That:

1)    the outline commissioning and action plan is approved in principle as set out at Appendix 1;

2)    full consultation on the Safe Accommodation Strategy and action plan is undertaken as part of the consultation on the new DASV Strategy.  A wider DA Needs Assessment has been commissioned alongside the production of the Safe Accommodation Strategy Needs Assessment, these will inform and enable the production of a new Strategy for Domestic Abuse in Torbay. This new DASV Strategy will involve a full consultation process and therefore come back to Cabinet as will form part of the Council’s governance framework. Hence why at this stage it is recommended to approve this direction of travel ahead of full consultation next year; and

3)    the progress on work to protect the safety of women and girls and to address sexual violence is noted and that the Council fully support not just the White Ribbon accreditation process, but encourage Officers and Councillors alike to become White Ribbon Ambassadors (men) or Champions (women).

To enable the Council to meet it’s statutory responsibilities under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and protect Torbay’s victims of domestic abuse from harm.

There were no alternative options considered.

This decision will come into force and may be implemented on Monday, 1 November 2021 unless the call-in procedure is triggered (as set out in Standing Orders in relation to Overview and Scrutiny).

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 requires Tier 1 Authorities to undertake an assessment of the support need of victims of domestic violence and their children in safe accommodation.  The Needs Assessment has been undertaken as part of a wider review of domestic abuse in Torbay, that will inform the new Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (DASV) Strategy to be produced next year.

Due to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) deadline for the submission of the Strategy, consultation on the draft Strategy has been necessarily limited to the statutory partners attending DASV Executive and Operations Groups. The draft Strategy will require some updating once the full strategic review has been completed. It is therefore proposed that the current ongoing governance processes are to seek approval for the direction of travel and that full and robust consultation on the Safe Accommodation Strategy will take place as part of the consultation for the new DASV Strategy.

The Council would also be seeking to renew its White Ribbon Campaign Accreditation that expired in 2020.  The White Ribbon Campaign seeks to engage and facilitate men speaking out about violence against women and girls with a view to ending it.  In doing so the Council aims to recognise, amplify and facilitate the role men can play in challenging violence perpetrated by men, https://that-guy.co.uk/ is a useful tool in starting the conversation.

At the meeting Councillor Carter proposed and Councillor Stockman seconded a motion that was agreed unanimously by the Cabinet, as set out above.

None.