Domestic abuse (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

National priorities:

The Domestic Abuse Act ((Government publishes landmark domestic abuse bill, 2019)) was published in 2021 with the aim of supporting victims and their families, whilst also pursuing offenders. The new legislation includes:

• The introduction of the first ever statutory government definition of domestic abuse to specifically include economic abuse and controlling and manipulative non-physical abuse - this will enable everyone, including victims themselves, to understand what constitutes abuse and will encourage more victims to come forward.
• Establishing a Domestic Abuse Commissioner to drive the response to domestic abuse issues.
• Introducing new Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to further protect victims and place restrictions on the actions of offenders.
• Prohibiting the cross-examination of victims by their abusers in the family courts.
• Providing automatic eligibility for special measures to support more victims to give evidence in the criminal court.

Through consultation with victims, survivors, organisations and professionals, four main priorities were identified to underpin the Domestic Abuse Bill. Each priority places prevention and protection at the centre of the implementation process:

• Promote awareness - to put domestic abuse at the top of everyone's agenda and raise public and professional awareness.
• Protect and support - to enhance the safety of victims and the support that they receive.
• Transform the justice process - to prioritise victim safety in the criminal and family courts and review the perpetrator journey from identification to rehabilitation.
• Improve performance - to drive consistency and better performance in the response to domestic abuse across all local areas, agencies and sectors.

Furthermore, a key component of the proposal includes, for first time ever, a legal duty placed on local authorities to deliver support to survivors of domestic abuse in accommodation-based services, backed by funding to place services on a sustainable footing. This new requirement will end the variation across the country in support for those fleeing domestic abuse.

In March 2016, the Home Office published its 2016-20 strategy to end violence against women and girls (VAWG). Until the proposals within the draft Domestic Abuse Bill are made in legislative practice, the following priorities adopted within this strategy are to be utilised as guidance in relation to law, which are:

• Preventing violence and abuse
• Provision of services
• Partnership working
• Pursuing perpetrators

This set out the vision for 2020 in relation to violence against women and girls:

• There is a significant reduction in the number of VAWG victims, achieved by challenging the deep-rooted social norms, attitudes and behaviours that discriminate against and limit women and girls, and by educating, informing and challenging young people about healthy relationships, abuse and consent;
• All services make early intervention and prevention a priority, identifying women and girls in need before a crisis occurs, and intervening to make sure they get the help they need for themselves and for their children;
• Women and girls will be able to access the support they need, when they need it, helped by the information they need to make an informed choice;
• Specialist support, including accommodation-based support, will be available for the most vulnerable victims, and those with complex needs will be able to access the services they need;
• Services in local areas will work across boundaries in strong partnerships to assess and meet local need, and ensure that services can spot the signs of abuse in all family members and intervene early;
• Women will be able to disclose experiences of violence and abuse across all public services, including the NHS. Trained staff in these safe spaces will help people access specialist support whether as victims or as perpetrators;
• Elected representatives across England and Wales will show the leadership, political will and senior accountability necessary to achieve the necessary change, and will champion efforts to tackle these crimes;
• Everyone in a local area will be able to hold their elected leaders to account through clear data on how local need is being met;
• There will be a lower level of offending through an improved criminal justice response and a greater focus on changing the behaviour of perpetrators through a combination of disruption and support; and
• A stronger evidence base of what works, and victim safety, will be embedded into all interventions to protect victims of VAWG.

Please note the strategy is being reviewed.

The Government's 2018 Victims Strategy aims to ensure support for all victims of crime is improved, which includes;

• Strengthening the Victims' Code, and consult on the detail of victim focused legislation, including strengthening the powers of the Victims' Commissioner, and delivering a Victims' Law;
• Holding agencies to account for compliance with the Victims' Code through improved reporting, monitoring and transparency;
• Improving victim support for reporting crimes and the court process

National funding has been announced to support the legislation, priorities and strategies highlighted above. In 2016 £80 million of dedicated funding was identified to provide core support for refuges and other accommodation-based services, rape support centres and national helplines.  A further £20 million was announced in the 2017 Spring Budget, including a £8m fund to support children who witness domestic abuse; £2m to support female offenders who have been victims and £2m to support hospital trusts to direct domestic abuse victims to appropriate services. The Government has also ring-fenced a Domestic Abuse Fund of £18.8 million in 2018-2020 to support the provision of accommodation-based support services and the local reforms needed to meet the Priorities for Domestic Abuse Services.

Local policy

To meet the priorities which underpin the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 given above, there is a national expectation that local authorities will provide a JSNA, domestic abuse strategy including intentions to commission services which:

• Ensure that no victim is turned away from the support they need at the time they need it, including those with children, through understanding the risks they face and the full extent of their need to keep them safe and promote their long-term safety and wellbeing.
• Put the victim first, by providing flexible services that meet their needs, including enabling them to make their own choices and to live independently and safely as soon as possible.
• Respond to the needs of diverse groups, including those with complex needs, those from isolated and / or marginalised communities, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, LGBT, disabled, young (aged 16-18) and older victims, offenders, and children of victims.
• Meet the needs of victims from within and outside the local area, recognising that many victims move from their local area to be safe.
• Take a strategic approach to service commissioning, based on data about need and evidence of what works.
• Establish and continue effective, collaborative partnership working, including between commissioners and specialist domestic abuse services.
• Be led by clear, accountable local leadership, joining up across agencies and areas to provide better services and pooling budgets for maximum flexibility.

The newly established South Tyneside Domestic Abuse Strategic Partnership Board is accountable for the Borough's strategy to tackle Domestic Abuse in line with the new requirements of the Act.   

The domestic abuse strategy is currently being revised for sign off in October 2021, in response to the duties outlined within the ACT (2021) largely based on the four pillars within the National Violence against Women and Girls Strategy. The priority areas include;

• Cultural shift in attitudes and behaviours
• Prevention
• Provision of services and support
• Engaging Perpetrators
• Partnership Working

The South Tyneside Domestic Abuse Strategic Partnership Board (STDBSPB) will be accountable for overseeing the implementation and monitoring of the strategy and commissioning intensions.  The Board is made up of key partners with clear lines of governance. 

The partnership has a duty to produce and publish a strategy to outline how South Tyneside will address the duties set out within the Act (2021). 

Data and intelligence will be utilised from consultations with the public, business community and partner agencies and are regularly reviewed this to ensure that we are focusing on the right things at the right time. There will be dedicated involvement from victims and the voice of the child within the Board and working group to ensure they are involved in all stages or the work.