Agenda item

Akua Agyepong, Assistant Director - Adult Social Care and Health, and Rachel Westlake, Senior Commissioner, were in attendance for this item.  

1. Akua Agyepong introduced the paper and gave an overview of the needs and responsibilities of the framework. 

2. Rachel Westlake then provided further details. Since 2021 the Council had been awarded funding to deliver statutory duties under the Domestic Abuse Act, the full allocation was not spent in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. It was said that the underspent money would be held in reserves and used in future budget forecasting for safe accommodation support services. The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the Kent County Council was to receive 3.2 million per year up to 2025. The Framework was to decide how the funding, and that held in reserves should be spent going forward. It was noted that A Key Decision taken by the Leader was expected at a later date. 

3. In response to questions from Members, it was said.

(a) The Chair asked about the future funding, as just two years of funding had been guaranteed in the report. Ms Agyepong said that it was difficult to permit future decision-making. The framework would be used to understand what the emerging need is around domestic abuse following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and demographic changes. It was said this would help realign and rest how the Local Authority responded to domestic abuse. It was noted that domestic abuse had usually been held within the adults directorate but going forward would be across the whole Local Authority and this framework was leading the way on this. 

(b) A Member asked what outcomes were expected from this and the All Member Briefing on the Kent and Medway Domestic Abuse Strategy would take place on 15 September 2023. Ms Agyepong said that this would allow Members to inform the strategy as part of the consultation period. It was noted that it was a partnership agreement, with key partners including Kent Police, all 12 District Councils and Kent Fire and Rescue. 

(c) Asked by a Member how this could be made sustainable over the long term and if there was the opportunity to provide some of the services in-house. Ms Westlake said there were restrictions on how the funding was used. It was said they were looking at streamlining the services that were currently being provided and the new services being developed and aligning them with the statutory services would make it more sustainable in the future. The Sanctuary Access for Eligible Residents (SAFER) scheme was given as an example. 

(d) Asked by a Member if there were any additional reasons as to why the full allocation of funding had not been spent. Ms Westlake said that the original funding was announced late which led to an underspend in the first year which was then followed up in the second year, the current amount held in reserves was £2 million. The Framework would allow the procurement of new services that would deliver against the defined intentions. 

(e) In response to the above point the Member asked why it had taken 2 years to design the framework to decide which services to procure. Ms Agyepong said that it was the intention to deliver evidence-based services that were co-produced which took time to do. There had been a lag created by the late announcement of the funding, the framework and the New Burdens Funding Steering Group would work against this lag and review new ideas and opportunities that would support the use of these monies. It was said a full report on what work was being done could be brought to the committee in the future to show the work that was being done. It was noted that several ideas were being developed that focus on the emerging needs across domestic abuse and closing the gaps in the services currently being provided. It was said that the pace of the work was expected to pick up in the near future, which the framework would support.  

(f) A Member raised the importance of working with and supporting, children as victims of domestic abuse. Ms Agyepong said that there was a close working relationship with Children’s and Young People to understand the impact on children of domestic abuse and how they could be supported. 

4. RESOLVED the recommendations were agreed as outlined in the report.