Domestic Violence Strategy
CABINET
DATE 17 th July 2006
REPORT OF Executive Director - Community Care
RESPONSIBLE PORTFOLIO HOLDER(S) Councillor DeFreitas - Community Safety & Neighbourhoods
SUBJECT Consultation on Safer Communities North East Lincolnshire Domestic Violence Strategy 2006-09
FORWARD PLAN REF NO. CC06/06/1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This strategy has been developed by a range of key stakeholders across the borough including representatives from the community and voluntary sector. It aims to provide a framework for action to enable all agencies to improve services for victims of domestic violence and their families.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Cabinet notes and comments on the draft strategy that is being considered by key partners and stakeholders.
2. Cabinet endorses the approach outlined within the report to enable the Council to fulfil its role to tackling domestic violence through meeting the requirments of BVPI 225
3. Cabinet notes that a further report will be provided to a future meeting following consultation for the adoption of the strategy.
4. Cabinet considers referring the draft strategy to the appropriate scrutiny panel for further consideration.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Cabinet notes and comments on the draft strategy that is being considered by key partners and stakeholders.
2. Cabinet endorses the approach outlined within the report to enable the Council to fulfil its role to tackling domestic violence through meeting the requirements of BVPI 225.
3. Cabinet notes that a further report will be provided to a future meeting following consultation for the adoption of the strategy.
Cabinet considers referring the draft strategy to the appropriate scrutiny panel for further consideration.
REASONS FOR DECISION
Adoption of the strategy will enable the Council to play its part along with its partners to combating the effects of domestic violence through meeting its statutory responsibilities by working with other agencies to reduce crime and disorder in North East Lincolnshire. The improved co-ordination of resources will lead to effective and expedient responses to ensure that victims of domestic violence and their families receive a quality service.
RISK ASSESSMENT
The Council has a statutory duty under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to work with other agencies to reduce crime and disorder in their local area. As domestic violence nationally accounts for almost a fifth of all recorded violent crime it is good practice for Partnerships to develop a local strategy and action plan which feeds into local statutory partnership arrangements.
1. BACKGROUND AND ISSUES
1.1 Background
1.1.1 Safer Communities Partnership has made a commitment to tackling violent crime as part of its overall crime reduction strategy for 2005-08, which was approved by full Council March 2005. The domestic violence strategy has been aligned with this strategy.
1.1.2 Historically this agenda has been driven through the North East
Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Forum formally known as the Domestic Violence Forum which has enabled representatives from voluntary and statutory agencies to meet to discuss practice issues. Clear links have been established between the Local Safeguarding Childrens Board and the forum. This is evident through the continued development of a localised domestic violence training programme.
1.1.3 The Domestic Abuse Forum is invaluable in that it brings together practitioners to enable good practice to be built upon. However it has been recognised that there is a need to compile a local domestic violence strategy which will draw together all of the relevant agencies, including voluntary and community sectors. This approach will provide a common framework to work within, which will enable alignment to other strategic documents for example the Childrens and Young Persons Plan, North East Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Guidelines and Procedures, homelessness strategies etc. This approach will ensure that domestic violence is a priority across the board not just within the crime and disorder arena.
1.1.4 In order to take this work forward, a multi agency domestic violence sub group has been formed which reports directly into the Safer Communities Violent Crime Task Group, chaired by Detective Superintendent Kevin Bowe. Research has been one of the key tasks for this sub group which has determined national and local issues associated with domestic violence. This research has formed the basis of the Safer Communities Domestic Violence Strategy 2006-09. The findings of the sub group are encompassed in the draft strategy attached.
1.1.5 The strategy is being consulted on widely with a vast range of partner agencies, voluntary and community sectors and represents a significant move forward in developing a multi agency response to tackling this difficult issue.
2. Key National Drivers
2.1 Councils play a vital and central role in tackling domestic violence. To highlight the need for sustained action a revised best value performance indicator for domestic violence was published in 2005 (BVPI 225). This indicator aims to assess the overall provision and effectiveness of Council services in helping victims of domestic violence and to prevent further incidences of domestic violence. Two of the key elements of this indicator are that the Council produces and adopts a multi agency strategy which is developed in partnership with other agencies and that the Council has a domestic violence co-ordinator who has responsibility for strategic co-ordination for domestic violence issues throughout North East Lincolnshire. This would enable the monitoring of the subsequent action plan, which will in effect deliver the strategy's outcomes.
2.2 A national domestic violence report was published by the Home Office in March 2005 which provides a set of 5 key outcomes which form the basis of the National Domestic Violence Reduction Delivery Plan 05/06. These outcomes have been adopted locally along with an additional 2 local outcomes identified by the domestic violence sub group.
3. Local Issues
3.1 The points below represent some of the key facts associated with domestic violence:
i) National research indicates that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence. Taking this to a local level, mid 2003 population estimates indicate that 60,224 women over the age of 19 were resident which suggests that 15,056 women in North East Lincolnshire have, or will experience domestic violence at some point in their lifetime. It is also acknowledged nationally that that 1 in 6 men will also suffer domestic violence.
ii) The local Crime and Disorder Audit undertaken in 2004 also identified violent crime as a key priority thus resulting in a local target being set to reduce violent crime by 35% by 2007/08. Domestic violence accounted locally for 16% of reported violent crime in North East Lincolnshire in 2005.
iii) Humberside policing figures demonstrate that 'A' division has the second highest domestic violence incidents per 1000 population in the Humberside area coupled with the second highest repeat domestic violence incidents per 1000 population. The comparator details of these statistics can be found on page 7 of the draft strategy appended to the report.
3.2 The points above are some of the local factors which demonstrate the need for the Council and its partners to sign up to the strategy which will provide the springboard for agencies to join together to improve the level of services received by victims of domestic violence.
4. Performance Monitoring Reporting Arrangements
4.1 Regular reviews of the action plan will be undertaken and progress will be reported on quarterly basis to the Safer Communities Executive and the Community Safety and Public Protection Scrutiny Panel. BVPI 225 will be monitored through Council performance management arrangements and reported back through political processes.
4.2 The strategy and action plan will also be overseen by Government Office for Yorkshire and Humber region with a requirement for 6 monthly progress reports.
4.3 Effective monitoring will be essential to ensuring delivery of the required actions. The designation of a Domestic Violence Co-ordinator will be pivotal in terms of maintaining the impetus. Home Office research indicates that those Councils who have in place a Domestic Violence Co-ordinator are more likely to have met most their targets over a 12 month period.
5. Way Forward
5.1 Work to tackle domestic violence requires cross cutting work that fits within the structure of the Local Area Agreement framework in respect of the Safer and Stronger, and Children and Young People LAAs. This strategy will demonstrate agencies commitment to working together to ensure that services are fit for purpose thus achieving the outcomes outlined within the strategy.
5.2 To ensure that the strategy is turned into meaningful actions which make a difference to those who are victims of domestic violence a detailed action plan is currently under development which will form the next phase of turning the strategy into action.
6. OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED
6.1 The requirement to produce a strategy is determined within the definition of BVPI 225, which states that "the strategy should be developed with all relevant statutory and voluntary partners. It should be aligned with the Councils crime and disorder reduction strategy and should cover a 3 year period with an action plan which is reviewed annually".
7. CONSULTATION WITH SCRUTINY
7.1 It is recommended that the draft strategy is forwarded to the Community Services and Public Protection Panel for consideration..
8. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no financial implications arising from the recommendations contained in this report.
9. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
The legal requirement to have the strategy is set out in the report. Although there are no direct legal implications, actions in the strategy and the action plan may have legal implications.
10. HUMAN RESOURCES IMPLICATIONS
There are no human resources implications arising from the report but clearly once consultation has been concluded there will be issues associated with the action plan. A policy to address domestic violence as it may impact on the Council workforce has been drafted and will be incorporated into future actions.
11. WARD IMPLICATIONS
People are likely to experience issues associated with domestic violence in all wards of the Borough.
12. BACKGROUND PAPERS
Safer Communities Strategy 2005-08
Full Council Report 17 March 2005
13. CONTACT OFFICER(S)
Julie Taylor, Community Safety and Development Manager - Tel 01472 325939
Julie Ogley
Executive Director Community Care
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