Agenda item

To seek permission to go to the market to commission a range of services to provide an Integrated Domestic Abuse Service for Northumberland which will allow the Council to meet its statutory duties.  The length of contracts will be 2 years, with an option to extend for a further 2 years.

The report sought permission to go to the market to commission a range of services to provide an Integrated Domestic Abuse Service for Northumberland which would allow the Council to meet its statutory duties.  The contract length was for 2 years, with an option to extend it for a further 2 years.  (A copy of the report is attached to the signed minutes.)

Wendy Pattison, Portfolio Holder for Adults’ Wellbeing, with Mary Connor, Head of Early Help, Prevention and Support, Judith Keepin, Commissioning Manager and Lesley Pyle, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Co-ordinator, Children’s Services presented the report to the Committee.

The Committee were informed that the Domestic Abuse Act had come into force in April 2021 and placed new duties on Local Authorities including:

·        Provision of safe accommodation and support for victims of domestic abuse and their children.

·        Establish a local Domestic Abuse Partnership Board which was responsible for preparing and publishing a Domestic Abuse Strategy setting out how services would be commissioned to meet the needs of Northumberland residents and the LAs duties.

New burdens funding of £641,000 had been allocated by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in addition to core Council funding of £207,000.

A Task Group comprising of internal and external stakeholders had undertaken a need assessment regarding domestic abuse in Northumberland to support the Council’s commissioning intentions.  It was recognised that the bill required longer term commissioning and contracts to provide stability, however funding for years 2 and 3 would not be confirmed until after the annual spending review in the current year.

Key findings from the needs assessment were outlined.  Consultation had been carried out with services providers, stakeholders and services users on proposals for:

·        An integrated Domestic Abuse Support Service

·        Children’s Counselling and Therapeutic and Outreach Support

·        Perpetrator Service

·        Adult Counselling Service

·        Domestic Abuse in Rural Northumberland

The following information was provided in response to questions or issues raised by members:

·        Contact details for Domestic Abuse Support Service Northumberland (DASSN) were available on the Council’s website.  These would also be sent to Councillor Cartie following the meeting.

·        Provision for access to interpreters for individuals from minority groups would be made explicit within the contract for the Integrated Domestic Abuse service.

·        The proposals would increase and build on existing provision which would follow the model introduced in 2018 which introduced a single point of contact for all levels of risk.  Provision and support for children would be included as well as expanding capacity and resources to support more people.

·        The ages specified in lots 1 and 3 were derived from definitions from the Home Office and more recently within the Domestic Abuse Act.

·        It was recognised that some young people or children also posed a risk.  Provision of support to parents and children was included within the proposals.  The issue had also been identified as an item for consideration by a sub-group of the Domestic Abuse Partnership Board with multi-agency partners to identify a pathway and response.  Staff were trained to provide support to both parents and children with risk assessment tools to identify the level of risk.

·        Lot 3 was aimed at changing behaviours of those people identified as perpetrators with accredited programmes.

·        Reference was made to male and female victims to be clear that the services did not solely apply to women and that support was available for male victims.

·        Whilst a longer contract period would provide more stability, it had been set at 2+2 years as MHCLG funding had only been confirmed for the current year.  The Council had to demonstrate its commitment to new duties under the Act in the current year, to access to funding in the remaining years.  If the Council set a 3-year contract, there would be a risk, from the LA perspective, if the additional funding was not confirmed as there could be a shortfall which the LA would need to find.  The proposal for 2+2 attempted to mitigate that risk.

Members supported the proposals and the work of the service.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet be advised that the Committee supported the recommendations in the report subject to the points set out regarding provision of interpreters for minority groups and consideration of extending the contract to provide more stability.