Hi, I’m Jo Todd, CEO at Respect. For the last 22 years we’ve been working towards a world where domestic abuse is not tolerated, where perpetrators are held to account, given the chance to change and stopped from causing harm, so that survivors are safe and free.
Over the past four years, Respect has grown exponentially both in terms of size and impact. In 2021/22, this growth continued and, in some areas, intensified. This wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the Respect Team, our board of Trustees, our membership, and our many partners and friends, all of whom enrich and amplify our work. Without you, this growth would not have been possible.
Over the last year our sector’s efforts to improve political and public understanding of perpetrator work has resulted in much-needed investment, including £75 million pledged as part of the government’s Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. The Plan reveals an increased focus on prevention, perpetrator interventions and the improvements needed to bring perpetrators to justice. Crucially, it makes provisions for the funding called for in the Drive Partnership’s Call to Action. We know this investment has the potential to transform the landscape of perpetrator work, and we’re working to inform the Government to ensure it is spent well.
This year, we’ve invested in our Influence team, expanded our support services and grown our projects. We’ve rapidly scaled up the delivery of the Safe and Together model; the Drive Partnership has broadened its scope by developing a Systems Change strand of work; and our Make a Change and CLEAR partnership projects continue to reach communities and offer early responses. Our Young People’s Work continues to grow and diversify, giving young people using violence and abuse the opportunity to change their behaviour.
Reflecting the ongoing impact of the pandemic, and an impending cost-of-living crisis, our helplines continued to respond to high demand in 2021/22. The Men's Advice Line for male victims of domestic abuse saw its highest ever call numbers, and contacts to the Respect Phoneline remained high too. We expect call levels to continue to rise as money-worries bite and pressure mounts.
Internally, we are continuing to adapt to life as a larger organisation. We’ve developed systems and processes to support staff, especially as we now work remotely. We still have a way to go: our policies are being updated to reflect the needs of our larger team and we’ve been considering how we make decisions and who we work with to ensure our decision making is always transparent, ethical and in line with our values. We continue our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, with a staff-led group spearheading our work to become an actively anti-racist organisation, and a group looking at the issues of Sex, Gender and Trans Inclusion. We’ve also been developing a new EDI policy, which will further improve and strengthen our inclusivity.
I’ll finish by saying how lucky I feel to be working through this period of growth and change with a team full of brilliant, committed experts and with the support of friends and allies across the VAWG sector and beyond. I’m so glad you’re here with us!
