Issue details

Proposed decision:

A)   Commence formal procurement activity to tender for a Domestic Abuse Support Service in Safe Accommodation for Children and Young People affected by Domestic Abuse,

B)   Delegate authority to the Corporate Director CYPE to take relevant actions to facilitate the required procurement activity

C)   Delegate authority to the Corporate Director CYPE to award the contract and take relevant actions, including but not limited to finalising the terms of and entering into required contracts or other legal agreements, as necessary to implement the decision.

Background:

Part Four of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 brings the statutory duty for local authorities to provide support for all victims and their children residing in all types of Safe Accommodation, which includes refuges, Sanctuary Schemes, move-on, and dispersed accommodation.

Domestic Abuse support for children and young people residing in Safe Accommodation in Kent is fragmented, inconsistent, and difficult to find. Many young people in Safe Accommodation rely on community services provided by voluntary and community sector organisations, which are often grant funded and inconsistent across the county.

The majority of cases that Integrated Children’s Services (ICS) interact with are linked to either present or historic Domestic Abuse, therefore ICS currently spend a significant amount of time and resources working with children and families who have been affected by Domestic Abuse. This proposed service, whilst may not reduce caseload numbers, could alleviate some pressure on KCC’s Children’s Social Care services that are supporting victims of domestic abuse and also ensure more children have access to support. 

Current Provision:

The current Domestic Abuse (DA) provision commissioned by KCC, with multi-agency funding, is managed through the Kent Integrated Domestic Abuse Services (KIDAS) contract, which is managed by the Vulnerable Adults Commissioning Team. This contract provides support for adult victims and survivors (16+) both within the community and refuges.

There is currently no KCC commissioned Domestic Abuse support offer that specifically targets children and young people residing in safe accommodation.

Historically, Local Children’s Partnerships Groups have set Domestic Abuse as a priority within their districts and grant funded organisations and projects accordingly.

Commissioning Approach:

A significant amount of activity has taken place to understand how a service can be effective for the children and young people who will be using it, whilst adhering to the requirements of the funding.

A proposed service model was co-produced with statutory partners through a series of workshops. Commissioners then conducted market engagement via Kent business Portal to obtain feedback which was incorporated into the service model.

Young people’s feedback was obtained through a workshop and subsequently incorporated into the service specification to ensure the service design was capturing the voice of the child.

The proposed service model has been approved through all appropriate Directorate governance routes and KCC Domestic Abuse governance routes. 

The Council is seeking the provision of high-quality specialist Domestic Abuse support for children and victims residing in all types of Safe Accommodation. This Support Service will ensure KCC meets its statutory duty set out in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.