MIDDLESBROUGH COUNCIL

PREVENTING DOMESTIC ABUSE

Executive Member for Supporting Communities: Councillor Mick Thompson

Executive Director for Economic Development and Communities:

Kevin Parkes

8thSeptember 2015

PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

  1. This report identifies the need for the Council to take a strong leadership role in reducing the prevalence of domestic abuse in the town. The report also proposes a number of steps the Council could take to fulfil this role.
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
  1. The report recommends that the Executive endorses the proposed approach to reducing the prevalence of domestic abuse in the town, and that the Council will take a lead role in its implementation.

IF THIS IS A KEY DECISION WHICH KEY DECISION TEST APPLIES?

It is over the financial threshold (£150,000)
It has a significant impact on 2 or more wards
Non Key / X
  1. DECISION IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE

For the purposes of the scrutiny call in procedure this report is

Non-urgent / X
Urgent report

If urgent please give full reasons

BACKGROUND AND EXTERNAL CONSULTATION

Background

  1. Domestic violence and abuse is unacceptable. Not only is it a serious crime in itself, placing vulnerable individuals at risk of serious injury or even worse, but the corrosive effects it has on children, families and communities can be devastating.

Domestic Violence and Abuse

  1. For the purpose of this report the Home Office definition of domestic violence and abuse is used as follows:

‘Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse: psychological; physical; sexual; financial; and, emotional’[1]

  1. Controlling behaviours are acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent, by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour. Coercive behaviour are acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse, that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim. This definition includes ‘honour’ based violence, female genital mutilation and forced marriage.
  1. Although the terms domestic abuse and domestic violence can often be used interchangeably to mean the same thing, domestic violence tends to be used more to describe situations involving physical violence, and is therefore used by the Police to record incidents under their category of ‘Violence Against The Person’. For the purposes of this report, the term domestic violence will be used specifically to refer to incidents recorded by the Police in this way, whereas the term domestic abuse will be used to describe the wider activities listed in the Home Office definition above.

National Context

  1. Nationally, it is recognised that domestic abuse is a widespread problem that is hugely underreported. Recent research has however identified that:
  1. two women per week are killed by their current or ex-partner, and it is reliably estimated that there are 100,000 victims at high risk of serious harm or murder and 130,000 children living with these;
  2. victims on average will experience 35 incidents of domestic abuse prior to making a disclosure; and,
  3. it costs the tax payer an estimated £3.9bn per year - high risk domestic abuse represents nearly £2.4bn of this[2].

Middlesbrough Context

  1. Although a nationally widespread problem, incidents of domestic abuse in Middlesbrough appear to be disproportionately high, and rising, as demonstrated by:
  1. levels of reported domestic violence in Middlesbrough are consistently high with the cumulative number of reported incidents to Cleveland Police between the 12 month period up to March 2014 and then up to March 2015 showing a 20% increase (4970/4127)[3]; and,
  2. the domestic violence incident rate is second highest, by force area, of all forces in England (29.23% compared with average rate of 19.63%)[4].
  1. Given that Middlesbrough’s rate of domestic violence is disproportionately higher than areas of similar size, similar composition, and similar levels of deprivation, it can only be assumed that there is more of a cultural dimension to domestic abuse in Middlesbrough. In short, it appears that there is more of a social acceptance of domestic abuse in Middlesbrough than elsewhere.

Wider Impacts

  1. As referred to earlier, the act of domestic abuse is unacceptable, and needs to be tackled to ensure the safety of individuals. There is however a wider impact of all forms of domestic abuse, that has a corrosive impact on society, for example:
  1. homelessness due to domestic abuse accounts for 80% of all homeless cases in Middlesbrough, the highest proportion of any borough in England[5];
  2. around 80% of cases progressed to child protection proceedings in Middlesbrough feature domestic abuse as the primary or secondary cause of concern for the safety of the child or children; and,
  3. domestic abuse is closely associated with child abuse and neglect as well as social issues including substance abuse.
  1. Tackling domestic abuse is therefore a critical factor in addressing the long term demand reduction agenda that the Council and other partners are facing.

Current Governance Arrangements

  1. The response to issues of domestic abuse in Middlesbrough is led primarily through the Domestic Abuse Strategic Partnership (DASP),the multi-agency group linked to the Health and Wellbeing Board and the Community Safety Partnership. The primary remit of the group is to ensure that multi-agency working is progressing smoothly, activities are properly resourced and monitored, and that any peaks in demand are addressed. The DASP meets quarterly and includes senior representatives from Supporting Communities, Public Health, Wellbeing, Care and Learning, Police and Fire Service amongst others. Although the group has no formal role in commissioning activity, the strategic direction established by the group should influence the provision being sought by partners.

Previous Strategic Approach

  1. Previous strategies for dealing with domestic abuse in Middlesbrough have prioritised the provision of responsive services that provide a safety net for victims. Whilst this approach has ensured that a range of options have been available for victims in Middlesbrough, there has been little investment in preventing the problem occurring in the first place, and little focus on preventing a perpetrator from re-offending. As a result of this approach, reporting of incidents continues to rise, as does the rate at which perpetrators are re-offending.

Developing a More Preventative Approach

  1. In recent months, the local issues underpinning the response to domestic abuse in Middlesbrough have been debated at length through the DASP. Stakeholder workshops and resident surveys have also been undertaken to look at weaknesses in the current system, and why existing commissioning does not impact sufficiently upon prevention. As a result, a set of more preventative strategic principles has emerged through the group, and provide a framework for each organisation to examine its own role in reducing domestic abuse.
  1. These strategic principles are set out in Appendix I, but can be summarised as:

Preventing Offending

  1. ensuring that people value healthy relationships, view domestic abuse as socially unacceptable, and fully understand its corrosive effects;

Preventing Reoffending

  1. intervening at the earliest possible juncture to influence future behaviour based on highlighting the long-term impacts of reoffending on both the victim and the perpetrator;

Supporting Victims

  1. supporting people to take action at the first signs of abuse, providing supportive and compassionate responses that are aimed at victims being pro-active in preventing further abuse; and,

Monitor and Challenge

  1. partners challenging collective impact based on addressing the root causes of offending, and using data more effectively to target impact.
  1. These principles have been adopted by the group, and should provide a framework for each partner’s contribution to reducing domestic abuse.

The Council’s Role

  1. As a key partner in the DASP, the Council has a major role to play in taking forward these strategic principles, and ensuring that its own delivery is fully aligned. As the issue of domestic abuse has such an influence over the demand reduction agenda faced by the Council, it is also important that the appropriate links are made between the existing efforts to reduce demand, and the direction set out by the DASP. To do this, it is proposed that the Council undertakes the following five actions:

Action 1: Take a lead role in reducing domestic abuse

  1. By adopting the strategic principles agreed through the DASP, the Council can make a significant statement that it will work together with partners to change the way it has traditionally operated with respect to domestic abuse. By adopting these principles and also agreeing to take the lead in championing them, the Council has the opportunity to use its unique civic leadership role to have a much greater impact.

Action 2: Set clear targets for reducing domestic abuse

  1. Although the data relating to the reporting of domestic abuse incidents is far from perfect, the Council has the opportunity to challenge itself and partners to have a real impact on the frequency of incidents, and the subsequent outcomes arising from them. A detailed monitoring framework has been designed to sit alongside the strategic principles and inform future delivery options, but setting a series of clear outcome measures, and associated targets, to report on through the DASP would provide a greater focus to existing activity. It is proposed that these include:
  1. reducing the prevalence of domestic violence incidents (reducing the gap between Middlesbrough and the national rate);
  2. reducing the rate of repeat domestic violence incidents (reducing the gap between Middlesbrough and the national rate); and,
  3. increasing the number of perpetrators completing behavioural programmes (increasing raw numbers from 2014/15 baseline).
  1. It should be recognised that encouraging more victims of domestic abuse to come forward may impact negatively upon two of the above indicators, but where this is the case it should be possible to demonstrate how this has been as a direct result of steps taken to pro-actively support victims, rather than an increase in incidents.
  1. These outcomes will be reported through the DASP on a regular basis, and will be integrated into the balanced scorecards for the Supporting Communities Service.

Action 3: Shift the balance of existing commissioning more towards prevention

  1. The Council currently invests almost £500,000 per annum into domestic abuse (see below), although less than 10% is spent on prevention. It is proposed that this balance is revised as contracts come up for re-commissioning, with a phased rationalisation of contracts to ultimately deliver better value for money, and ensure any funding diverted towards prevention does not have an adverse impact upon support for vulnerable victims.

Public Health contributions / Wellbeing, Care & Learning / Supporting Communities
Harbour DV Link Worker / £27,000 / Children’s DV Service / £76,040 / Sanctuary Scheme / £76,858
MSP Counselling / £15,000 / Harbour Refuge / £164,507 / Perpetrator Project / £20,000
MSPIDVA / £25,000 / Harbour Outreach / £38,493
HALO Project / £55,000
  1. Due to the existing contracting arrangements in place, this phased approach will need to be implemented over a three year period. It is intended that the proportion of expenditure spent on prevention will rise to 25% in 2016/17, and 40% in 2017/18. Again, this will beintegrated into the balanced scorecards for the Supporting Communities Service.

Action 4: Invest any new resources in preventative activities

  1. Any new resources made available either internally, or secured externally should be directed towards prevention, rather than further investment in supporting victims.

Action 5: Promote the message of domestic abuse being socially unacceptable

  1. The Council has the unique opportunity to take the lead in promoting the message across the town that domestic abuse is socially unacceptable, and should not be tolerated by anyone. If this is done through a coordinated campaign, with the support of partners, it should be possible to monitor any impact on victims coming forward or referrals being made to support services. Taking the lead in promoting this messagewill set the tone for a greater emphasis on healthy relationship activities in schools, colleges etc.
  1. It is proposed that such a campaign be launched during December, to align with any potential seasonal rise in incidents.

Other Council Led Activity

  1. Although the commissioning activity identified above relates directly to dealing with domestic abuse, there is also a significant investment both through other Council services, and also through networks supported by the Council. Examples of this would include the work undertaken in schools (supported through MAP) to mitigate the impacts of domestic abuse, and also address the preventative agenda through healthy relationship work. The Council will seek to support and broaden this activity wherever possible to underpin the overall approach.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

  1. An initial impact assessment has been completed in respect of the strategic principles, attached at Appendix II, which has found that adoption of it will not have an adverse impact in respect of human rights or equality, and that it will positively support community cohesion and achievement of the principles of the Mayor’s Vision and the Change Programme.

OPTION APPRAISAL/RISK ASSESSMENT

  1. Strategies to tackle domestic abuse have been considered in previous reports, and more recently at the Council’s Scrutiny Panel, in February 2015.Implementationandoperationalrisks associated with the proposed approach for tackling and preventing domestic abuse can besummarisedas follows:

Do nothing (high risk)

  1. This option is not recommended. Media reporting, and local members of the judiciary, have all noted in recent months, an ‘epidemic of domestic violence[6]’ affecting the local area. To do nothing would almost certainly result in partners perceiving the DASP and proposed strategic approach in a negative way.

Continue to commission reactive services to respond to the issue (medium risk)

  1. This option is not recommended. The issue of domestic abuse, by its nature, creates a need to respond reactively, and places a vast burden on resources. The impact as described earlier, is widespread and frequently leads to the creation of other subsequent service needs, placing further pressure on Council services.

Commission preventative services to complement and reduce pressures to reactive services (medium risk)

  1. This option is recommended. It is acknowledged that commissioning preventative activities requires dedicated resources and associated budgets in the short and medium term. However, it is also expected that positive outcomes, efficiency savings and improved partnership working can be achieved by the Council and its partners over the long term by ensuring maximum use is made of leverage points, by linking service users, or those identified as being at risk, with preventative and early intervention support.
  1. FINANCIAL, LEGAL AND WARD IMPLICATIONS

Financial implications

  1. Although there are no direct financial implications arising from this report, the rebalancing of responsive resources towards preventative activities (which would be budget neutral) should ultimately ensure resources are being utilised more effectively to reduce demand for more costly interventions - in line with the Council’s overall Change Programme agenda. Any additional resources identified through external sources would be targeted at preventative work for the same reasons.
  1. It should be noted that the cost of responding to domestic abuse in Middlesbrough is estimated, using the Home Office Violent Crime Cost Calculator, to be in the region of £13m. This takes into account the resources of housing services; social services; health services; Police; local businesses; and criminal justice agencies.

Legal Implications

  1. There is no legal requirement to implement a strategy to tackle and prevent domestic abuse, but it is recommended as good practice for local authorities and their partners. There is however a statutory requirement for community safety partnerships to carry out reviews in the event of domestic homicides, which would take account of mechanisms to deal with victims and perpetrators.

Ward Implications

  1. Police, homeless and First Contact data all show that domestic abuse occurs in all ward areas of Middlesbrough, but that there is a particular prevalence of domestic abuse incidents in the following postcodes: TS1, TS3, TS4, and TS5 which are likely to require targeted activities and resources.
RECOMMENDATIONS
  1. It is recommended that the Executive:
  1. endorse the proposed strategic principles for reducing domestic abuse in Middlesbrough;
  1. agree to the Council’s taking a lead role in the reduction of domestic abuse;
  1. agree to shifting the balance of existing commissioning towards a more preventative approach;
  1. agree to investing any new resources relating to domestic abuse, into preventative activities; and,
  1. agree to promote the message of domestic abuse being socially unacceptable.
REASONS
  1. Adopting the proposed approach would enable the Council to exert the maximum possible influence over an issue that impacts across a wide range of Council services, and affects the lives of people across the town.
BACKGROUND PAPERS

No background papers were used in the preparation if this report.

AUTHORS: Sharon Caddell

TEL NO: 01642 729369

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Address: Civic Centre, Middlesbrough, TS1 2QQ

Website:

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[1] Home Office Definition – November 2013

[2]CAADA (Coordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse), 2014, and national best practice and policy guidance organisation

[3] Cleveland Police Domestic Abuse Data March 2015

[4] Public Health England Domestic Violence Crude Estimate 2014

[5]DCLG P1E Statistical Homelessness Data

[6]