Issue - decisions

Cabinet received a report which explained, in background information, that one in 20 adults were estimated to experience domestic abuse every year equating to almost 21,000 people a year in Buckinghamshire or 57 people every day.  It was a crime which disproportionately affected women, however it could happen to anyone anywhere irrespective of sexuality, religion, gender, ethnicity, income or age.

The impact of domestic abuse was far-reaching and long lasting, and could be devastating on physical and mental health with serious consequences for children witnessing domestic abuse. The pandemic had had an immeasurable impact and had been branded as an “epidemic beneath the pandemic”.

Buckinghamshire had many excellent statutory and voluntary sector services working well together but there was always more that could be done.  The Domestic Abuse Act had placed new duties on local authorities, one of which was to establish a local Domestic Abuse Board.  In Buckinghamshire this fell under the umbrella of the Safer Buckinghamshire Board.  This multi-agency Board had helped co-design a strategy and would oversee an action plan to commission and deliver support to victims and their children within safe accommodation services.  In drafting the strategy, the Board had considered research from the 2021 Director of Public Health’s annual report, the 2021 needs assessment and consultation feedback.

RESOLVED –

(1)               That the Buckinghamshire Domestic Abuse Strategy be approved.

(2)               That the allocation of domestic abuse grant funding, as detailed at Appendix 2 to the Cabinet report, be approved.