To receive and comment on a presentation on the implications of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 for safeguarding and scrutinise how this has been addressed by the Council and its partners.
Minutes:
Beverley Hendricks, Assistant Director for Safeguarding and Social Care, reported on the implications of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The Act recognised that children can be victims of domestic abuse and that the whole family can also be affected. It specified that a child who sees, hears or experiences domestic abuse and is related to the person being abused or the perpetrator, is also to be regarded as a victim of domestic abuse. Abusive behaviour towards a child or young person under 18 was still dealt with under child protection procedures. There was a clear role for health services and the Police in the prevention of Domestic Abuse.
The Act provided a statutory definition of domestic abuse and emphasised that it was not just physical violence but could also be emotional, controlling or coercive behaviour. It also placed a duty on local authorities to provide accommodation support for victims and their children in refuges and other safe accommodation. In addition, it provided a list of what suitable accommodation might look like which will be shared with the Panel.
The Act had clarified the circumstances in which a court could make a barring order to prevent proceedings that could further traumatise victims. It extended the controlling or coercive behaviour offence to cover post-separation abuse and created a new offence of non-fatal strangulation or suffocation of another person. In addition, it clarified the general proposition that a person may not consent to the infliction of serious harm and prohibited health professionals from charging a victim of domestic abuse for reports and/or evidence.
The implications for safeguarding of domestic abuse on children and young people were well established. Growing up in a household of fear and intimidation could impact on children’s health, wellbeing, and development. Young people could also experience domestic abuse within relationships, although they may not identify themselves as victims. Those who engaged in abusive behaviour might seek to deny the abuse by stating that they were not in a relationship. The Act specified that social media and information technology could now be identified as a means of harm. Young people’s lives were often heavily reliant on the use of digital technology and perpetrators of abuse could exploit this.
There were four strands to the response to the Act by the Council and its partners:
· Developing a Co-ordinated Community Response;
· Prevention and Early Intervention;
· VAWG Commissioned Services; and
· Raising awareness.
The overall approach was captured within the VAWG Strategy. The key focus of the partnership had been to develop a co-ordinated community response. It had delivered:
· A programme of awareness;
· 32 Safe Spaces; and
· 150 VAWG Community Champions had been trained.
The VAWG Business Group was set up to strengthen the response across key agencies and an action plan developed. The Police had set up a specialist domestic abuse unit called ‘ADAPT’ with 7 dedicated staff members as a direct result of gaps highlighted within the action plan. This was an intervention developed specifically for Haringey and Enfield and was already having an impact. A joint report with Police colleagues on this could be made in due course. There had also been significant training and capacity building support for strengthening the VAWG partnership across key agencies and services.
In terms of prevention and early intervention, the initial focus had been on working with young people to challenge the high prevalence of victim blaming around sexual violence. Three videos had been produced and could be accessed via a link within the presentation. Solace Women’s Aid had been commissioned to deliver training to key staff from all secondary schools by March 2023 on embedding a whole school approach. A public health approach to supporting schools in preventing peer-on-peer abuse had been co-developed in partnership with the Healthy Schools Programme, Sexual Health and Anchor Project Teams. Many schools had now amended their PSHE curriculum to address sexual violence myths, victim blaming and ‘rape culture’. The Protect Our Women (POW) Project had continued to be commissioned although it had not been possible yet to roll it out to all schools.
In respect of VAWG commissioned services, there was ongoing funding for a domestic abuse support service for women from minority communities. This was provided through IMECE, who had already established an effective service and links in the borough. An independent domestic violence advocate had been commissioned to support LGBTQ people experiencing or at risk of abuse and would start in July. The process of re-commissioning the Council’s core domestic advocacy service was beginning and there was additional investment into the service. The new service would have a focus on supporting older women, women who were disabled or were experiencing multiple disadvantage.
Recent research had estimated that 1.9 million adults had experienced domestic violence in the last year. This has specific implications for women in the Council’s workforce and structures needed to be in place to respond to the impact of this. The VAWG Strategy prioritised the provision of safe spaces for women in the workforce to talk as well as services to support them.
In answer to a question regarding child to parent abuse, it was stated that the new Act covered this under the new definition of personal connection. It had previously not always been considered as domestic abuse. Haringey and other local authorities were currently addressing the issue with partners. It was now included in social worker training. Local authorities were now also required to prevent, detect and intervene where such abuse took place. She would be happy to come back to the Panel with VAWG partners to discuss further this issue.
Information was shared across the VAWG structure, which covered all childrens and adults agencies. Whilst they were all represented and included, it was hard to determine how effective information was. She agreed to share details of the VAWG structure with the Panel. In respect of information sharing through the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC), she stated that the two Chairs were open to looking at the learning from Domestic Homicide Reviews and how information might be safely shared across agencies. Ms Graham stated that victims of homicides were not always known to services. There had previously been publicity campaigns on zero tolerance that the Police had led on. Consideration could be given to raising the possibility of reinvigorating such campaigns with Police colleagues. Panel Members emphasised the critical role of health visitors. However, the service had been subjected to cuts in recent years that had limited their capacity to carry out important work. It was also felt that grandmothers should be included in the broader definition of families.
In answer to a question, Ms Hendricks reported that the new Act embodied the right to ask and the right to know about a partner. It also gave the Police more discretion to approach and inform. In respect of health visitors, there were three dedicated health visitors who were linked to the MASH and were actively involved in sharing appropriate information. Independent reviews had also stated that information sharing was sound. In respect of grandmothers, she felt that their role was critical. A whole family approach was undertaken and outlined in the “Think Family” protocol, which she agreed to circulate to the Panel. In respect of support to the workforce, she would report further on the detail of this in due course. Support did not yet extend to private contractors.
The Chair suggested that a Council wide campaign to highlight domestic abuse could be considered as a way of highlighting the issue locally.
AGREED:
1. That the following be circulated to the Panel;
· The list within the Act of what suitable accommodation support for victims of domestic abuse and their children might look like;
· Details of the VAWG structure; and
· The “Think Family” protocol.
2. That the Director of Children’s Services give consideration to raising the reinvigoration of zero tolerance campaigns with Police colleagues.