Violence is a major determinant of poor health and is often recognised as a crime in law. Many areas of government and the third sector seek to reduce the extent to which violence is used and the health inequalities that result.
These areas span policing and judicial services, healthcare services, and providers of specialist services, like refuges. People who use violence and people who experience violence may also have contact with a range of other services such as housing and social security.
While sharing many related goals, these services are often not aligned. There are differences in the populations they engage with, the outcomes they prioritise and measure, and the definitions they operationalise. The data generated by these different systems often remain fragmented, limiting scope for coherent and joined up strategies for reducing violence and health inequalities.
The Violence, Health and Society (VISION) consortium, launched in October 2021, is a five-year UKPRP-funded interdisciplinary consortium comprising nine UK universities and multiple partners with expertise spanning social policy, criminology, economics, epidemiology, sociology, health services research sciences, and law, within a wide public health framework. The overarching goal of VISION is to facilitate the integration of theories and data on reducing violence and resulting health inequalities can allow for richer, more balanced, holistic and informed policy and practice responses.
The VISION programme includes funding for a limited number of complementary projects that each contribute to at least one of VISION’s five core objectives. Projects could address gaps in existing knowledge and data on violence and health and can use quantitative, qualitative, review, mixed or other methods. Projects could involve research, knowledge exchange, arts and/or other approaches. Lived experience engagement is welcomed, but it is recognised that given the timescale and budget this may not be possible.
Applications are welcome from people based in research organisations, universities and voluntary and third sector organisations as well as independent consultants based in the UK.
Any individual currently supported by the VISION grant will not be able to apply for this funding. They can however act as named advisors.
Applicants can request up to a maximum of £25,000.
Projects should start between 1 April – 31 October 2024 and should last up to one year.
Awards will be available only for direct expenses, which should be fully justified in the application. The funding cannot be used to cover the cost of teaching replacement, equipment or open access publication costs.
In addition to delivering the project outputs, the VISION Management team would require a brief progress report 6 months after starting, and a final report at the end of the project.
