Equally Safe delivery plan: progress report

Deliverable 7

7. We will develop a flexible and stable funding model which reflects the ambitions of Equally Safe

Delivery plan actions to help meet this deliverable:

7.1 We will assess the current cost and spend of VAWG to inform the development of a sustainable long term funding model.

7.2 We will work with the VAWG Sustainable Funding Project Board to develop a new sustainable funding model.

Overview

To help provide a clear, evidence-based picture of the needs of women, children and young people experiencing VAWG across Scotland’s local authority areas, a VAWG Needs Assessment Tool is being developed. Intended to support partnership working across services and policy areas, raise awareness of shared responsibilities, and identify opportunities to strengthen safety, wellbeing and service improvement, the Tool is progressing through a testing phase. Ten local multi-agency Violence Against Women Partnerships and relevant strategic partnerships are participating, supported by £350,000 of Scottish Government funding in 2025/26. Partnerships represent a diverse range of geographies and are at different stages of readiness, allowing all questions to be tested. This phase of testing runs from October 2025 to June 2026, after which the Tool will be further developed and made available for wider use.

The Scottish Government is providing almost £46 million over two years through our Delivering Equally Safe Fund, to allow all fund recipients to continue the vital work they undertake to prevent violence and support survivors of VAWG. This multi-year investment, over 2026-2028, will give funded organisations the stability and greater certainty they need to plan ahead, retain specialist staff and sustain their vital services. This two-year funding agreement marks a significant step in the Scottish Government’s commitment to developing a more sustainable funding model for the third sector in line with fairer funding principles.