Agenda item

The value of the IDVA service for the police was in the signposting it gave to victims of domestic violence to ensure they received the necessary help and support – in particular housing; childcare, money etc. where they had left the family home. If IDVA didn’t provide this it was unlikely that another service would and it would therefore be down to the victim to find support. Inevitably this may mean the most vulnerable individuals and their families suffered.

In terms of future funding, the police were undertaking a review of the public protection unit with the aim of making savings. Because of the level of support the police provided to the MARACs (multi agency risk assessment conferences undertaken for all victims) then it was unlikely they would be able to contribute towards the IDVA service. Whilst loss of the IDVA service may ultimately increase the work of the public protection unit, it was felt that an approach to LCC was appropriate in terms of the benefits for adult social care and children’s services.

It was also explained that all police officers are trained to a certain level in this type of work and that they had invested heavily in safeguarding issues and child abuse. The service also had a number of specialised trained officers that could also fulfil an investigative role.

The value of IDVA was in the specialist help available to victims of domestic violence. In Chorley there were 490 incidents of domestic violence for the period April to July 2011 – an average of 4 cases a day. Whilst not all would be IDVA referrals, there was clearly a need for the service and it was an integral part of community safety support providing Specialist Domestic Violence Court services for victims. The service was oversubscribed and the loss of the service would inevitably put more people at risk. There was a clear link between repeat cases and the high incidence of murder or suicide.

In terms of contributing to future funding, this would be a Council budget decision as part of the annual budget process, however if all key partners looked to contribute towards funding the service it becomes an affordable amount and ultimately creates savings for all those partners. The service should have been mainstreamed rather than subject to annual funding and there was now an opportunity for partners to demonstrate their commitment to helping the victims of domestic violence in the borough.

Presently, funding for the service meant that the IDVA advisors were served notice every year whilst the decision for agreeing funding of the service from the Area Based Grant was resolved, putting these officers in a very difficult situation.

Members raised whether the Council would be willing to put more resources forward so that they could take the lead on a campaign programme around preventative measures by raising more awareness that in turn would help prevent domestic violence.

Councillor Peter Mullineaux – Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Streetscene and Mark Gaffney, Director of Neighbourhoods attended to give South Ribble Council’s response:

The value of IDVA was in the support provided to victims and their families and the improved confidence victims felt having received that support. If each case costs an estimated £14,000 to deal with (approximate total of each agency’s input) then the financial benefits of preventing repeat cases are clear. The service contributes to the whole safeguarding agenda and has particular benefits for adult social care and children’s services.

The cost of the service is £47,000 a year which would be a manageable amount if divided amongst partners – but not just between Chorley and South Ribble Councils. Budgets are extremely tight at the moment. The Community Safety Partnership needs to seek financial support from a range of partners for the service to continue.

Members asked if there was any evidence to suggest a link between alcohol and domestic violence and whether the Partnership had considered any alcohol related campaigns.

The Joint Community Safety Manager updated the Committee on some of the campaigns that the Partnership are involved with but made the point that although alcohol could be a contributory factor in domestic violence it would still continue to exist with or without alcohol.

Mel Ormesher, Community Safety and Criminal Justice Manager attended to give Lancashire County Council’s response:

The value of the IDVA service is hard to quantify as it is part of a whole system approach. Lancashire County Council is a major contributor to supporting victims of domestic violence and has worked with the police on seeking funding. The difficulty in mainstreaming the funding of IDVA is that it works across so many organisations. LCC are undertaking a major piece of work to look at how they deliver support for victims of domestic violence in different areas. IDVA’s position isn’t sustainable and LCC are looking at how they can provide support for victims in a more sustainable way. The County Council cannot just consider funding for one part of the county but must look at the wider implications for the whole of their area. The review being undertaken will report to the next Community Safety Partnership meeting in January 2011.

Mary Kiddy, Consultant Nurse and Associate Director, attended to give NHS Central Lancashire’s response:

The NHS supports victims of domestic abuse in many ways and whilst IDVA provides part of the care and support network – it isn’t valued more than any other support service. Significant health resources go into helping victims – A & E, GP and hospital services, mental health services etc. and all these form part of safeguarding provision. In terms of financial support, all requests for funding need to be considered centrally and all projects/services requiring funding need to have been formally evaluated. There was an opportunity for IDVA to be evaluated through the National Institute of Clinical Excellence.

Written responses were received from representatives of the registered social landlords:

Comments about the IDVA service were sought from social landlords as the concentration of domestic violence cases in Chorley were in areas with large areas of social housing. Written comments from both CCH and New Progress Housing Associations detailed the provisions they make for victims of domestic abuse. Both housing associations said they would consider a request for a contribution to the future funding of the IDVA service although they gave no firm commitment.