CC(3) DA15
Communities and Culture Committee
Scrutiny Inquiry : Domestic Abuse
Response from Blaenau Gwent County Borough
Purpose
To provide information on work undertaken in relation to domestic abuse within and across Blaneau Gwent County Borough. The information will be used to inform discussions at the Assembly Government’s Communities and Culture Committee. The Committee are carrying out an inquiry into domestic abuse and intend to make recommendations on actions that could be taken to tackle the problem of domestic abuse in Wales.
Background
Blaenau Gwent County Borough is one of five unitary authority areas in the county of Gwent and is the smallest county borough in Wales by land area. Geographically, the borough is divided into three main valleys running north to south - the Sirhowy, Ebbw Fach and Ebbw Fawr. This has a visible impact on the communities in Blaenau Gwent, which are characterised by narrow, densely populated ribbon developments along the valleys with very limited links between the three valleys.
There are 16 political wards, of which 13 are Communities First areas, and the whole County Borough has been designated as an Objective One priority regeneration area.
According to the 2006/07 Crime in England and Wales figures, Blaenau Gwent had the fourth highest recorded crime per 1,000 population in Wales, joint fourth highest recorded violence against the person per 1,000 population in Wales, and joint eighth highest recorded robbery offences per 1,000 population in Wales. Other high volume crimes within the county borough were thefts from/of vehicles. While crime levels for Wales have remained more or less stable over recent years and worries about violent crime are below UK averages, public perception of high levels or drug use and dealing in South Wales are much higher than average response in England and Wales.
The All Wales Domestic Abuse Strategy is delivered and monitored in Blaenau Gwent through the Community Safety Partnership (CSP), although links closely with the Children and Young People’s Partnership and Local Safeguarding Children’s Board regarding issues relating to impact on children.
Community Safety Partnership
The Community Safety Partnership (CSP), Safer Blaenau Gwent is made up of statutory and non-statutory partners. There are five responsible authorities:
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Blaenau Gwent Local Health Board
Gwent Police
Gwent Police Authority South Wales Fire Authority
The CSP co-ordinate multi-agency and multi-disciplinary activity to deal with broad agendas many of which are inter-linked:
Crime
Domestic abuse
Anti-social behaviour
Substance Misuse
Another agenda that has been highlighted to be addressed within the Govenments action plan entiltled "Saving Lives. Reducing Harm, Protecting the Public. An Action Plan for Tackling Violence 2008-11", has been Sexual Assault. Whilst there is a clear link between Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault, concerns are raised that should a decision be reached that Sexual Assault be attached to the Domestic Abuse co-ordinators role and remit, this may in turn seriously dilute existing resources and limited funding that is currently available within the Domestic Abuse arena. The complexities of addressing sexual offending behaviour, managing risk and dealing with associated or underlying problems, will involve the co-ordinators , in some cases, dealing with two very different types of perpetrators that will require contrasting approaches in terms of both raising awareness and risk assessment/management and co-ordinators would need to have extensive experience and knowledge within each separate field in order for these areas to be managed effectively.
Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator
Blaenau Gwent CSP employ a full-time Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator (grant funded from Welsh Assembly Government and secured with an uplift using funding from the Home Office fixed term until March 2009). The nature of annual fixed term funding has caused problems in staff retention rates due to the uncertainty of future funding.
The Domestic Abuse Forum
The CSP established a Domestic Abuse Forum, which consists of both statutory and non-statutory agencies, who are responsible for the development, monitoring and review of the annual work plans for the CSP.
The Domestic Abuse Action Plan (Appendix A) provides an important framework for the co-ordination and delivery of multi-agency, multi-disciplinary domestic abuse services across the county borough. The Forum, provides opportunities for the sharing of information and best practice. For consistency, the action plan has adopted the five main objectives as set out in the All Wales Strategy, thus:
Increase Public Awareness as to the issues surrounding Domestic Abuse
Improve current service provision for all victims and to particularly increase the safe choices for women, children and young people who experience Domestic Abuse
Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Domestic Abuse Forum.
Educate and inform children and young people to enable them to make informed choices
Challenge the notion that Domestic Abuse is acceptable
Protect children and young people in Blaenau Gwent from the negative impact of Domestic Abuse
Hold abusers accountable for their behaviour
Blaenau Gwent Domestic Abuse Service
Blaenau Gwent Domestic Abuse Services is a charity concerned with addressing the effects of domestic abuse within the Blaenau Gwent area. Set up in November 2002 the BGDAS currently employs a Project Manager, an IDVA, a Programme Officer, a Support Worker and an Admin/Finance Officer.
BGDAS seeks:
To provide a support and information service to men and women who are experiencing domestic abuse across Blaenau Gwent.
Raise awareness of the service provided by BGDAS and the issues relating to domestic abuse throughout Blaenau Gwent.
Maintain effective working partnerships with other relevant voluntary and statutory groups and organisations.
BGDAS receives funding from WAG, which is paid directly to Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council who acts as banker for the CSP. Current funding is around £59,566 secure until March 2009 although there is no indication to-date whether this funding will continue.
Independent Domestic Violence Advocate
Currently the Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) is located and managed within the Blaenau Gwent Domestic Abuse Service. The IDVA provides proactive independent support, risk assessment and safety planning, effective partnership working within a multi agency setting, all through adopting a casework-based approach has been shown to decrease victimisation, increase notification of children at risk and reduces the number of victims unwilling to support a prosecution.
Specialist Domestic Violence Courts, SDVC
The Specialist court programme is a co-ordinated community response to domestic abuse that combines both criminal justice interventions (e.g. dedicated domestic violence prosecutors) and non-criminal justice interventions (e.g. independent domestic violence advisors)
The SDVC programme in Gwent commenced in April 2006. The Gwent SDVC Management Group answers directly to the Home Office as well as reporting to the Local Criminal Justice Board and the CSP. The Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator attends the LSCB and the SDVC Management Group and co-ordinates the work programme within the Domestic Abuse Forum.
The SDVC programme is delivered across "C” Division police boundaries, covering both Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly.
The project is being managed on a pan-Gwent basis, with local groups (LOGs) responsible for operational issues within each police division.
This provides an opportunity for Blaenau Gwent to be in the forefront of this successful approach, which fit closely with Strategic Aim 3 of the Community Safety Partnership Strategy:
Achieving an increase in the number of prosecutions and convictions for all violent and hate crimes.
Achieving an increase in the number of victims referred to support services.
Achieving an increase in the number of domestic abuse crimes reported to the police.
Multi-Agency risk Assessment Conference
The main aim of the MARAC is to reduce the serious risk of harm or murder of a victim and to increase their safety, health and well-being. MARAC Panels consists of statutory and non-statutory agencies.
In 2007/08 Gwent received Home Office funding to employ MARAC Coordinators (key to the process) this funding has been continued for a further year funded by Gwent Police.
A Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) has been established in Gwent since 2006. However, "C” Division ( areas covering Blaenau-Gwent and Caerphilly) to-date has not implemented such conferences. This is mainly due to being unsuccessful in appointing a full time MARAC Co-ordinator.
Specialist Supported Housing Project
Following a Supporting People needs assessment completed in November 2006, Blaenau Gwent Local Authority in partnership with United Welsh as the Registered Social Landlord successfully won a bid to develop a significant supported housing service within Blaenau Gwent for victims of Domestic Abuse.
Cymdeithas Tai Hafan as support provider was awarded the contract on the 1 December 2007. In conjunction with Supporting People a steering group was convened to address the following key areas in regards to both the Specialist supported housing and Floating Support project:-
Protocol and procedure group
Site development group
Design group
The client profile for such a project is as follows:-
Supported housing project for women and their families who are experiencing domestic abuse and for whom traditional refuge accommodation would not meet their needs.
Floating support project for both women and men who are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse.
Depending on the availability of a suitable site, the proposed model would be 6-8 self-contained flats with a communal area, indoor and outdoor play areas and an area suitable for teenagers. One flat must be compliant to the Disability Discrimination Act.
The primary objectives for the project include:-
To provide short-term crisis accommodation with support to women who are often excluded from accessing mainstream provision within neighbouring refuges due to their specific and specialist support needs.
To provide housing related floating support service to women who are resident in the refuge to enable them to move out to appropriate, safe housing within the community.
To provide housing-related floating support service to people who are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse and are resident in Blaenau Gwent and who require support to maintain their home in the community.
To seek to develop partnerships with a variety of agencies already working with the client group.
Education
The CSP through the Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator has ensured domestic abuse has been identified as a strategic priority within both the Children and Young Peoples Single Children’s Plan and the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board Business Plan. This will enhance the opportunities for delivering co-ordinated services for victims and those affected by domestic abuse.
The Joseph Rowntree Communities That Care Survey commissioned by the Children and Young People’s Partnership was carried out during 2005-06 and included the views of 3,000 young people aged 11-16 years. The survey identified that particularly high numbers of children in certain areas within Blaenau Gwent who said, "that the adults in their home often hurt each other.”
Education continues to be a major factor in dealing with domestic abuse, both with adults and the wider community, and particularly with children and young people.
Following a successful bid to WAG the Domestic Abuse For a across Gwent secured funding to develop a joint Safer Relationships project whereby Gwent Theatre performed a play entitled 'Lizzards Tale’ to all Year 9 students within secondary schools across Gwent.
The workshops allowed pupils to analyse and reflect on the sensitive issues, which are addressed in this powerful and emotionally engaging production. Pupils were encouraged to portray and express views, opinions and ideas through role-play, improvisation and theatre games.
The production was heralded a great success with all pupils and teaching staff who engaged with the project. The event and workshops that followed allowed the opportunity to discuss issues surrounding 'safer relationships’, increasing awareness of domestic abuse and empowering young people to make appropriate and positive choices in respect of relationships.
Both feedback and evaluation of the project highlighted how it is equally as important to equip children and young people to take responsibility for their behaviour in their personal relationships and assist them in their present and future relationships.
Currently, in conjunction with the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) Co-ordinator, Blaenau Gwent will be auditing the PSHE timetable in Primary schools initially and secondary schools at a later date, in order to identify gaps in addressing Domestic Abuse issues. It is hoped that along with the Safer Relationships resource pack that has been developed for professionals who work with children and young people, the workshops have been able to demonstrate classroom strategies that can be used as part of the school’s PSHE scheme.
Health
Ante-natal Routine Enquiry Pathway introduced into Gwent. This was in response to All-Wales initiative as it is recognised fact that 30% of domestic abuse starts or escalates during pregnancy (RCOG 2004 - why Mothers Die 2000-2002). Pathway ensures that all women attending for Ante-natal care as a matter of routine are asked a series of scripted questions to encourage the disclosure of any incident of domestic abuse
Blaenau Gwent has been working alongside the NHS Trust to re-draft their strategy and develop an action plan for Domestic Abuse within the health care setting.
There is a close working relationship with the Lead Child Protection Officers for both health visitors and Midwifry, in readiness for future evaluation of the ante-natal routine enquiry pathway.
Sexual Assault Referral Centre
There is a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) is based in Caerphilly County Borough for adult victims, which received £70,000 set-up costs from the Welsh assembly Government. The Police Authority fund the ongoing revenue cost. The centre offers adult victims of sexual crime an integrated service (Police, Health and New Pathways) where the victims can receive medical care, psychological counselling, legal advice and other support in one place by professionally trained people.
Gwent Police has Domestic Violence Liaison Officers (DVLO’s) and Sexual Offence Liaison Officers (SOLO’s) who are specially trained to support victims of domestic violence and sexual violence.
In support of the centre Blaenau Gwent Domestic Abuse Service have trained staff to support adult victims of sexual violence and domestic violence. Victim Support also provide such services, including supporting children throughout the process.
Perpetrator Programme
To-date there is no formal Perpetrator programme being run in Blaenau Gwent. However there are a relatively small number of local offenders who access the Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme through Gwent Probation.
The Domestic Abuse Forum is very keen to establish a formal Perpetrator Programme for Blaenau Gwent, however to-date they have been unable to identify appropriate and available funding streams. As such there is very little movement in respect of the local contribution of the All Wales Domestic Abuse Strategy in relation to perpetrators.
