Highland Council under growing pressure to halt proposals for future funding of women’s aid services
Calls are growing for an urgent rethink on proposals which could affect support services for women and children affected by domestic abuse in the Highlands.
Concerns have been raised Women’s Aid services across the region are at risk of closure following a review by Highland Council.
The council is considering changing to funding just one provider for the whole region and to also make the service available to men.
But it has prompted fears that such a move would lead to the closure of Women’s Aid services in Inverness, Lochaber, Ross-shire and Skye and Caithness and Sutherland.
• Highland politicians seek urgent answers over future of domestic abuse services
Highlands and Islands Green MSP Ariane Burgess has now joined the growing chorus urging the council to safeguard the region's domestic abuse services.
In a letter to the council, she voiced deep concerns over the potential shift to a single lead provider model and highlighted the critical role of the current network of local Women’s Aid groups in providing specialist, local support to survivors of domestic abuse.
"The Highlands cover an extensive and diverse area, with remote communities requiring tailored, local support," Ms Burgess stated.
"A centralised model risks losing the essential local knowledge, connections, and expertise that have been grown over decades, potentially leaving vulnerable individuals without the support they need."
Ms Burgess stressed that domestic abuse was a gendered crime, with women comprising 83 per cent of victims according to Police Scotland.
She called for separate funding streams for male and female survivors to ensure that resources for women’s services were not compromised.
"Refuge provision is a cornerstone of domestic abuse support, offering survivors safety and stability at their most vulnerable moments," Ms Burgess added.
"A move to a lead provider model could jeopardise these critical services and result in the closure of local refuges, further endangering lives and erasing invaluable expertise."
She also called for the council to adhere to its responsibilities under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations (2015), the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act (2014), and the Equality Act (2010) to ensure that any decisions made did not adversely impact women.
"I welcome Highland Council’s reassurance that Women’s Aid groups and stakeholders will be part of the ongoing consultation," Ms Burgess concluded.
"However, I urge careful consideration of the risks associated with a centralised model and the potential loss of localised, specialist services.
“The current network of Women’s Aid groups represents decades of community-based expertise and is vital to the safety and wellbeing of women and children across the Highlands."
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has also backed calls by a former MSP for the council not to pursue a pan-Highland service.
Maureen Macmillan, co-founder of Ross-Shire Women's Aid and former Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, has written to Highland Council saying such a move would be “impossible”.
She said the Women’s Aid groups were made from the ground up and embedded in their communities.
She also stated that men who were victims of domestic abuse required separate unique support and that Women’s Aid services specialised in the mental and physical abuse of women and children
Ms Grant said: “Maureen is a powerful voice in this field as she was one of the driving forces who set up Ross-Shire Women’s Aid in the 1970’s.
“We should all take her calls for this review to stop very seriously.
“She is completely right to suggest that there cannot be a pan Highland service that is shoehorned into place.
“Women’s Aid have spent decades providing invaluable support and embedding themselves into their communities.
“I urge Highland Council to re-think this decision and I hope common sense prevails.”
Highland and Islands SNP MSP Emma Roddick has also called for an urgent meeting with the council.
