Agenda item

63.      Domestic Abuse Update

(Item B2)

1.  Ms F Shiringo (Assistant Director Integrated Children Services, South Kent, KCC) introduced the report and highlighted that one in five recorded crimes in Kent and Medway was related to domestic abuse. Domestic abuse (DA) is a priority within the Kent Community Safety Agreement and includes a number of actions. The presentation provides a summary of the activity undertaken across the county in relation to domestic abuse and in support of the related actions within the CSA action plan. 

2.  Ms I Hunter-Whitehouse explained that the development of the 2024 -2029 DA strategy involved a significant informal and formal consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including partner agencies, those with lived experience and interviews with adults and with children and young people. 

3.  The DA strategy has three themes outlines below and that the main aim was reducing the prevalence of domestic abuse:

1.                Early intervention and prevention

2.                Immediate needs

3.                Recovery

4.    It was important to understand that domestic abuse affected different people in different ways, and that it could be very isolating.

5.    The DA strategy is managed by the multi-agency Kent and Medway Domestic and Sexual Abuse Executive Group.

6.    In terms of funding, the CSA Action Plan included two projects that were allocated Crime Reduction Grant Funding from the KCSPs allotted fund. The first involved the delivery of five domestic abuse bitesize learning videos which can be found using the links below:

·                     Signs of Abuse - Understanding that coercion and control are central to domestic abuse and what this might look like

·                     Safe Enquiry - How to ask about domestic abuse safely and appropriately.

·                     Safety Planning - Making sure that you are able to take some initial steps to increase the client’s safety.

·                     Understanding Risk - Covering the factors that increase risk (for instance fear, escalation, strangulation, point of leaving etc) and the implications for information sharing.

·                     Signposting & Support - Being able to signpost people to the right support with confidence.

7.    The second project was aimed at increasing the uptake of template policies set out by the Reducing Abusive Behaviour Subgroup. The group aimed to coordinate the approaches to tackling abusive behaviour and enable greater focus on changing the behaviour of the individual causing harm through a combination of disruption, support and management of offenders.

8.    In terms of raising awareness, the CSA Action Plan includes a review of the Kent and Medway Domestic Abuse Services Website which is underway. The #KnowSeeSpeakOut campaign, commissioned by the Kent Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (KIDAS) partners and managed through the Projects & Partnerships team, had created an annual calendar of social media content that was freely available for organisations across Kent & Medway to use.

9.    In terms of Commissioned services, in line with the DA Act: an assessment of need had been conducted and fresh services developed and procured to address the findings and support the council to meet its new statutory responsibilities. These include the Safe Accommodation Support Service (SASS) delivering support to children and young people residing in all forms of safe accommodation. The  Kents Sanctuary Access For Eligible Residents (SAFER) Scheme provides security measures to be installed, enabling survivors to remain in their own homes safely if they chose to do so. Lastly, to improve the Councils offer of safe accommodation support to males a male refuge pilot has been developed.

10.A Partnership member expressed concern that, with the current financial crisis, the money available would not be enough to deal with the housing crisis. This was a problem for those experiencing domestic abuse and needing safe accommodation. Ms Shiringo said that this issue continued to be a challenge and that the Partnership had to think about how to simplify the process for victims of domestic abuse to access housing.

RESOLVED that the KCSP note the progress and activity undertaken in support of the Kent Community Safety Partnership Action Plan priorities.