Suffolk's Safer Stronger Communities Board has announced a fund of £150,000, which will support work to tackle serious violence in Suffolk. 

The £150,000 funding from the Home Office will support Suffolk's Serious Violence Strategy. Organisations can bid for funding for specific projects, which support the work of Suffolk's Serious Violence Strategy. Allocation of funding will be managed through Suffolk Community Foundation.   

In January 2023, the Government introduced a Serious Violence Duty on public bodies to ensure relevant services work together to share knowledge and target interventions to prevent serious violence. 

The Serious Violence Duty has given partners in Suffolk the opportunity to reflect on the current countywide system for tackling violent crime and in response to this, Suffolk's Safer Stronger Communities Board has published its Serious Violence Strategy. 

The strategy brings together work already taking place across the system to tackle serious violence, such as the existing Criminal Exploitation, Violence Against Women and Girls and Combatting Drugs strategies. 

By bringing this work together in one place, the Serious Violence Strategy aims to improve partnership working, using a whole system approach to tackle serious violence in Suffolk, focusing on young people and communities at risk of becoming involved in serious violence, creating a safer place for communities to live and thrive.

The strategy encompasses four core themes: 

1. Prevention and early intervention: Focus resources and commissioning of interventions that are preventative, improving outcomes for young people. 

2. Safety of young people: Use evidence led approaches to identify communities of greatest need. 

3. Communication and engagement: Work with communities to continue to develop innovative solutions and promote successes. Use engagement opportunities to support evaluation of initiatives and review strategy aims. 

4. Strengthening the System: Continue to collaborate, innovate, and work in partnership to create a whole system approach to tackling serious violence.

Cllr Bobby Bennett, Chair of Suffolk's Safer Stronger Communities Board, said: "Serious violence is a complex and serious issue that is not unique to Suffolk. Whilst Suffolk remains a very safe place to live and visit, we are not complacent, and recognise the need for strong partnership to ensure this type of crime does not increase.

"Suffolk's Serious Violence Strategy brings together the work happening across the county, to tackle serious violence and its root causes. 

"The fund will bolster the work of the strategy, supporting Voluntary Organisations with specific projects aimed at tackling serious violence.

"By taking a whole system approach and focusing on young people and communities at risk of becoming involved in serious violence, we create a safer place for communities to live and thrive."

Suffolk's Safer Stronger Communities Board includes representatives from Community Safety Partnerships, District and Borough Councils, Suffolk County Council, Police, Police & Crime Commissioner, Youth Justice Service, Probation Service, Integrated Care Boards, Safeguarding and Criminal Justice Board. 

Suffolk's Serious Violence Strategy can be viewed at https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/community-and-safety/communities/community-safety/serious-violence-duty

The Serious Violence Fund from the Home Office of £150,000 is available to CVFSE organisations, parish councils, educational settings and public bodies from April 2024 and applications are invited for grants between £4,000 and £15,000. Organisations can apply by visiting: https://www.suffolkcf.org.uk/grants/seriousviolencedutyfund/