Allocations for coordination need to be specific and separate; that is, they cannot be assumed to be covered through budget allocations related to service delivery. Lack of funding is frequently a key factor when coordinated responses fail to move beyond simply being ‘talking shops’ or networking groups (Logar, 2006).
Specific coordination costs that may be included in the operational budget include:
- Administrative costs (e.g. meeting space to host monthly/quarterly meetings);
- Building/maintaining a database that efficiently captures information on partners, services, needs, etc.;
- Staff costs, including coordinator’s salary, if there is a dedicated role, and staff training on violence against women;
- Production of materials, such as meeting minutes, brochures on topics of interest, referral lists for service providers and users, educational/campaign materials to raise awareness, etc.; and
- Technologies to facilitate communication between meetings (e.g. email, intranet, shared virtual spaces; social media).
Funding and resources can be from one or a combination of the following sources:
- National/federal, state/provincial or local government funds;
- State agencies that allocate resources such as funding and staff time to participate; and
- International organisations and donors.
NGOs and other civil society groups working on ending violence against women may not have the required resources necessary to allow them to participate in a coordinated response. Their funding is often insecure and inadequate, and these organizations prioritise the frontline delivery of services to victims/survivors. Yet they often have the most expertise and experience with tackling violence against women, and would be invaluable partners. Therefore, funding should be set designed to remunerate these organisations for their participation in the coordinated response.
Monitoring the impact of the coordinated response is crucial to establishing where additional funding might be required to increase service provision, hire agency staff or provide additional training, among other needs. If a successful outcome of a coordinated response is to raise awareness of violence against women in the community, or increase arrests of perpetrators, more resources will be required to respond to heightened needs. For example, if reporting by victims/survivors increases, demands on existing criminal justice and support services are also likely to rise (Sen & Kelly, 2008). Prevention work with children and young people may identify those at risk of abuse or exploitation, or potential perpetrators. Having resources and a system in place to support these children and young people are essential. Similarly, prosecuting more perpetrators will mean that criminal justice agencies must have increased capacity, personnel and knowledge of the issues at stake. These needs should be taken into account when planning budgets over the longer term.
Government funds
The level at which resources are allocated may differ among government departments. For some sectors, such as Justice and Internal Affairs, departmental resources are usually allocated at the national or state/provincial level, while in others, such as Health and Social Affairs, funds are typically distributed locally. Multi-sectoral coordinated responses must link between the national, state/provincial and local levels to acquire appropriate resources (Sadan et al., 2001).
The US Violence against Women Act channels funds into collaborative programmes through its STOP and State Coalition grant programmes. Since 1995, when the Act came into force, approximately 353 awards have been given to states and territories, totaling more than $750 million, to address domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
International Donors
International agencies often partner with government agencies and NGOs, providing funding and technical assistance in the design of legal frameworks for violence against women policies, national action plans and in the implementation of public policies at the national and international level. Besides being an important funding source, international actors can also help promote effective public-private partnerships, including coalitions between governments and NGOs (Morrison et al., 2004).