Domestic abuse (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

Gender

In the year ending March 2020, nationally the victim was female in 74% of domestic abuse-related crimes. This is similar to the South Tyneside picture with 75 % of victims being female and 25% being male. 

Nationally 13.8 % of males and 27.4% of females in 2019 / 20 experienced domestic abuse since they were 16 yrs. This equates to 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men experiencing domestic abuse at some point in their life between the age of 16 to 74 yrs.

For the year ending March 2020, the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimated that 1.6 million women and 757,000 men aged 16 to 74 (Characteristics of children in need 2016-17, Department of Education and Skills) years experienced domestic abuse in the last year.

The total number of victims in South Tyneside for 2020 / 21 was 865, of which 649 victims were females and 216 were males. Of those victims approximately 2% were aged 16 - 17 years, 86% were 18 - 54 years old, and 12% were over 55 yrs. 

Office for National Statistics: Domestic Abuse in England and Wales data

ManKind: Male victims of domestic abuse and partner abuse: 55 key facts

Children and Young People Affected by Domestic Abuse

• Children living in households affected by domestic abuse

Evidence has shown that particular Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are strongly related to the development and prevalence of a wide range of health problems throughout a person's life. ACEs are traumatic events which affect children while growing up, such as suffering child maltreatment or living in a household affected by domestic violence, substance misuse or mental illness. (Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), website, 2019)

ACEs have been found to have lifelong impacts on health and behaviour and they are relevant to all sectors and involve all of us in society. We all have a part to play in preventing adversity and raising awareness of ACEs. Research has found that those with 4 or more ACES are more likely to;

• Have been in prison
• Develop heart disease
• Frequently visit the GP
• Develop type 2 diabetes
• Have committed violence in the last 12 months
• Have health-harming behaviours (high-risk drinking, smoking, drug use). (Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), website, 2019)

Child/ adolescent to parent violence

Child / adolescent to parent violence is a growing issue in families across the country and is a form of Domestic Abuse.

It is under reported often due to the embarrassment of parents / carers to disclose or identify it is happening or because they do not receive an appropriate response from some professionals who may be quick to judge their parenting skills.

In February 2019, the South Tyneside Community Safety Team, Safeguarding Children's Board and Safeguarding Adult's Board delivered awareness sessions on the topic of Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse.

Following this, South Tyneside Council and Northumbria Police, in partnership with RESPECT, are progressing with further specialist practitioner training and awareness raising activity regionally.

Reduce Instances of Domestic Abuse and the impact on families

Incidents

• Domestic Abuse incidents - up 3.3% at April - June 2021 vs 2020
• Domestic Abuse incidents involving children - up 16% at April - June 2021 vs 2020

Impact in Social Care

• Contacts / Refs due to DV (Domestic Violence) Contacts up 60.3% and referrals up 56.7%  at April - June 2021 vs 2020
• Assessments involving DV as a factor up 13.3% between April - June 2021 vs 2020

Domestic Abuse incidents reported by Northumbria Police are up 3.3% against the last financial year in South Tyneside: Q1 2021/22 is higher than Q1 2020/21 (1207 in 21/22 compared to 1169 20/21) so getting worse. Difficult to compare data post and pre Sept 2019 due to changed recording practices, but recent data indicates trend of increase in incidents (4219 in 17/18, 4263 in 18/19, 4777 in 19/20, 4515 in 20/21) but at the same time also indicates improved reporting. [source: Corporate Assurance scorecard].

Domestic Abuse incidents involving Children reported by the Police - has also increased by 16% in South Tyneside against last year for the 1^st Quarter. 609 in 21/22 v 525 in 20 / 21

Impact on Social Care

We know Domestic Abuse has been a real cause for concern throughout Covid lockdown when families were at home for long periods of time.

The Number of Overall referrals into Children's Social Care is up 59.9% on year end 20/21 and up  98.8% at April -June 2021 v 2020.

For Domestic Abuse Contacts up 60.3% and Referrals up 56.7% at April -June 2021 v 2020 which is Worse than the same period last year

Overall CFSC Assessments up 57.2% at April-June 2021 v 2020 Assessments involving DVas a factor up 13.3% at April-June 2021 v 2020 which is Worse than the same period last year.

CFSC - demand is 60% higher than same time period last year - 367 Domestic abuse contacts and 94 Domestic Abuse Referrals.

In the period April to June 2021 there were 136 completed assessments with Domestic Abuse factors.

Voice of the Child and Young Person

The Youth Parliament as part of their Make your Mark national Ballot in 2020 voted for Domestic Abuse to be the focus of their campaign. 

To launch their campaign STYPP designed a survey for secondary school students and teaching staff in both primary and secondary schools. The purpose of the survey was to find out what students and teaching staff already know about 'Domestic Abuse' and if there are any gaps in their knowledge and the support available.

A total of 567 pupils and 187 staff responded to the survey. The Youth Parliament have analysed the results into a report along with a number of actions they would take to address the findings. 

A summary of the key findings from the survey is below;

• 66% of pupils and 68% of Staff knew a little about domestic abuse
• 25% of pupils felt they had received enough education on domestic abuse
• 29% of staff had received training for domestic abuse in the last 3 years
• 47% of pupils and 36% of staff would not know what to do if they knew someone was experiencing domestic abuse
• 41% of pupils and 51% of staff were aware of domestic abuse services and support available
• 24% of pupils and 21% of staff said something would stop them from reporting domestic abuse, with fear for the person involved being the main reason

Its clear from the summary of the results that knowledge and awareness of domestic abuse and how to respond can be improved. The Youth Parliament have developed a range of actions to address awareness, knowledge gaps, information about services, local data and reporting procedures. These actions will be incorporated into the overall domestic abuse strategy for south Tyneside.

South Tyneside Young People's Parliament

Older Person

Information on older people and domestic abuse is limited, with the national crime survey only collecting data up to the age of 74 yrs. Age UK nationally are campaigning to have no age limit.

Age UK reported in April 2020 that 280,000 adults between the age of 60-74 yrs experienced domestic abuse in the last 12 months. However, given data is only collected for those 74 yrs and below this could be higher. Also, one in five homicide's involved adults 60 yrs and above. Older people are equally likely to die by the actions of their partner / Spouse and they are by their older children or grandchildren. 

It is likely that domestic abuse within older people is under reported due to the individual being reliant on their abuser financially or to assist with care.

Age UK have raised awareness of abuse that can occur within a relationship, between an adult child and parents, or by a carer.

Age UK: The Hidden Face of Domestic Abuse

Age UK: Older people and domestic abuse

Pregnancy and birth

Pregnancy and birth can lead to changes in the pattern and severity of domestic abuse, and NICE publishes a range of guidance around diagnosis and response to working with mothers experiencing domestic abuse.

Domestic violence during pregnancy endangers both the pregnant woman and her unborn child. It increases the risk of:

• Miscarriage
• Infection
• Premature birth
• Low birth weight
• Fetal injury
• Still birth
• Over a third of domestic violence starts or gets worse when a woman is pregnant.
• 15% of women report violence during their pregnancy.
• 40%-60% of women experiencing domestic violence are abused while pregnant.
• More than 14% of maternal deaths occur in women who have told their health professional they are in an abusive relationship

The Royal College of Midwifes along with a number of other organisations signed up to the five R's when asking about domestic abuse. The guidance was particularly adopted during lockdown by professionals when women may have been seen virtually rather than face to face, to ensure women could share information in a safe way either via telephone or online.

The five R's include;

• Recognise and ask
• Respond
• Risk assess
• Refer
• Record

The guidance also equipped professionals with a range of additional support networks. 

In addition to this resource, and IDVA is hosted within the South Tyneside and Sunderland Foundation Trust to work in both Maternity and A & E to identify and support anyone at risk. The post is funded by the CCG. 

Disability

Men and women who are disabled are more likely to be a victim of partner abuse than those who not disabled. 7.5% of disabled men and 14.7% of disabled women experienced domestic abuse in 2020. Compared to those with no disabilities, the figures are 2.1% for men and 4.6% for women.

5.6% of men and 10% of women who stated they were disabled were victims of partner abuse in 2020. 4.1% of disabled men and 5.6% of disabled women were involved in domestic abuse from a Family member.

In 2015 Public Health England published a report indicating that disabled people experience disproportionately higher rates of domestic abuse. They also experience domestic abuse for longer periods of time, and more severe and frequent abuse than non-disabled people.

The differences between genders in experiences of domestic abuse are similar among disabled people. Disabled women are significantly more likely to experience domestic abuse than disabled men and experience more frequent and more severe domestic abuse than disabled men.

People with disabilities may also experience domestic abuse in wider contexts and more often from significant others, including intimate partners, family members, personal care assistants and health care professionals.

Disabled people encounter differing dynamics of domestic abuse, which may include more severe coercion, control or abuse from carers. Abuse can also happen when someone withholds, destroys or manipulates medical equipment, access to communication, medication, personal care, meals and transportation.

LGBTQ+

Stonewall's research shows that one in four lesbian and bi women have experienced domestic abuse in a relationship. Two thirds of those say the perpetrator was a woman, a third a man.

Almost half (49%) of all gay and bi men have experienced at least one incident of domestic abuse from a family member or partner since the age of 16.

There is limited research on how many transgender people experience domestic abuse in the UK, and the best studies have small group samples. However, these figures suggest it is a significant issue. A report by the The Scottish Transgender Alliance indicates that 80% of transgender people had experienced emotional, sexual, or physical abuse from a partner or ex-partner.

GALOP, the LGBTQ+ anti-violence charity, state that while transgender and cisgender people may face similar patterns of abuse, many transgender survivors also face specific forms of abuse related to their transgender identity. (Supporting Trans Women in domestic and sexual violence services, 2018)

The percentage of gay men (6.0%) or bi-sexual men (7.3%) who suffered domestic abuse in 2020 is more than for heterosexual men (3.5%). Lesbian women (12.2%) and bisexual women (19.6%) as a percentage are more likely to be a victim of domestic abuse compared to heterosexual women (6.9%).

Minority Ethnic Communities

Women with a minority ethnic background can experience greater challenges in seeking support for domestic abuse due to religious or cultural isolation, or barriers due to language or migration status.   

5.7% of white women were likely to experience domestic abuse in the last 12 months (2020) compared to 3.7% of Asian women and 3.7% black women. However, it is likely this could be higher for Asian and black women due to under reporting. 

Women across all ethnic groups are also likely to experience domestic abuse more than men from the same ethnic groups.

GOV.UK: Domestic Abuse

Culturally specific

Domestic violence can be perpetrated by immediate or extended family members and may be referred to as 'culturally specific', such as dowry related abuse, forced marriages, female genital mutilation, and 'honour' violence.   

However, it is important to recognise that communities and families of all ethnic and cultural origins have codes of behaviour for men and women which may create more permissible conditions for domestic abuse to occur. In South Tyneside, there are families and communities in whom the "usual" range of verbal, physical and emotional expression includes aggression, violence and control. 

Housing and Accommodation

Domestic abuse incidents are more likely to occur in those living within social housing (9%) or private renting (6.6%) rather than those who own their home (4.3%).  Women are also more likely to be affected than males (2020). Incidents are also higher in accommodation situation within the 20% most deprived areas (7.3%) compared to the 20% least deprived (3.9%). This is consistent with the table outlining the location of incidents by ward within South Tyneside. 

It is critical that lifesaving accommodation is available to victims and their children experiencing abuse, to rebuild their lives and recover from traumatic events. It's important that the Local Authority assess for need for all victims, to ensure the right types of accommodation and wrap around support is available.

Not all victims will need access to safe accommodation such as a refuge, but it is important that a range of types of accommodation and support offers will assist people to remain safe in their own home, relocated into another property of support to seek refuge. 

Refuge places are very limited and difficult to source. General housing is not a major issue but having it located in a safe space, with additional hardening, close to schools / employment may present us with challenges.

As we are only a small borough, it is difficult to keep survivors safe and it may be that they need to be moved several times.  

For individuals with complex needs such as those with substance misuse and/or mental health issues it is often difficult to provide appropriate accommodation with relevant support.

Current commissioned services are Places for People refuge and Changing Lives.

South Tyneside

• Over last three full financial years we had 532 households approach the service with domestic Abuse as their reason for homelessness, this equates to 177 per year on average.
• This represents 6.8% of our homeless presentations, but this has fallen in 20 / 21 (not sure of the impact of Covid and whether this year will show a significant rise)
• Significant numbers of these cases were closed, generally due to lost contact or disengagement from the resident; about 15% of presentation were closed
• One-fifth of the presentations were prevented from homelessness (although data is not good enough to ascertain whether this was due to alternative accommodation being identified or resident being able to remain within their current home)
• 92.3% of presentations were by women
• Males presenting tended to be 25 - 35 years old
• Woman 25 - 44 years

13% of men (61% women) who are rough sleepers is due to partner abuse (85% of all rough sleepers are male). Due to the gender proportions of rough sleepers, this means more men (in volume terms) sleep rough due to partner abuse than women - far too many of any gender. Extrapolating the Government figures on the number of rough sleepers, this equates to 300 men in the Autumn of 2020.

Service User Perspective & Experience

Service user engagement has been held with 37 service users from Places for people and impact Family Services to gather their views on accessing the services.  Key themes included:

• Engagement with Services - Non judgemental
• Access to Housing
• Domestic Abuse Awareness / Knowledge / Safety Planning
• Ability to Escape / Have a Place of Safety
• Independence
• Substance Misuse / Mental Health Support
• Friendship / Peers

Quotes from Service Users on the Benefits

• "Getting more information about domestic abuse and realising it wasn't my fault. I wasn't judged by my worker."
• "... I wasn't judged by anyone."
• "I hope that South Tyneside Homes will support me with priority housing."
• Domestic Abuse Awareness / Knowledge / Safety Planning
• "I feel well informed, I have my voice back and I can take control, I now have my freedom back and I feel confident."
• "I learned so many things about life, planning for the future, healthy relationships and managing my finances and tenancy."
• "I have nightmares and flashbacks. I'm still scared and don't think I will ever have another relationship, but the team still help me and will help me get a home of my own which will help everything else."
• "It gave us the space to get away from an abusive relationship, I was given breathing space and supported to start a new life."
• "They helped me live free from fear and abuse."
• "Without them, I would still be in the hostel, getting bullied and wanting to die."
• "... helped me with it all, my appointments, housing, drugs, the abuse, helping me mentally - which meant the most."
• "I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for your services."
• "The best part was being able to speak to other victims during Freedom and tell my story. I found this better than speaking to my counsellor one to one."
• "I have made six good friends; we still meet up and the bond is strong."

Quotes from Service users about the Challenges

• "It's took a long time for my housing application and was told different information by different people. I also had to hand in documents more than once and call up more than once for permissions to be added to my application. This has held me back from moving on quicker."
• "I have had to wait so long for mental health services which has been hard."
• "COVID had an impact due to no visitors in the refuge, so I felt lonely and isolated from my family."
• "I would have liked to meet my worker each week instead of it being over the telephone."
• "I was offered a viewing during Ramadan which was a struggle for me due to fasting and living with 2 children ...."
• "My partner doesn't understand Domestic abuse and is now a victim himself due to my ex-partners ongoing abuse."
• "I still think cos I am a man I wasn't taken seriously."
• "I can't go into a refuge as refused to leave my pets with my ex."
• "I feel services don't get enough funding to be able to help victims with things like getting properties safe and secure."

Quotes from Service users on improvements that could be made

• "More funding is needed in different areas like education, security, furnishing houses and removal costs."
• Services for male people including new partners of victims of Domestic Abuse are needed."
• ".... therapy, maybe some group therapy so women could meet other people going through the same thing."
• "I feel like a second-class citizen being a male victim, I had to jump through hoops with many services. Gender equality definitely needs looking at."
• "More awareness courses and more interaction with others in the same situation."
• "Pets should be able to stay with you in a refuge."
• "More groups, housing, support for mental health and substance."
• "More services that can help different types of people. One size doesn't fit all."
• "More housing options. I stayed longer than I should have cos of this."
• "Better access to counselling."
• "More done to stop abusers getting away with it."