Meeting: Cabinet	Date: 14/12/21

Wards affected: All

Report Title: Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Strategy

When does the decision need to be implemented? 4/1/2022

Cabinet Member Contact Details: Councillor Christine Carter - Cabinet Member for Corporate and Community Services | christine.carter@torbay.gov.uk

Director/Assistant Director Contact Details: Tara Harris – Divisional Director Community and Customer Services | Tara.Harris@torbay.gov.uk

1.	Purpose of Report

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 requires Tier 1 Authorities to undertake an assessment of the support needs of victims of domestic violence and their children in safe accommodation; and to produce a Safe Accommodation Strategy to meet the needs identified.

This report provides a summary of the feedback from the consultation carried out on the draft Safe Accommodation Strategy. This consultation was required by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) before the Strategy is submitted to them on 5th January 2022.

This report seeks formal approval of the Strategy.

2.	Reason for Proposal and its benefits

2.1	The actions recommended by the Safe Accommodation Strategy support the following objectives:

We want Torbay and its residents to thrive.

We want Torbay to be a place where we have turned the tide on poverty and tackled inequalities; where our children and older people will have high aspirations and where there are quality jobs, good pay and affordable housing for our residents.

2.2	The proposals in this report help us to deliver these ambitions by ensuring that victims of domestic abuse and their children can access and receive appropriate support in safe accommodation.

3.	Recommendation(s) / Proposed Decision

3.1	That the Safe Accommodation Strategy and action plan is approved.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Safe Accommodation Strategy 2021 to 2024

Supporting Information

1.	Introduction

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 requires Tier 1 Authorities to undertake an assessment of the support needs of victims of domestic violence and their children in safe accommodation; and to produce a Safe Accommodation Strategy to meet the needs identified.

A draft Safe Accommodation Strategy must be produced and published by 31st October 2021 outlining how the needs identified in the assessment will be met.

The Safe Accommodation Duty commenced on 1st October 2021.

The Safe Accommodation Strategy will sit as part of the new DASV Strategy to be produced next year.

The draft Strategy was published on the Council’s website from 1st to 21st November and circulated to DASVEG and DASV Operational Group members for consultation.

2.	Financial Opportunities and Implications

2.1	New Burdens monies have been made available from central Government on an annual basis for the first three years, after which time the funding will be included in the Local Government Finance Settlement. For 21/22 we received £308 541, which has been used to undertake the safe accommodation needs assessment; and to increase capacity in the commissioned service including the provision of some additional safe houses for use as temporary accommodation as an alternative to bed and breakfast.

2.2	This funding is not ring fenced; however the Authority is required to account for how the monies have been used to address the needs identified in the needs assessment and strategy.

3.	Legal Implications

3.1	The Safe Accommodation Strategy is a requirement under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

4.	Engagement and Consultation

4.1	The deadline for the submission of the Safe Accommodation Strategy to DLUHC was moved from 31st October 2021 (as previously reported) to 5th January 2022, to allow for consultation on the draft Strategy.

4.2	The timescale for the consultation was necessarily short due to the late change in the requirements from the DHLUC, requiring publication of the draft, revision, and approval of the Strategy by the beginning of January. The draft Strategy was published on the Council’s website from 1st to 21st November. and circulated to the multi-agency Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Executive and Operational Groups for consultation.

4.3 The Strategy itself has been directly informed by the voices of 25 people with lived experience of using domestic abuse services in Torbay, who shared their stories and views as part of the needs assessment this summer.

4.4 Five questions were posed for the consultation:

Is the Strategy easy to read and understand?

If no, please tell us how it can be improved.

Do you agree with the recommendations made?

If not, what would you like to see added?

Is there anything else you would like to see added or included in the commissioning and action plan?

4.5. Only 3 responses were received:

All said the Strategy was easy to read and understand and no one disagreed with the recommendations.

One respondent gave positive feedback on the case studies used and commented that they made the strategy come to life.

There was also comment about missing data concerning people experiencing DVA who leave Torbay and whether the reasons for this are captured. This has not been collected to date, however; does form part of a new dataset to be captured by the commissioned service to identify reasons why safe accommodation is not accessed.

4.6 There have been no major changes to the Strategy as a result of the consultation. Some refinements have been made to formatting and an Executive Summary added.

5.	Tackling Climate Change

5.1	All work relating to the needs assessment, consultation and development of the Safe Accommodation Strategy has been undertaking electronically and virtually.

6.	Associated Risks

6.1 Failure to act upon the recommendations and actions set out in the Safe Accommodation Strategy will be considered a breach of the Authority’s new statutory duty under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

6.2 The DLUHC will monitor our progress against the Strategy by way of an annual report.

7.	Equality Impacts - Identify the potential positive and negative impacts on specific groups

The Safe Accommodation Needs Assessment has highlighted a lack of consistent collection of data across agencies in relation to people with protected characteristics and minoritized groups. Improvement in this regard is one of the key actions resulting from the strategy.

Positive Impact	Negative Impact & Mitigating Actions	Neutral Impact
Older or younger people	Actions to address under representation of older people in domestic abuse services. Consideration of appropriate and affordable pathways for accommodation with support for young people experiencing domestic violence.
People with caring Responsibilities	No differential impact
People with a disability	Actions to address under representation of people with disabilities in domestic abuse services
Women or men	Positive impact on males who are under -represented in services
People who are black or from a minority ethnic background (BME) (Please note Gypsies / Roma are within this community)	Actions to address under representation of people with disabilities in domestic abuse services
Religion or belief (including lack of belief)	Ensure understanding of certain cultural practices that are defined as domestic abuse (e.g. Female Genital Mutilation, Honour Based Violence) and that victims can seek safe accommodation and support.
People who are lesbian, gay or bisexual	Actions to address under representation of LGBT+ people in domestic abuse services
People who are transgendered	Actions to address under representation of LGBT+ people with disabilities
People who are in a marriage or civil partnership	No differential impact – the new definition of domestic abuse incorporates a range of interpersonal relationships.
Women who are pregnant / on maternity leave	Pregnancy is a trigger for domestic abuse. Increased accommodation and support will have a positive impact for those choosing to leave the situation.
Socio-economic impacts (Including impact on child poverty issues and deprivation)	Better understanding of links between socio-economic factors ad the presence of domestic abuse. Improved understanding of trauma by staff working with domestic abuse victims and survivors will aid identification
Public Health impacts (How will your proposal impact on the general health of the population of Torbay)	No differential impact as this duty is very targeted at specific groups in safe accommodation.

8.	Cumulative Council Impact

8.1	The Safe Accommodation duty recognises children as victims in their own right and for those in safe accommodation, requires that the support needs in relation to domestic abuse are identified and met.

8.2	Removal of local connection criteria and requirement to accept cross border referrals may result in increased demand for housing and safe accommodation services. Additional safe houses for use specifically as temporary accommodation for domestic abuse victims have been commissioned, as bed and breakfast placements does not constitute “safe accommodation under the Act.

9.	Cumulative Community Impacts

9.1	The Strategy is overseen by Torbay’s Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Executive Group which has taken on the role of the multi-agency Local Domestic Abuse Partnership Board that is required under the Domestic Abuse Act. Whilst the Authority holds the duty, the accountability for delivering the Strategy lies with all partner agencies on the Executive Group.