- £6 million for councils to prepare for new domestic abuse
duty
- Councils will have a duty to provide support for victims of
domestic abuse
- New funding will help councils train staff and plan for
accommodation and support services
Extra support will be given to councils to help them to prepare
for the introduction of landmark legislation that will ensure
domestic abuse victims and their families get the vital help they
need has been announced today [Monday 5 October] by Minister for
Rough Sleeping and Housing .
Thousands more people are expected to be helped from April 2021
when the new law comes into force placing a duty on councils to
support victims of domestic abuse.
Once the duty comes into forces, the new £6m funding announced
today will mean that councils in England can commission
additional vital support for those victims of domestic abuse and
their children who might currently be turned away from refuges
and other safe accommodation because their needs cannot be met.
The Domestic Abuse Bill, currently before Parliament, includes
a new duty for councils to assess and provide support and
safe accommodation to victims and their children in England.
This new funding will mean councils can plan accommodation and
specialist services ahead of the Act coming into force and ensure
that in all areas across the country services are joined up.
Councils can prepare by linking in with other agencies such as
police or health commissioners and ensure their staff receive
training in the new duty.
Domestic abuse is a devastating crime which creates long term
impacts on victims, their children, and wider society. The
Government has committed to transforming the response to domestic
abuse so victims and their children receive the support they need
when they need it.
Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing said:
“Survivors of domestic abuse need safe refuge in order to escape
this heinous crime, and support to start to rebuild their lives.
“Councils already provide much needed support, but the landmark
Domestic Abuse Bill will mean for the first time councils will
have a duty to provide support in safe accommodation for anyone
fleeing abuse.
"The funding I am announcing today will help councils prepare for
this new duty that will see thousands more survivors helped and a
generation of their children able to grow up safely and free from
fear of abuse.”
We have committed to supporting all domestic abuse survivors.
That’s why since 2014 we’ve invested £80 million in safe
accommodation services to support victims of domestic abuse.
In April, the Home Secretary announced £2m to ensure helplines
and online services continue to be easily accessible to victims,
during the coronavirus pandemic. This follows the appointment in
September 2019 of an independent Domestic Abuse Commissioner to
lead on driving improvements in the response to domestic abuse in
the UK, putting victims at the heart of the response.
The funding is part of a raft of measures designed to help
support councils meet their new obligations. To further help
councils prepare, the Government has today published guidance on
the fund’s purpose and is providing councils with further
information and support.
The government’s £10 million emergency fund, already announced,
is supporting domestic abuse victims and their families during
the pandemic, helping to provide over 1,500 new beds and re-open
344 bed-spaces. This is part of a wider £76 million package of
government support for the Covid-19 emergency response.
In addition, a consultation has been launched today on how the
new burdens funding associated with the new duty should be
allocated in order to enable councils to meet their new duty.
Councils need to be ready for this new duty and the Government is
consulting with them on the best way to allocate funding from
April 2021 to ensure they are able to meet their new obligation.
