Commissioning intentions 2026 – 27

Commissioning budget 2026 – 27

Commissioning Intentions 2026/27

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 her 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 partners.

This document presents detailed information on the portfolio to be commissioned for the 2026-27 financial year, including the organisations involved, the services provided, and the amount of funding allocated. 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 2026 – 27

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 2026/27 the PCC’s commissioning budget for commissioning services in Gwent is £5.395m, based on confirmed funding streams for the year, this is made up of the income streams and values shown in the chart. In addition to this funding the Commissioner is expected to receive income of £2.1m from partner organisations where the OPCC is co-commissioning services with partners across a broader geographical areas or commissioning distinct but complementary services under one contract.

OPCC budget: £3,156,263 43.7%
Ministry of Justice: £1,399,345 / 19.4%
Home Office: £544,269 / 8%
Welsh Government: £145,290 / 2%
Proceeds of crime: £150,000 / 2%

Commissioning Intentions 2026/27

The following section outlines the services and interventions that are intended to be commissioned in 2026/27 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.

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: Community Partnership Fund
Budget: £50,000
Overview: This fund will provide support to groups and organisations positively impacting communities in Gwent and delivering against Police, Crime and Justice Plan Priorities.

Service: Commissioner’s Community Fund
Budget: £500,000
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.

Service: Community Engagement Fund
Budget: £100,000
Overview: This fund will provide grants to projects that build on community cohesion, and trust and confidence in public services, whilst supporting delivery of the objectives of the Strategic Equality Plan.

Service: High Sheriff’s Fund
Budget: £65,000
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.

Service: Positive Futures – Newport Live
Budget: £209,689
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.

Service: All Wales Academic Collaboration
Budget: £13,000
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.

Service: Policing in Wales
Budget: £17,500
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.

Making our Communities Safer

Service: Community Safety Partnerships
Budget: £236,410
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 £236,410 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 £64,476
Caerphilly County Borough Council £61,664
Torfaen County Borough Council £40,791
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council £34,027
Monmouthshire County Council £35,452

Service: Serious Violence and Organised Crime (SVOC) Interventions
Budget: £209,782
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.

£142,257 to St Giles Trust which provides support and safeguards vulnerable young people involved in criminality.

£67,525 to Crimestoppers (Fearless Programme) which educates children and young people about the harm caused by serious violence and organised crime.

Service: Serious Violence Duty (SVD) Interventions.
Budget: £259,740
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.

Service: Wales Safer Communities Network
Budget: £20,000
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.

Protecting the Vulnerable

Service: MARAC Coordinator
Budget: £26,117
Overview: A contribution will be made to the post of the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) Co-ordinator who is responsible for overseeing the MARAC process where information is shared on high-risk domestic abuse cases.

Service: Stalking Advocacy and Support
Budget: £50,000
Overview: Independent stalking advocates, such as Independent Stalking Advocacy Caseworkers (ISAC’s), provide crucial support to victims of stalking, helping them to navigate the complexities of their situations and access necessary resources. An allocation is being made ensure dedicated support is available for victims of stalking going forward.

Service: Stalking Response
Budget: TBC
Overview: An allocation will be made available to develop and improve response to stalking in Gwent. Work is underway to determine the requirements and allocate and appropriate amount of funding to support those requirements.

Service: TABW – Vale Domestic Abuse Services
Budget: £35,011
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. Vale DAS are the lead service who run and take overall accountability of the pilot and work closely with Cyfannol, the service provider in Gwent.

Service: Cautioning and Relationship Abuse (CARA) Programme – Safer Merthyr Tydfil
Budget: £50,000
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 until September 2026 when funding is due to cease.

Service: MATAC
Budget: £259,529
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 £259,529 has been provided to fund the project until September 2026.

Service: The Drive Programme
Budget: £0
Overview: Drive is an intervention aimed at reducing domestic abuse by working with high-risk perpetrators to change their behaviour and protect victims. The Home Office are providing funding to roll-out Drive across England and Wales, therefore it is not expected that the Commissioner will need to provide funding for this. Roll-out in Gwent is still in planning phase, awaiting to be allocated resource to start mobilising. Home Office funding allocation is unconfirmed.

Service: Remote Evidence Site
Budget: £22,971
Overview: The Gwent Remote Evidence Site (RES) is currently housed within the Gwent Police Estate and operated by Victim Support. The delivery of the service is funded by Welsh Government funding via the Regional VAWDASV Team. Victims of sexual or domestic violence can apply for special measures to ensure they can provide evidence to their best ability at trial, one of the measures that can be granted is to provide their evidence via a video link.

Service: VAWDASV Blueprint
Budget: £40,000
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.

Service: Ask for Angela
Budget: £20,000
Overview: This scheme helps anyone who is feeling vulnerable on a night out to get the support they need. This allocation is being made to support the wider roll-out of this initiative in Gwent.

Service: Raneem’s Law
Budget: £40,000
Overview: This is an initiative being piloted by the Home Office, aimed at improving the response to domestic abuse in the UK. It involves embedding domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms. The project is expected to roll-out during 2026 and an allocation has been made to support this work should Gwent be successful in being part of the Phase 2 roll-out.

Service: Welsh Sexual Assault Services (WSAS) Programme Support
Budget: TBC
Overview: An allocation to support the work of the WSAS Programme is expected to be made but this is still to be determined for the 26-27 financial year.

Putting Victims First

Service: Adult and Child Victims Services -Victim Support
Budget: £409,068
Overview: 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. This is funded by the MOJ Victims Services grant.

Service: Victim Care Unit – Gwent Police
Budget: £135,214
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.

Service: Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) – New Pathways
Budget: £510,734
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 OPCCs. The OPCC’s contribution is funded by the MOJ Victims Services Grant.

Service: Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) – Newport City Council
Budget: £156,363
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 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 funded by the MOJ Victims Services Grant.

Service: Uplift ISVA Service Funding for Domestic Abuse (DA) victims – standard / medium risk
Budget: TBC
Overview: An allocation may be made available to enable more victims of sexual assault to access support. Work is underway to determine the requirements and allocate an appropriate budget.

Service: Funding for Domestic Abuse (DA) victims – standard / medium risk
Budget: TBC
Overview: An allocation may be made available to enable more victims of sexual assault to access support. Work is underway to determine the requirements and allocate an appropriate budget.

Service: Family Court Pathfinder
Budget: £0
Overview: The Family Court Pathfinder model is a trialling a problem-solving approach to private law proceedings, putting a particular focus on improving the court’s response to those affected by domestic abuse and aims to centre the voice of the child in proceedings.

South Wales Police OPCC received notification from MOJ that the grant allocation of £336,000 for the South East Wales pathfinder has been made for 26-27. The funding is paid directly to South Wales OPCC from the MOJ who fund Safer Merthyr Tydfil to deliver in partnership with Phoenix Domestic Abuse Service (PDAS) in Gwent. Approximately 40% of the overall budget is likely to be allocated to delivery in Gwent.

Reducing Re-offending

Service: One Wales - Women & Young Adults Service – Nelson’s Trust
Budget: £355,584
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 His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). HMPPS’s Community Rehabilitation Services for women is delivered alongside the women’s and young adults diversion service.

Service: Gwent Drug & Alcohol Service – G4S (as Kaleidascope’s subcontractor)
Budget: £901,071
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 2028.

Service: Youth Offending Service
Budget: £231,699
Overview: A contribution to the work of the Youth Offending Services (YOS) in Gwent working 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. An allocation from the Commissioner’s direct funding has been set for this funding stream. Each YOS 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 annual allocation to each YOS is made based on an agreed formula, the allocation for each YOS will be:

Monmouthshire & Torfaen Youth Offending Service £68,599
Blaenau Gwent & Caerphilly Youth Offending Service £91,695
Newport Youth Offending Service £71,405

Service: All Wales Criminal Justice Board Coordination
Budget: £10,400
Overview: This contribution supports 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 goes towards the post of the Criminal Justice Board for Wales Coordinator and an appropriate non-pay budget to support the work of the Board.

Service: Anti Racism Action Plan & IOA Panel
Budget: £22,772
Overview: This contribution supports the implementation of the Criminal Justice Board’s 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.

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.