During 2021/22 the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) awarded the Male Rape Support Fund £32,227 for a 12-month period (from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022)
Funding was to work with vulnerable young boys and men across the Cleveland.. It was awarded to Barnardo’s Tees Valley under DRF 2021-OPCC 000124.
The funding enabled Barnardo’s Tees Valley to support schools to respond appropriately to concerning sexual behaviours particularly from boys.
The focus of the work was to minimise the escalation of concerning sexual behaviours. In addition, it helped to support teaching staff to confidently handle safeguarding incidents through from a trauma-informed perspective.
At the same time, funding was used to provide a safe environment, in which boys and young men could identify their support needs and access help.
Through a combination of activities, immediate specialist support could be offered including one-to-one therapy.
This pilot was evaluated and provided strong learning points for the future. They included a need for response to harmful sexual behaviour within the school context requiring significant further input to ensure that appropriate safeguarding and care is in place.
In August 2022, the MoJ confirmed with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner that funding from the Male Rape Support Fund would be available in Cleveland for 2022/23.
Despite the project ending in March 2022, Barnardo’s Tees Valley was quickly able to mobilise the project and build on the previous pilot.
Decision 2022-0014: Male Rape Support Fund 2022/23 (application, 156kB)