LGA responds to Domestic Abuse Act guidance and regulations consultation

LGA responds to Domestic Abuse Act guidance and regulations consultation

Responding to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s announcement of a consultation on the draft statutory guidance and regulations that accompany Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act, Cllr Nesil Caliskan, Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said:

“Today’s consultation on the Government’s statutory guidance provides a useful opportunity for local authorities and partners to feed-in their views and will help to ensure that domestic abuse victims and children receive the right help and support within safe accommodation.

“We are pleased to see that the Government has recognised feedback from local authorities and reflected on the timeline for local authorities to publish their domestic abuse strategies.

“The £125 million announced in the Spending Review for local authorities to implement the new statutory duty is good, but this funding is only for the 2021/22 financial year and councils would benefit from longer-term funding to allow for better planning and greater consistency for vital support services.

“To effectively achieve significant reductions in instances of domestic abuse, we need to be able to offer victims and survivors a range of support packages. We need an equal focus on, and funding for, prevention and early intervention measures that aims to prevent domestic abuse happening in the first place.

“We will be working closely with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s office to look at the potential for increased investment in wider community-based support services, along with investment and research into effective perpetrator intervention programmes.”