Agenda item

Following the publication of the Buckinghamshire Domestic Abuse Strategy in December 2021, the Committee will receive an overview of the scale of the issue in Buckinghamshire, gain an understanding of the impact on victims and their families and the actions that are being taken to mitigate this.

Contributors:

Cllr Steve Bowles, Cabinet Member for Communities

Claire Hawkes, Service Director, Communities and Strategic Partnerships

Gideon Springer, Head of Community Safety

The Chairman welcomed Cllr Steve Bowles, Cabinet Member for Communities, Claire Hawkes, Service Director for Communities and Strategic Partnerships and Gideon Springer, Head of Community Safety, to the meeting.

The following points were highlighted:

·        The strategy outlined ways to develop and improve the domestic abuse services over the next three years. It is underpinned by a smart action plan setting out the Council’s commitments, which have been informed by review of the effectiveness of current practice, the changing national context and qualitative and quantitative data. Funding had been received for a second year and a strong Domestic Abuse Board has been established with partners to oversee the plans. The Domestic Abuse Strategy had received unanimous support from the Cabinet.

·       The strategy has four key themes: early intervention and prevention, effective services to meet the needs of victims and their families, tackling perpetrators to reduce re-offending and supporting professionals to make a difference. Services are also provided for male victims, victims from diverse backgrounds and children of victims.

·       In Buckinghamshire it is estimated that around 21,000 adults are victims of domestic abuse, which equates to 57 per day. However, the figure is significantly impacted by underreporting of domestic abuse, with only around 4000 cases per year being reported to the Police. This accounts for 15% of recorded crime in Buckinghamshire. In 2021, 71 % of victims were female. 64 % of perpetrators are under 40 years of age and72 % of perpetrators are male. Between 2011 and 2020, there were 15 domestic homicides in the county. It is estimated that domestic abuse in Buckinghamshire costs around £687 million per year.

·       Anyone could be a victim of domestic abuse but there is an increased risk to disabled adults, those with learning difficulties, mental health conditions and unemployed people. Single-parents, minority ethnic groups, LGBT+ people and low-income groups are particularly at risk.

·       Victims are impacted by domestic abuse in terms of both physical and mental health. Conditions include chronic pain, memory loss, alcohol or drug abuse and self-harm. There is also an increased risk of homelessness, poverty and impact of unemployment.

·       Children are also considerably impacted by domestic abuse. One in five children in the UK witness domestic abuse. 2,400 referrals for social care assessments where domestic abuse was a primary concern were completed in 2020/2021 in Buckinghamshire, which is 23 % of children referred. Long-term consequences for children include mental and physical health conditions as well as risks of becoming perpetrators and other criminal behaviour.

·       The Domestic Abuse Board has developed an evidence-led action plan, focusing on needs assessment and communication with victims.

·        

During discussion, comments and questions raised by the Committee included:  

·       Domestic abuse incorporates all forms of abusive and controlling behaviour - mental abuse, stalking and emotional control are included in the action plan.

·       The Council aims to tackle the issue of underreporting of domestic abuse by making experts available to victims. Some programmes have been launched in schools to identify the impact on children. A pilot programme had also been put in place for doctors to identify domestic abuse. Family hubs will also be piloted, which will see domestic abuse staff involved in educating people on domestic abuse and improving communications and outreach. The council is also working closely with the police and consulting other authorities to identify best practice.

·       Two years funding had been received from Government as a result of the Domestic Abuse Act. The Council aims to seek further funding if this investment is not continued centrally.  The Council would have to consider how the services could continue to be supported as a priority.

·       It was noted that it is important to recognise that domestic abuse is a widespread issue and that everyone has a role to communicate that it is socially unacceptable. The council is taking a joint approach with health and education to address domestic abuse. Whilst there is still a lot that needs to be done, the partnership is hoping to support victims and reduce the levels of abuse experienced.

·       Two government consultations are currently being held around housing for domestic abuse victims. The council’s strategy already requires housing providers to make victims fleeing domestic abuse a priority.

·       The issues domestic abuse victims are facing are complex and the council aims to address these on an individual level as much as possible. For example, some work is carried out with children’s services to support referrals for children from abusive backgrounds.

·       There are procedures in place for domestic abuse victims that approach the council directly, however, each case is considered individually. It is first investigated whether police are aware of the issue. The victim’s permission must be obtained to report the abuse, which victims do not always want. However, support to victims is provided regardless of prosecution. There are also a number of charities, such as Women’s Aid, which the Council funds to support individuals.

·       To support victims of domestic abuse properly, specialist training is required. However, the Council also aims to train staff in frontline services to recognise signs of domestic abuse and signpost victims accordingly. School Safeguarding leads have also had training to help them support children in school.

·       A member noted that the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign (which encourages people in vulnerable situations to notify staff of bars, clubs etc. to signal their problems) has not been sufficiently promoted. It was advised that promotion of this and similar safety measures was being considered as part of the Council’s comms campaign. However, perpetrators becoming aware of the scheme presents a problem.

·       The majority of perpetrators were not convicted. A member argued that more focus needs to be put on perpetrator rehabilitation as well as preventing abuse altogether and providing a support network for perpetrators wishing to get help. Currently are not a lot of services like this, but the Council was looking to spend a proportion of funding to evaluate perpetrator programmes. Several issues, such as timing of intervention have to be considered, making it a complex issue.

·       The job posts referred to in the presentations would be funded by the Council but based in third party organisations. For example, Women’s Aid provide a lot of services, but other organisations are also funded to provide support.

·       Anyone needing help and support can find information on the Council’s website or call the national domestic abuse helpline -  0808 2000 247.

The Chairman thanked everyone for their contribution to the meeting.