Agenda item

Domestic abuse can affect anyone, destroying families and lives, leaving lasting physical and emotional scars, and having a particularly devastating impact on children and young people. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 was introduced to strengthen the response across all agencies, provide further protections for those experiencing domestic abuse and put in place enhanced measures to bring perpetrators to justice.

Council notes that:

·         The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 places a statutory duty on first tier councils (county and unitary councils) to Prepare a Domestic Abuse Strategy. Gloucestershire County Council has prepared a Domestic Abuse Strategy 2021-24:  https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/media/2110605/gcc-domestic-abuse-strategy.pdf

·         The District Council plays an important role in the delivery of the Domestic Abuse Strategy, working in multi-agency partnership with the County Council and others including the Police, the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service (GDASS) and Stroud Beresford Women’s Refuge, our current charity of the year.

·         The District Council is working on the preparation of a Domestic Abuse Policy relating to tenants and tenancies, and another relating to staff, as well as reviewing its Safeguarding Policy and training, including in relation to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Council resolves that:

·         Officers are asked to prepare a report for consideration by the Strategy and Resources Committee to set out this Council’s role in addressing Domestic Abuse within the context of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and the County Council’s Domestic Abuse Strategy. The report should include:

o   Recognition of the need for the preparation of a clear and concise overarching District Council Domestic Abuse Strategy to show how the different strategies and policies of different councils and council services relate to each other, provide appropriate support and protection to victims and address the perpetrators of Domestic Abuse.

o   Recognition that the preparation of the above strategy will be led by the Strategic Director of Communities, who chairs the cross-service Safeguarding Group.

o   Consideration of how Members are to be involved in the preparation of the above strategy and other Domestic Abuse policies as appropriate and in the identification of any gaps, potentially through a Working Group or Task and Finish Group to complement the cross-service Safeguarding Group chaired by the Strategic Director of Communities.

o   Reference to the need for cross-service and staff / Member work to identify any gaps in provision and recommend how these will be addressed.

o   Consideration of further training needs for staff and Members in relation to Domestic Abuse. 

·         The overarching District Council Domestic Abuse Strategy referred to above will be brought to a future meeting of relevant committees for consideration.

Councillor Trina Davis presented the Motion and stated that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men were victims of domestic abuse. She acknowledged the great work that the Council were already doing around domestic abuse but felt that more could be done. She stated that having a Working Group and a dedicated strategy in place would be a huge step forward.

Councillor Edmunds asked whether they knew how many refuges were in Gloucestershire as more than 2,500 child protection referrals regarding domestic abuse had been made in Gloucestershire in 2021. Councillor Stephen Davies advised that refuges were not the only solution and that every domestic abuse case was different with the victims requiring different support.

Councillor Green welcomed the Motion and urged Councillors to support it.

Councillor Turner advised that they had seen some good work carried out by the County Council and she had recently undergone training. She asked whether the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service could be highlighted on the Members Hub webpages.

Councillor Braun thanked Councillor Davis for bringing the Motion to Council and highlighting an important issue that affected over 2 million people across the UK.  She confirmed that the Council worked closely with the County Council but was interested in what more could be done.

Councillor Watson as a member of the Member Development Working Group highlighted the low uptake by Members of some training courses which would help Councillors know what to do.

Councillor Stephen Davies stated that the County Council had a greater responsibility however the District Council did a huge amount of good work but didn’t have any documents to highlight this. He asked Council to support the Motion.

On being put to the vote, the Motion was carried unanimously.