarded £49,904 from 1 July 2020 – 31 March 2021 to increase capacity of existing service
- £66,538 be included as part of the financial envelope for the new service commencing on 1 April 2021