Minister urged to act as only specialist domestic abuse service in Far North faces 40% cut

The Scottish Government was urged to intervene after Highland Council confirmed a 40% cut to funding for Caithness and Sutherland Women’s Aid (CASWA), the only specialist domestic abuse service covering the area.

The reduction is worth around £53,000 and is due to take effect in 2027/28. CASWA maintains there is no alternative specialist provision in Caithness and Sutherland to absorb the shortfall.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Caithness, Sutherland and Ross MSP David Green said the national fight against misogyny and violence against women and girls must take effect in all parts of the country.

Mr Green said: “While the Government has committed to prioritising the epidemic of violence against women and girls, that national intent is not being reflected locally.”

He asked the Cabinet Secretary for Victims and Community Safety, Kirsten Oswald MSP, to step in and ensure that funding from the Delivering Equally Safe Fund is used to address the gap created by the cuts.

Ms Oswald said the Equally Safe Fund was a very important part of the Government’s toolkit and that she was “working at pace to gather evidence” to guide decisions about funding for support services.

The question follows Mr Green’s letter to the Minister on 7 October, in which he said: “It is increasingly difficult for specialist services to provide consistent support when funding remains uncertain.

“While the Scottish Government has rightly recognised violence against women and girls as an epidemic requiring decisive national action, that ambition must also be reflected in sustainable support for local services delivering that work on the ground.”

He asked ministers whether CASWA’s existing Delivering Equally Safe allocation could be increased to offset the loss of local authority funding, or whether the organisation could be eligible for the Victim-Centred Approach Fund.

The Delivering Equally Safe Fund is providing £46 million for prevention and specialist services between 2026 and 2028, and the Victim-Centred Approach Fund is investing £12 million in specialist advocacy between 2025 and 2027.

Speaking after the exchange Mr Green said:

"Ministers have said that violence against women and girls is a national priority.

"Delivering Equally Safe exists precisely to fund the specialist organisations doing that work, close to the families they support.

"They deserve a constant stream of funding to keep helping the victims who rely on them without interruption. I urge the Minister to consider the routes I have set out both in writing and today"

Caithness and Sutherland Women’s Aid has warned they are “already seeing increased demand, higher complexity, and longer waiting times” and “without intervention, the consequences for survivors in our area will be significant.”

They added: “It is increasingly contradictory for frontline domestic abuse services to be expected to rely on private charitable fundraising simply to maintain core, statutory-aligned work, particularly when the Scottish Government has publicly recognised violence against women and girls as an epidemic requiring decisive national action.

“A reduction of this scale therefore has a disproportionate and immediate impact on safety, access, and prevention work in Caithness and Sutherland.”