Dame Louise Casey writes to Local Authority homelessness managers and rough sleeping coordinators
Do not meet others, even friends or family.
You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.
Funding boost for remote victim services
- £600,000 for charities to offer remote based support services
- helplines across the UK get funding boost to meet growing demand
- part of government action to ensure help remains available during this difficult time
Social distancing measures mean that some charities can no longer offer face-to-face support, and must transfer to mainly remote based services to provide victims with the practical and emotional help they need.
£600,000 will therefore be reallocated to services immediately, allowing helplines to stay open longer and employ more support workers to handle calls. It will also help fund the technology needed for other forms of contact such as video calls as well as a new online chat service and digital hub run by Victim Support.
Six organisations that together cover the whole of the United Kingdom will benefit from the funding, meaning victims of crimes, in particular sexual and domestic abuse, can still access this essential support.
Justice Minister, Alex Chalk MP, said:
Now more than ever victims need to know that they are not alone, and despite this challenging period help will always be there.
This cash boost will ensure that these vital services – which so many rely on – will continue to be available during this difficult time.
Victim Support Chief Executive Diana Fawcett:
We welcome funding from the Ministry of Justice to expand our online support services to every region of England and Wales, during a period which will be very difficult for victims of crime.
Our message to victims is very clear. Our trained supporters are here to offer you free and confidential support. It doesn’t matter where you live, what type of crime you have experienced, when it happened, whether you want support in the day or at night, or if you have reported the crime to the police. Victim Support is here to support you.
Today’s (23 April 2020) move follows a 50 per cent funding boost for rape support services which totals £32 million over the next 3 years for a range of services including tailored face-to-face support and counselling.
Alongside these measures, additional support is available to protect victims of domestic abuse during the coronavirus outbreak. The government recently published guidance on applying for domestic abuse injunctions remotely and we are boosting domestic abuse helplines and online support with an additional £2 million.
Charities across the UK will also benefit from a £750 million package of support, announced earlier this month by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, to ensure they can continue their vital work during the coronavirus outbreak
Notes to editors
- The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is reallocating £600,000 of existing funds to ensure helplines for victims and witnesses can deal with a surge in demand.
- The organisations benefiting from this include Safeline, The Survivors Trust, National Association for People Abused in Childhood, Rape Crisis England & Wales and Victim Support.
- MOJ funding for victim support services has almost doubled since 2012 to 2013. This year we awarded about £92 million on these services. In previous years this has been £96 million due to a £4 million MOJ contribution to the Home Office’s modern slavery contract – this funding has now been directly transferred to the Home Office.
- Information on Victim and Witness support provision can be found on GOV.UK.
- Information on specialist support for victims of sexual violence can be found on GOV.UK.
Philippines travel during coronavirus (COVID-19): local car rentals
Philippines travel during coronavirus (COVID-19): Department of Tourism contacts
World news story
Department of Tourism (DoT) local contacts for British people in the Philippines during the coronavirus restrictions, who are due to travel to the airport.
These contacts can arrange transport and advise whether you are required to get a medical certificate in your local area:
| Location | Local person | Contact number |
|---|---|---|
| Cagayan de Oro | Ms June Blanche Jalalon | +63 936 461 7885 |
| Davao | Ms Clarence Yog | +63 906 017 1717 |
| Ms Zuhairah Abas | +63 977 851 0903 | |
| Cotabato, General Santos, Sultan Kudarat | Ms Jellybee Baay | +63 995 003 5743 |
| Surigao (Caraga Region) | Ms Mary Vil Cruz | +63 998 958 7296 |
These contacts can arrange transport and advise whether you are required to get a medical certificate in your local area:
| Location | Local person | Contact number |
|---|---|---|
| Iloilo, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras | Ms Maria Fe Jimenea | +63 917 302 0529 |
| Mr. Rene Cortum | +63 916 254 4840 | |
| Aklan (Boracay) | Ms Pamela Cababasay | +63 916 589 6261 |
| Negros Occidental (Bacolod) | Ms Christine Mansinares | +63 977 820 4901 / +63 918 517 3563 |
| Provincial Offices of Negros Oriental and Dumaguete | Ms Myla Abellana | +63 917 460 5590 |
| Ms Jackie Antonio | +63 917 688 0888 | |
| Provincial Office of Siquijor | Mr Cle Bern Paglinawan | +63 917 635 1027 |
For assistance in getting to the airport:
| Location | Local person | Contact number |
|---|---|---|
| Leyte (Tacloban) | Rodel C Balierbare | +63 917 562 6671 |
For information about buses to the airport:
Published 23 April 2020
Nuclear industry donates £200,000 of lifesaving PPE to the NHS
The company and its owner, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), have pledged £200,000 to purchase the kit for the county’s frontline NHS and social care staff.
An estimated 5,000 gowns should be ready by the end of this week. A further 2,500 will be delivered each week over the next 6 weeks.
They will be distributed to NHS facilities across the county, according to need identified via the Local Resilience Forum.
Gowns provide crucial protection to care workers treating Covid-19 patients and help prevent the spread of infection.
They are in short supply as global stocks of PPE dwindle amid the global pandemic.
The donation is part of a targeted response by Sellafield Ltd, co-ordinated with local communities to ensure the areas of greatest need are identified and addressed.
On top of the 20,000 gowns, Sellafield Ltd and its supply chain have donated:
- 1,562 disposable suits
- 187 disposable gown/lab coats
- 4,850 disposable FFP3 masks
- 102 reusable masks
- 3,500 pairs of gloves
- 164 pairs of safety glasses
- 10 full face visors
Martin Chown, Sellafield Ltd Chief Executive, said:
From the outset, we’ve been committed to doing everything we can to support our local communities through this unprecedented challenge.
Like everyone, we’re in awe of the courage, compassion, and commitment of our frontline NHS staff.
We all know how vital it is to ensure healthcare workers have access to the right protective equipment to safeguard themselves, their patients, and their families.
Gowns were identified as being in particular short supply. Our knowledge of the PPE supply chain meant we could quickly establish a reliable route for high quality items via a national manufacturer and a local distributor.
I’d like to thank the NDA for its unwavering support which has allowed us to balance our contribution to the Covid-19 response with our nationally-important mission to keep the Sellafield site safe and secure.
Andrew van der Lem, the NDA’s Head of Government Relations said:
Our skilled workforce across the NDA group has risen quickly to the sudden and ongoing challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic. From donating PPE, to actually making it from scratch, our scientists, engineers, safety teams, and other personnel have been helping.
Donations from across the NDA Group include 32,000 pairs of gloves, more than 5,000 full protective suits, and over 8,000 face masks/respirators. Together with colleagues from across our supply chain and local communities, everyone has been pulling together and showing true spirit and determination.
Assistant Chief Constable Andrew Slattery, Chairman of Cumbria’s Local Resilience Forum, said:
This is a fantastic effort by Sellafield Ltd, which will provide a huge amount of support here in Cumbria for efforts to increase the supply of PPE.
It demonstrates how key agencies and employers are pulling together during this public health emergency to do their best for our communities and our brave NHS and social care staff.
Increasing the amount of PPE available will help keep frontline staff safe during the Covid-19 outbreak and help slow the spread of the virus.
Demand for Personal Protective Equipment will not subside any time soon and any other organisations or businesses which are able to help in the manufacture of this equipment is also invited to support the national effort.
They will be potentially saving lives.
Jo Lappin, Chair of the Cumbria’s Business and Economic Response and Recovery Group (BERRG) said:
This is excellent news and I would like to congratulate Sellafield Ltd for their generosity in making sure that both our most vulnerable citizens and our most precious assets, our health and social care workers, are protected by having the right PPE available.
Sellafield Ltd and the NDA collectively have a very strong track record in supporting our communities and this is the latest example of that commitment. They have previously provided a significant contribution to BERRG’s call for the donation of surplus PPE and this financial donation and their volunteering efforts further demonstrates this. We are all hugely appreciative of their efforts.
As well as PPE provision, Sellafield Ltd has provided support for local response groups and encouraged employees not identified as key workers to volunteer. More than 250 people are now volunteering in their local communities.
Martin added:
I’m enormously proud of all of our employees throughout this extraordinary period in our history.
Our key workers have shown incredible professionalism and commitment in carrying out critical tasks on site, supported by thousands of colleagues working from home.
Supporting our communities is one of our core values as a business and we’ll continue to play our part until we overcome this historic challenge together.