Commissioning intentions 2025-26

Introduction

Commissioning budget 2025 - 26

Commissioning highlights 2024 - 25

Commissioning intentions 2025 - 26

Introduction

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gwent, elected by the public, holds the legal responsibility for setting policing priorities for Gwent Police through the Police, Crime and Justice Plan (PCJP). This document outlines the PCC's priorities during their term, providing the context and direction for commissioning.

Annually, the PCC commissions a portfolio of services and interventions to support the delivery of the priorities outlined in the PCJP. These services are delivered by external providers through grants, contracts, or contributions to partnership organisations.

This document presents detailed information on the portfolio to be commissioned for the 2025-26 financial year, including the organisations involved, the services provided, and the amount of funding allocated to each priority. The recommendations within have been developed through engagement with Gwent Police and external partners, and have been approved through internal governance arrangements, with final sign-off by the PCC’s Strategic Management Board (SMB).

Commissioning budget 2025-26

Annually, the PCC receives a ‘core’ grant from the Home Office (HO), the local policing precept and other income that the PCC is entitled to receive. Most of this funding is allocated to Gwent Police for the provision of policing services. A smaller budget is retained for delivering the functions of the OPCC. Commissioned services will be commissioned from both the Force’s and the OPCC’s budget. Annually, the PCC also receives a Victims Services Grant from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to commission Victims Support Services in Gwent.

The PCC also attracts external funding from agencies such as the HO, the MOJ or Welsh Government, this may be funding on a shorter-term basis to address specific areas of concern or initiatives, as well as funding from partners for co-commissioned services.

In 2025/26 the PCC’s commissioning budget for commissioning services in Gwent is £7.423m, based on confirmed funding streams for the year, this is made up of the income streams and values shown below.

  • OPCC budget: £3,969,065.14 / 52%
  • Ministry of Justice: £1,246,466 / 16%
  • Home Office: £1,828,186 / 24%
  • Welsh Government: £470,040.36 / 6%
  • Proceeds of crime: £150,000 / 2%

In addition to this funding we also have income of £2.466m from partner organisations where we are co-commissioning services with them across a broader geographical landscape or commissioning distinct but complementary services under one contract.

Following the agreement of Council Tax Precept a further £1m has been made available to invest in delivering the priorities of the PCJP for 2025-26 and beyond. Work is in progress to determine how this investment will be allocated and may include the commissioning of additional services and interventions.

Commissioning highlights 2024 - 25

  • 54 contracts and grants for commissioned services were awarded and managed with an investment totalling £4.7m. Five government grants from the MOJ and Home Office totalling £3.25m were successfully managed.
  • 4,667 referrals were received for Victims Services Commissioned. Overall, 87% of victims who were supported felt better able to cope with aspects of everyday life, as a result of receiving support from one of our Commissioned Services.
  • 1,455 referrals were made to interventions for offenders. Overall, 77% of offenders who received an intervention were able to make progress towards achieving one or more outcome, including their use of substances, their wellbeing, their safety and their relationships.
  • 15 projects have been delivered through the Police Community Fund, supporting nearly 3000 children who are at risk of entering the criminal justice system or who have been victims of crime achieve outcomes including to improving their confidence and wellbeing; broaden their horizons and achieve a sense of belonging to a shared community.
  • Two co-commissioned services were mobilised – Women and Young Adults Services and the ISVA Service and one service was re-commissioned to secure a provider for the Children and Adult Victim Services within Gwent, bringing together the provision of services for adults and children under one contract from April 25 onwards.
  • 62% of our services were used by females, 77% of service users were between the ages of 18 and 54. 32% reported having a disability. Of those who reported their ethnicity 69% were White and 4% were from an Ethnic Heritage. (N.B. These demographics do not take into account our grant funded services and interventions which reach broad and diverse communities across Gwent.)

Commissioning intentions 2025-26

The following section outlines the services and interventions that are intended to be commissioned in 2025/26 under each of the PCJP Priorities. It is intended that funding is allocated fairly and proportionately to a range of organisations and initiatives across Gwent, with due regard to funding available and its remit, identified need and desired outcomes in order to achieve the most effective and sustainable investment. A number of services and interventions will be delivering against the priorities of more than one pillar, however, each commissioned service has been allocated under a primary Pillar. For example, spend on Protecting the Vulnerable looks low but a number of the services allocated under the Putting Victims First and Reducing Re-Offending pillars will be directly supporting this Pillar also.

Intended spend against each pillar is as follows (this excludes the new unallocated £1m budget):

  • Reducing re-offending: £2,126,885
  • Making communities safer: £1,792,852
  • Putting victims first: £1,394,241
  • Preventing crime and ASB: £846,082
  • Protecting the vulnerable: £44,930

Where the need to secure a service from an external provider has been identified, the service requirements will be promoted through publication of an Invitation to Tender, or the launch of a grant fund. Potential providers will submit bids which will be assessed, and recommendations will be made to the PCC for decision. The successful provider will be notified, and an agreement put in place, in relation to the Terms & Conditions of the funding provided.

Where the requirement is being met through a partnership or is co-commissioned and we are not the lead in securing the provider, this may require development of a collaboration agreement between the commissioning partners and where the project or service is to be delivered in house, a project management approach will be taken to implement and deliver the outcomes, including establishing the project team, developing a project plan and delivery of the project.

Preventing crime and ASB

Service: Positive impact fund
Overview: This fund will provide support to groups and organisations positively impacting communities in Gwent and delivering against Police and Crime Plan Priorities. 
Budget allocation: £50,000

Service: Police community fund
Overview: This fund will enable people in Gwent to be safe, healthy and happy, building a better future for themselves and their community by tackling community-based issues in a lasting and impactful way.
Budget allocation: £65,000

Service: High Sheriff's Fund
Overview: This contribution to the High Sheriff’s Fund (HSF) will aim to provide a safer and better quality of life for the people of Gwent, particularly children and young people, by supporting community-based initiatives and projects that reduce crime and improve community safety.
Budget allocation: £65,000

Service: Positive Futures - Newport Live
Overview: This service provides diversionary activities which enable vulnerable and at-risk children and young people across Gwent to reach their potential. Positive Futures works across Gwent and takes referrals from the community and from partners. Group sporting activities are delivered on a weekly basis but during the sessions, project staff take the time to engage with participants and talk around the risk factors being displayed by the young person, providing a tailored mix of group and 1-2-1 work. Programme staff are qualified youth practitioners.
Budget allocation: £203,582

Service: Safer Streets 5
Overview: This project is funded directly by the HO to tackle neighbourhood crime, Violence Against Women and Girls and ASB. The HO have confirmed this funding stream will be ending, with no further funding for 2025-26.
Budget allocation: £0

Service: All Wales Academic Collaboration
Overview: This collaboration aims to facilitate effective engagement between Welsh Police Forces and universities in Wales to undertake research that improves the lives of people in Wales. Policing in Wales agreed in December 2024 to roll funding for 1 year to 2025-26 for further work to be undertaken to ascertain the value of this work on an All-Wales basis.
Budget allocation: £10,000

Service: Policing in Wales
Overview: The All-Wales Business Co-ordinator for Policing in Wales is responsible for the co-ordination and management of the Police and Crime Commissioners, partnership, collaboration on an all Wales and UK wide basis. The role will provide high quality advice and support to all elements of collaboration, ensuring good governance, scrutiny and compliance / performance activity. 
Budget allocation: £17,500

Making our communities safer

Service: Community safety partnerships
Overview: A contribution will be made to the work of community safety partnerships, who work to deliver projects and services across the five Local Authorities. An allocation of £263,195 from the PCC’s direct funding has been set for this funding stream. Each local authority partner will complete a proposal form outlining their intention as to how the allocation will be spent and provide a monitoring report on a 6 monthly basis.

The allocation to each individual Local Authority is based on an agreed formula and is as follows:

  • Newport City Council £71,782
  • Caerphilly County Borough Council £68,649
  • Torfaen County Borough Council £45,413
  • Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council £37,882
  • Monmouthshire County Council £39,469

Budget allocation: £263,195

Service: Serious violence and organised crime interventions
Overview: An allocation will be made to fund two interventions which work with children and young people across Gwent to tackle serious violence and organised crime. Both organisations will complete a proposal form to outline their delivery which will be monitored quarterly through the year.

  • £138,114 to St Giles Trust which provides support and safeguards vulnerable young people involved in criminality.
  • £45,947 to Crimestoppers (Fearless Programme) which educates children and young people about the harm caused by serious violence and organised crime.

Budget allocation: £184,061

Service: Serious violence duty interventions
Overview: The Serious Violence Duty Funding is provided to Gwent OPCC to support partners to work together to reduce violent crime, including domestic abuse and sexual offences; and address the root causes of serious violence. The introduction of the Serious Violence Duty through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 places a responsibility on the PCC to convene partners and administer the associated funding.
Budget allocation: £259,740

Service: ASB hotspots
Overview: The Anti-Social Behaviour Hotspot programme is a Government initiative for increased police and uniformed presence in areas with high levels of ASB. In 2025-26 Gwent received £999,388. 
Budget allocation: £1,000,000

Service: Wales Safer Communities Network
Overview: The Wales Safer Communities Network is the strategic voice that champions and connects everyone involved in community safety so that they can create safer communities – locally, regionally and nationally. A contribution of £20,000 will be made to support the work of the Welsh Safer Communities Network. Policing in Wales agreed in December 2024 to roll funding for 1 year to 2025-26 for further work to be undertaken to ascertain the value of this work on an all-Wales basis.
Budget allocation: £20,000

Service: Unallocated core budget
Overview: In previous years this was allocated to community safety initiatives including a contribution towards a regional community safety lead, South Wales Fire and Rescue post and a Safer Gwent Analyst, all of which are not currently funded, therefore there is an opportunity to re-allocate this to alternative current or new initiatives. The budget could also be moved to support a different pillar of the PCJP.
Budget allocation: £66,469

Protecting the vulnerable

Service: VAWDASV Blueprint
Overview: The VAWDASV Blueprint Framework has been developed to support delivery of the Welsh Government’s VAWDASV Strategy, creating a shared governance structure and an action plan that draws together partners from public bodies, private and specialist sector to jointly deliver a whole system approach. Policing in Wales agreed in December 2024 to roll funding for 1 year to 2025-26 for further work to be undertaken to ascertain the value of this work on an all-Wales basis.
Budget allocation: £38,000

Service: Welsh sexual assault opcc services programme support
Overview: A contribution towards a Policy Officer in South Wales Police OPCC to lead on the new ISVA contract and wider Wales Sexual Assault Services programme of work on behalf of South Wales, Gwent and Dyfed Powys Commissioners. 
Budget allocation: £6,930

Putting victims first

Service: Adult and Child Victims Services -Victim Support 
Overview: The PCC receives a Victim Services grant from the Ministry of Justice and is required to commission services to support people to cope and recover from the harm they have experienced as a victim of crime. This service is commissioned to provide a support service for victims and witnesses of crime in Gwent. Victim Support has been awarded a contract from April 2025 – March 2028 to provide ongoing support for adult and child victims.
Budget allocation: £409,155 

Service: Victim Care Unit – Gwent Police
Overview: A Victim Care Unit (VCU) is operated by Gwent Police and provides an assessment and triage of victims who come into contact with the Force. A contribution will be made to the delivery of this service from the MOJ Victim Services Grant.
Budget allocation: £135,214

Service: Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) – New Pathways
Overview: This service is commissioned to provide Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy to victims of any age or gender affected by sexual violence, to support them to cope and recover from their experience. This service is delivered by New Pathways under contract from July 2024 to March 2027, funded by MOJ Victim Services grant and is a joint contract between South Wales, Gwent and Dyfed Powys OPCC’s. The OPCC’s contribution is partly funded by the MOJ Victims Services Grant.
Budget allocation: £510,734

Service: Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) – Newport City Council
Overview: This service is commissioned to coordinate support to domestic abuse victims over 16 years old assessed as high risk. The service will increase their safety, their health and wellbeing and ability to cope with everyday life. The Gwent VAWDASV Commissioning Board, of which the PCC is a member, has responsibility for the delivery of local domestic abuse strategies and key partners from this board have agreed to fund a regional IDVA service across Gwent. An annual grant will be provided to Newport City Council to contribute to the delivery of the service. The OPCC’s contribution is partly funded by the MOJ Victims Services Grant.
Budget allocation: £156,363 

Service: TABW – Vale Domestic Abuse Services
Overview: This service ensures that victims of Police Perpetrated Domestic Abuse (PPDA) receive appropriate advocacy and support through the employment of two Independent Police Perpetrated Violence Advisers (IPPVA) posts. This is an increase from 1.5 in 2024-25 in order to deal with the demand for the service. It is a pilot service which is being commissioned jointly with South Wales OPCC. Vale DAS are the lead service who run and take overall accountability of the pilot and work very closely with Cyfannol, the service provider in Gwent. 
Budget allocation: £35,000

Service: TABW – Drive Caseworker
Overview: A post to work with Police Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse, to run alongside the TABW service for victims, with a specific focus on perpetrators employed or previously employed by South Wales and Gwent Police. Pilot jointly funded alongside WG and SW OPCC. A process evaluation is currently being undertaken by the University of South Wales to understand and capture its design, implementation, and delivery. This will help to inform learning such as what has worked well and why, and what changes might be needed to enhance the future provision.

There is an ask for £10,000 to continue funding this pilot. It is expected that the evaluation will deliver the information we need to determine whether further investment is required. As such no further funding is allocated at this stage.
Budget allocation: £0

Service: Family Court Pathfinder
Overview: The Family Court Pathfinder model is a trialling a problem solving approach to private law proceedings, putting a particular focus on improving the courts response to those affected by domestic abuse and aims to centre the voice of the child in proceedings.

SWOPCC received notification from MoJ that the grant allocation of £342,000 for the South East Wales pathfinder has been extended to 31st March 2026. The funding is paid directly to South Wales OPCC from the HO who fund Safer Merthyr Tydfil to deliver in partnership with Phoenix DAS in Gwent.
Budget allocation: £0

Service: Unallocated Victims Core Budget
Overview: This budget was allocated to the IDVA service during budget setting but agreement between partners means that Local Authorities have agreed to take over where MOJ Funding for DA and SV services was expected to cease post the end of the 3 year ring fenced grant agreement. This funding has been continued for 12 months by the MOJ which means that our contribution to the IDVA service will be paid for from the MOJ DA / SV specific funding freeing up this allocation from the base budget for 2025-26.
Budget allocation: £147,775

Reducing re-offending 

Service: One Wales - Women & Young Adults Service – Nelson’s Trust
Overview: This service provides an opportunity to be diverted away from the Criminal Justice System through out of court disposal and voluntary engagement aiming to reduce reoffending by addressing criminogenic need through assessment and support for women and young adults aged 18-25.

The current contract was awarded to Nelson’s Trust in April 2024 until March 2027 and is jointly commissioned with South Wales OPCC, Welsh Government and HMPPS. HMPPS’s Community Rehabilitation Services for women is delivered along side the women’s and young adults diversion service.
Budget allocation: £349,032 

Service: Gwent Drug & Alcohol Service – G4S (as Kaleidascope’s subcontractor)
Overview: This service provides support for those in the criminal justice system to address their substance misuse with the intention of reducing reoffending. The OPCC commissions the criminal justice element of the service with Probation, alongside the open access substance misuse service in Gwent. Commissioning is via Newport Council and the Gwent Substance Misuse Area Planning Board. The service was recommissioned in April 2022 and the current contract is due to end in March 2026.
Budget allocation: £901,071

Service: Cautioning and Relationship Abuse (CARA) Programme – Safer Merthyr Tydfil
Overview: This intervention is an early intervention perpetrator programme that can address inappropriate behaviour via an out of court disposal for standard risk domestic abuse (DA) perpetrators, with the intention of reducing re-offending and harm. It is jointly commissioned with South Wales OPCC, it is delivered under license by Safer Merthyr Tydfil, who will work with Phoenix DAS. Hampton Trust developed CARA and are supporting the delivery partners in setting up the service and the ongoing running of it. This will be funded by the Home Office Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Interventions Fund and WG. An allocation of £50,000 has been provided, to secure the funding we will need to submit a revised proposal for delivery of outcomes and an accompanying budget.
Budget allocation: £50,000

Service: MATAC
Overview: The Multi Agency Tasking and Coordination (MATAC) is a Gwent Police Team set up to identify and deal with high risk Domestic Abuse offenders as part of a Home Office bid to the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Interventions Fund. An allocation of £519,058 has been provided, to secure the funding we will need to submit a revised proposal for delivery of outcomes and an accompanying budget.
Budget allocation: £519,058

Service: Youth Offending Service
Overview: A contribution to the work of key community safety partners working together to deliver projects and services across the five local authorities, that will support the delivery of the priorities of the Police, Crime and Justice Plan.

The annual allocation to each Youth Offending Service is made based on an agreed formula, the allocation for each YOS will be:

• Monmouthshire & Torfaen Youth Offending Service £66,602
• Blaenau Gwent & Caerphilly Youth Offending Service £89,025
• Newport Youth Offending Service £69,325

Budget allocation: £224,952

Service: Integrated Offender Management Analyst
Overview: This contribution supports the Integrated Offender Management arrangements by building and sustaining strategic and tactical analytical capability, servicing all partners across Wales.

This is one area of spend Policing in Wales didn’t roll for 2025-26. The request is for £11,500. Assessments undertaken by the force and OPCC indicated that products which were requested to be delivered, as a condition of providing further funding for 2025-26, haven’t been delivered and value for money was not able to be demonstrated. As such, the recommendation is for no further funding to be provided.
Budget allocation: £0

Service: All Wales Criminal Justice Board Coordination
Overview: This contribution support the All Wales Criminal Justice Board arrangements which brings together criminal justice partners in Wales, with the purpose of reducing crime and making communities safer by achieving better outcomes and experiences for those who encounter the Criminal Justice System in Wales whether as victims, witnesses, or offenders. This contribution towards the post of the Criminal Justice Board for Wales Coordinator & a support role, which will assist the Coordinator; and to provide an appropriate non-pay budget to support the work of the Board.
Budget allocation: £10,000

Service: Anti Racism Action Plan & IOA Panel 
Overview: This contribution supports the implementation of the Criminal Justice Anti-Racism Action Plan for Wales. The Criminal Justice plan works with the Welsh Government’s Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, launched on 7th June 2022, to ensure the implementation of a whole system, one public service response to racism in Wales. Reports to the Criminal Justice Board for Wales.

Policing in Wales agreed in December 2024 to roll funding for 1 year to 2025-26 for further work to be undertaken to ascertain the value of this work on an all Wales basis.
Budget allocation: £22,772

Service: Unallocated Offenders core budget
Overview: DA Perpetrator Funding for CARA and MATAC was not expected to be continued for 2025-26 and as such £50,000 was allocated in the based budget for continued delivery of CARA. With the funding from DA Perpetrator Fund having being allocated, this money is now unallocated.
Budget allocation: £50,000