Lord Polak (Con):...To truly tackle domestic abuse, we must be
bold. We need to take a holistic, whole-family approach, with
targeted interventions; to support adult victims to rebuild their
lives; to support children experiencing domestic abuse; and to
ensure that perpetrators have access to quality programmes to
prevent offending and reoffending. This holistic approach is
working in Norfolk and west Sussex. Barnardo’s Opening Closed Doors
programme, funded by the Home Office, is working...Request free trial
(Con):...To truly tackle domestic abuse, we must
be bold. We need to take a holistic, whole-family approach, with
targeted interventions; to support adult victims to rebuild their
lives; to support children experiencing domestic abuse; and to
ensure that perpetrators have access to quality programmes to
prevent offending and reoffending. This holistic approach is
working in Norfolk and west Sussex. Barnardo’s Opening Closed Doors
programme, funded by the Home Office, is working well in five local
authorities in south-east Wales. By putting accommodation and
community-based services on the same statutory footing, and placing
a duty on the key public agencies which commission domestic abuse
services, including local authorities, Police and Crime Commissioners and
health, we can ensure that a holistic approach is available
throughout the country.
The new clause proposed by Amendment 177 will ensure that the duty
works in harmony with Welsh legislation. In Wales, health boards
and local authorities are devolved. The new clause will require
Police and Crime Commissioners in
Wales, who are not devolved, to take reasonable steps to comply
with co-operation requests from Welsh local authorities or health
boards on domestic abuse service provision. This will ensure
co-operation in Wales between the key bodies with responsibility
for such provision and aims to improve the provision of joined-up
holistic services, to ensure a level of equivalence with the
changes proposed by Amendment 176.
Amendments 176 and 177 are not only supported across this House;
they are supported by the designate domestic abuse commissioner,
the Victims’ Commissioner, the Victims’ Commissioner for London,
the Children’s Commissioner, a range of Police and Crime Commissioners the
British Association of Social Workers, and many organisations
supporting victims and working with perpetrators. I reiterate that
we have waited for this vital piece of legislation and I appeal to
my noble friend the Minister: let us be bold and help as many
people who need support as we can...
...Of course, there are other amendments that focus on safe
reporting, NRPF and leave to remain for migrant women—I appreciate
listening to those debates—but this amendment is separate from
those issues, for it focuses on a duty on local authorities,
Police and Crime Commissioners
and clinical commissioning groups to take reasonable steps to
ensure sufficient provision for all survivors through community and
specialist services, as well as accommodation-based ones...
(Lab) [V]: My Lords, Amendment 176, to
which my name is attached, inserts a new clause that requires local
authorities, Police and Crime Commissioners
and clinical commissioning groups to take reasonable steps to
ensure sufficient provision of specialist domestic abuse support
services in their local areas in both the community and
refuges...
(Con) [V]: It is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord,
Lord Russell. I speak to Amendment 176 and congratulate my noble
friend on introducing this amendment and gathering such
cross-party support for its proposal. It clearly goes further than
the original amendment tabled in this area, requiring not only
local authorities, but Police and Crime Commissioners
and clinical commissioning groups to ensure sufficient
provision of specialist domestic abuse support services in their
local areas...
Lord Dodds of Duncairn (DUP) (V):...The fact is
that older people are much more likely to access community-based
services rather than refuge services. Women’s Aid has said that,
from 2010 to 2017, only 2.7% of service users were over the age of
65, with 2% using community-based services and 0.7% refuge-based
ones. The lower number of older people, especially men, who are
accessing services mean that they need to be protected. That means
ensuring proper access to community-based services. I also support
the amendment seeking to extend the statutory duty beyond local
authorities to Police and Crime Commissioners
and clinical commissioning groups...
(Con)
[V]:...Extending the current statutory duty to
Police and Crime Commissioners
and clinical commissioning groups is a welcome step that the
Local Government Association has previously called for. There needs
to be a mutual duty on a range of organisations to ensure that
there is provision of emergency accommodation and community support
service, and not just a duty placed on tier 1 local authorities.
However, it remains my view that imposing a statutory duty on local
authorities that is overly prescriptive and does not allow for
local flexibility is not the best way of improving services. An
improvement-led approach is the best way to provide local domestic
abuse services...
The Minister of State, Home Office ()
(Con):...It is important to recognise that there are already
significant community-based support services available to victims
of domestic abuse and other crime. Since 2014, Ministry of Justice
funding has helped Police and Crime Commissioners to
support victims of crime within their local areas, addressing the
specific local needs identified within their communities. This
funding totalled £68 million in 2019-20. The strong knowledge held
by Police and Crime Commissioners
about demographics and crime in their local areas allows them
to allocate funding to those victims in need...
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