Agenda item

A report is attached from the Director of Public Health that outlines proposals for allocating the £830,051 MHCLG 2021-22 grant funding to support victims of domestic abuse and their children residing in safe accommodation.

Members are invited to comment in advance of consideration by Cabinet.

Cllr Simon Jacobs, Cabinet Member for Public Health, provided background information about the proposals, explaining that Wiltshire Council was already spending roughly £1 million per year on domestic abuse support and currently provided 37 refuge bed spaces. £830,051, roughly quadruple the expected amount, had been granted to Wiltshire Council by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for the provision of support to victims of domestic abuse, and their children, in 2021-22.

The cabinet member saw the funding as an opportunity to break the cycle of abuse but stressed that it had to be spent quickly. Although a large grant had been made available for 2021-22 further information about future funding had not been made available. He then referred the Committee to the report attached to the agenda pack, which provided a breakdown of how it was intended for the money to be spent, as well as the recommendations to be put to Cabinet for approval on 14 September. Given the short-term nature of the funding, he felt that it was not possible to source additional refuge accommodation. Instead, the money would be used to improve and expand existing services.

During the discussion the following points were made:

• Members welcomed the extra investment given that the expected grant was around a quarter of the figure actually provided.

• It was asked if a report would be made available part way through the year to provide an update on the progress made.

• Questions arose about how many people were currently being supported. The cabinet member noted that the provider, Splitz, had reported a 30 percent increase in numbers between March 2020 and March 2021. He also contextualised that there had been a steady increase in demand nationally across the last four years, which he expected to continue. However, he did not necessarily see this as a negative and explained that it could be a sign that people now had the confidence to come forward when that may not have previously been the case.

• Members enquired about the level of advocacy support currently being provided by Splitz. Hayley Mortimer Public Health Consultant clarified that Splitz do employ independent advocates for domestic abuse workers and there is an accreditation that those support workers will provide. However, she also offered to provide further information and to look at future opportunities.

• In response to queries about whether there were enough beds to meet demand, it was explained that they were currently operating at around 90 percent occupancy, so there was capacity and flexibility available to meet increased demand. If, in the longer-term, demand continued to increase then the possibility of supplying additional beds would be explored.

• It was noted that additional staff would be employed on 12-month fixed contracts given the timeframe in which the additional funding had to be spent and that they would be employed directly by Splitz.

• It was asked how Splitz’s spending on new roles would be monitored to ensure that staff were not being moved around internally without a replacement being appointed to the existing role. The consultant noted that monitoring requirements would be included in the contracts and that the money would be used to finance additional roles, so it was unlikely that internal secondments would take place.

• Questions were also asked about the sustainability of the programme given the time limited nature of the funding.  In response, the cabinet member emphasised that a longer-term view was being taken by the government, including a planned announcement about providing support for perpetrators to help them address their own behaviour. The consultant added that she did share concerns about a potential withdrawal of funding and emphasised that the provision of local services would be influenced by developments in government policy.  Sha also stressed that there was already a well-developed framework in Wiltshire and that they were looking to build relationships with different agencies to improve services.

Resolved:

1. To thank the cabinet member and health consultant for the report.

2. To request that the cabinet member takes into account the comments of the Health Select Committee when utilising the grant funding.