Agenda item

This report outlines the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Community Safety Partnership Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy and accompanying delivery plan.

This is the first Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy and Delivery Plan for BCP, which brings together the foundations of the work within legacy partnerships and identifies how partners will work together to meet the ambition that “no resident living within or visiting Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole should live in fear of, or experience domestic abuse.”

The BCP Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy can be found at appendix 1 of this report.

The report outlines a headline summary of the strategy and the commitments made by the BCP CSP of;

·       Preventing violence and abuse through a commitment to working to develop a “whole family, whole picture” approach across all our services

·       A commitment to commissioning improved services for victims, perpetrators and children impacted by domestic abuse to ensure we have services in place that are effective in assessing and responding to multiple needs

·       A commitment to working collaboratively to reduce the harm caused by domestic abuse

·       Responding to perpetrators by supporting criminal justice agencies in pursuing them through the criminal justice system and a commitment to challenging and changing the behaviour of perpetrators through the availability of domestic abuse perpetrator programmes

The Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy Delivery Plan can be found at appendix 2 which has been developed in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and partners, including service users. This plan describes how partners will work

together to deliver against the commitments and priorities of the

Strategy.

The Domestic Abuse Bill 2020 will be introducing a new statutory duty on tier one local authorities, ensuring that all victims, including children, have access to safety and support within safe accommodation when they need it. The Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy and Delivery Plan addresses the requirements of the new duties as well as the local needs identified through the development of the strategy and plan.

Finally, the report outlines the proposed allocations for additional Government funding recently announced as part of the imminent implementation of the Domestic Abuse Bill and in support of the delivery plan.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)           Cabinet supports the BCP Community Safety Partnership Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy and Delivery Plan; and

(b)           Cabinet approves the allocation of MHCLG grant funding as set out in paragraph 32 of the report.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Community Safety

Reason

Domestic abuse can and does happen to anyone. It is indiscriminate of age, gender, race, profession or social background. In the UK around one in four women and one in six men will be affected by domestic abuse in their lifetime, and the NSPCC reports that around one in five children have been exposed

to domestic abuse. Whatever the number of those impacted, it is too many; no one should live in fear.

The Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is fully committed to playing its part to change this and to achieve the vision that ‘no resident living in BCP should live in fear of or experience domestic abuse’.

BCP Council’s Corporate Strategy also commits to an ambitious vision of ‘Vibrant Communities with outstanding quality of life where everyone plays an active role’ and sets a specific objective of supporting people to live safe and independent lives under its Fulfilled Lives priority.

The BCP Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy takes account of the strategic aims of the Council as well as the CSP. Local needs analysis, national research, guidance and best practice and lessons learnt from Domestic Homicide Reviews as well as consultation and extensive engagement across a range of stakeholders has resulted in a strategy which outlines a commitment to work with a range of partners across the statutory, corporate, community and voluntary sectors as well as service users, to drive the strategy forward and

deliver against those aims.

The Partnership has completed a series of task and finish groups responsible for supporting the development of a comprehensive delivery plan, appended to this report.

In addition, this strategy and the accompanying delivery plan meet the new requirements of local authorities by the Domestic Abuse Bill 2020 by providing a framework to improve the response from statutory partners to domestic abuse. MHCLG is providing tier1 local authorities with grant funding to ensure they can meet new statutory duties.

The Portfolio Holder for Community Safety presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'D' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the report outlines the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Community Safety Partnership Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy and accompanying delivery plan, and that in relation to this, this is the first Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy and Delivery Plan for BCP, which brings together the foundations of the work within legacy partnerships and identifies how partners will work together to meet the ambition that “no resident living within or visiting Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole should live in fear of, or experience domestic abuse.”

In relation to this Cabinet was informed that the BCP Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy as set out at Appendix 1 outlines a headline summary of the strategy and the commitments made by the BCP CSP of;

·       Preventing violence and abuse through a commitment to working to develop a “whole family, whole picture” approach across all our services

·       A commitment to commissioning improved services for victims, perpetrators and children impacted by domestic abuse to ensure we have services in place

·       that are effective in assessing and responding to multiple needs

·       A commitment to working collaboratively to reduce the harm caused by domestic abuse

·       Responding to perpetrators by supporting criminal justice agencies in pursuing them through the criminal justice system and a commitment to challenging and changing the behaviour of perpetrators through the availability of domestic abuse perpetrator programmes

In addition Cabinet was advised that the Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy Delivery Plan as set out in appendix 2 has been developed in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and partners, including service users, and that this plan describes how partners will work together to deliver against the commitments and priorities of the Strategy.

Further to this Cabinet was informed that the Domestic Abuse Bill 2020 will be introducing a new statutory duty on tier one local authorities, ensuring that all victims, including children, have access to safety and support within safe accommodation when they need it, and that the Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy and Delivery Plan addresses the requirements of the new duties as well as the local needs identified through the development of the strategy and plan.

In closing Cabinet were advised that the report outlines the proposed allocations for additional Government funding recently announced as part of the imminent implementation of the Domestic Abuse Bill and in support of the delivery plan.

The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board addressed the Cabinet advising that at their recent meeting the Board resolved to make the following recommendation to Cabinet in respect of this item.

The Overview and Scrutiny Board recommends that additions are made to the draft domestic abuse strategy and delivery plan to include detailed actions for improving the services ability to engage with residents who have struggled to engage previously, including male victims of domestic abuse and those in same sex relationships, victims who are BAME and/or don’t speak English as a first language and those who have multiple needs such as mental health and/or substance misuse.

The Portfolio Holder thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Board for their recommendation and advised that it would be passed onto the Community Safety Partnership for their consideration.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)           Cabinet supports the BCP Community Safety Partnership Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy and Delivery Plan; and

(b)           Cabinet approves the allocation of MHCLG grant funding as set out in paragraph 32 of the report.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Community Safety