Agenda item

A report will be received in respect of the Kirklees Domestic Abuse Strategy 2022-27.

Contact:

Jo Richmond, Head of Service, Communities

Chani Mortimer, Service Manager Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding Partnerships

A report was submitted in respect of the Kirklees Domestic Abuse Strategy 2022-27.

Councillor Carole Pattison, Cabinet Member for Learning, Aspiration and Communities, was in attendance and introduced the strategy, developed with the Domestic Abuse Strategic Partnership, explaining that it covered a five-year period and took a whole family approach. The breadth of this strategy had been facilitated by the preceding strategies, which had enabled the establishment and development of the necessary resources to address domestic abuse. She noted that the impacts of domestic abuse were felt not just by an individual or a family but the whole community and there would be a strengthened approach to dealing with perpetrators.

Jill Greenfield, Service Director Customer and Communities, Jo Richmond, Head of Service, Communities and Chani Mortimer, Service Manager Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding Partnerships attended to present the report and answer questions. They highlighted the following points:

·       There was a strong partnership in place and this provided a robust basis for launching a new strategy.

·       It was recognised that there were still some barriers to accessing support and that navigating support could be a challenge for local people.

·       The objective of the strategy was to provide a consistent, co-ordinated and high-quality approach regardless of the point at which someone accessed the system.

·       Delivery of the new statutory duty linked to safe accommodation had been incorporated within the strategy .

·       The delivery plan was being developed and scrutiny’s input would be welcomed.

·       The key themes running through the strategy included: responding to lived experience and providing feedback loops; intelligence-led resourcing as and when needed not just for ‘hotspots’ but also where there were few reports; supporting and increasing the skills of the workforce to ensure that they are equipped to respond in appropriate manner; how to support local specialist services to ensure that they are sustainable and embedded in the community; working directly with the community to understand impact and how this can be addressed; and agreeing individual partnership commitments.

The strategy was a partnership document and the Committee also welcomed Stuart Bainbridge from West Yorkshire Police and Denise Phillip, from NHS Kirklees Clinical Commissioning Group. 

Stuart explained that:

·       from the Police perspective the partnership approach was key, through the Kirklees Daily Risk Management Meetings (DRAMM) and Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) and third-sector partners

·       Domestic abuse was a primary function for West Yorkshire Police and was, unfortunately, a growth area.

·       The partnership approach would help support victims and direct perpetrators.

·       The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the Chief Constable had a strong understanding of domestic abuse and how a partnership approach would support the response. Resources had been focussed on domestic abuse and safeguarding and there had been an increase in staff and the development of new areas of work, such as the domestic abuse offender management team.

·       The need to work collaboratively was acknowledged and understood.

·       The Partnership Intelligence Portal would increase effectiveness and assist in filling the gaps in intelligence.

Denise explained that;

·       Domestic abuse was a priority across the health organisations. It had been recognised that, during the pandemic and lockdown, it had become an increasing concern nationally, and this was reflected locally.

·       Work had been done on gap analysis and how to support progression for funding streams.

·       Training had been provided for GPs on how to respond and additional funding allocated to acute providers to provide appropriate support for people presenting with disclosure of domestic abuse.

·       There was a strong collective commitment to work together to have a domestic abuse informed system, with all parties to the partnership having an equal voice.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:

·       The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government funding for the advanced practitioner roles based within a refuge had ceased but an alternative source of funding had been identified, thus allowing this service to continue.

·       A key part of the work was the focus on children and young people and there were established links with education and safeguarding colleagues. A recent pilot training programme in a local school had been received positively, with students being very engaged with the subject, and there were plans to roll this out more broadly.

·       There was a need to work within localities and communities to raise awareness of what is classed as abuse and its impact, and to instil the confidence to report. Work was ongoing in this regard and there was a desire to find a way of engaging with boys and men and to continue to build on work such as the White Ribbon Campaign. The partnership would be mindful of this in developing the delivery plan and this would include raising awareness about non-physical forms of abuse.

·       A request was made for timescales to be established for the community engagement activity and for this work to be specifically included in delivery plans. An update would be taken to Place Partnership Board on 23^rd March and further feedback could be provided. Links could also be made between Elected Members and the local domestic abuse leads on request.

·       There was refuge provision within the district and also access to external provision. Within Kirklees the provision was ‘women only’, and consideration was being given to how a range of accommodation options might be provided, without the communal living aspect, as there were a number of reasons why this might be unsuitable in some cases.

·       Meeting the need for long-term sustainable housing was a challenge and models were being developed. Although it was acknowledged that this was a significant, potentially lengthy, piece of work there was a commitment to find better options than refuge or bed and breakfast accommodation.

·       In terms of accessing information outside the abusive environment and building this back up further to the pandemic, a toolkit of resources was being pulled together to share with the community. Intelligence would be used to inform the establishment of links with the places where people go, and to ensure resources were available as and when needed. There were also innovative ways that information could be shared in a discreet manner, alongside the traditional methods that were also still in use, the use of virtual information, campaigns and through the Community Safety Officers and partners.

·       Chani participated in the West Yorkshire Board and met with counterparts from the other local authorities in the region and they considered alignment of priorities and resources and the potential opportunities for joint commissioning. The Board was also working closely with the Mayor’s Office to ensure alignment with the Mayor’s Policing and Crime Plan, to contribute to the development of a specific strategy focussing on violence against women and girls, and to undertake joint working on commissioning and funding arrangements.

Resolved –

1)    That the representatives of the Police and Health and officers be thanked for attending the meeting to present the new Domestic Abuse Strategy 2022-27.

2)    That it be recommended that timescales be established for the community engagement activity around raising awareness of what is classed as abuse and its impact, and building confidence in reporting, and that officers be asked to ensure that this work is included in the delivery plan(s).