Best Value Performance Indicators

BV 225 - Actions Against Domestic Violence - replaces the earlier BV 176 with a range of new measures (detailed below), to which the possible responses are Yes or No, with the overall performance providing the basis of assessment. Its scope is: metropolitain authorities, London boroughs, unitary authorities, district councils, Council of the Isles of Scilly, and Common Council of the City of London (i.e. not county councils of police authorities/forces).

• Has the local authority produced a directory of local services that can help victims of domestic abuse?
• Is there within the local authority area a minimum of 1 refuge place per 10,000 population?
• Does the local authority employ directly or fund a voluntary sector-based domestic violence co-ordinator?
• Has the local authority produced and adopted a multi-agency strategy to tackle domestic violence in partnership with other agencies?
• Does the local authority support and facilitate a local multi-agency domestic violence forum that meets at least four times a year?
• Has the local authority developed an information-sharing protocol and had it agreed between key statutory partners?
• Has the local authority developed, launched and promoted a 'sanctuary' type scheme to enable victims and their children to remain in their own home, where they choose to do so and where safety can be guaranteed?
• Has there been a reduction in the percentage of cases accepted as homeless due to domestic violence that had previously been re-housed in the last two years by that local authority as a result of domestic violence?
• Does the council's tenancy agreement have a specific clause stating that perpetration of domestic violence by a tenant can be considered grounds for eviiction?
• Has the local authority funded and developed a domestic violence education pack in consultation with the wider domestic violence forum?
• Has the authority carried out a programme of multi-agency training in the last twelve months covering front line and managerial staff in at least two of the following groups: housing staff; social service staff providing services in the local authority area; education staff; health staff; and front line police officers?

Guidance:

Purpose/aim The purpose of this BVPI is to assess the overall provision and effectiveness of local authority services designed to help victims of domestic violence and prevent further domestic violence.

Definition

1. The directory must list both statutory and voluntary agencies that can provide emergency housing, advice (welfare, housing and legal), counseling and support, and include any local women's aid contact details and the National Domestic Violence Helpline. It must be widely distributed and updated at least every 2 years. A directory should be available for each district and not just at a county level, as a minimum it should be available on the local authority's web site. A directory for services that work with victims of domestic violence can be provided separately from the Directory for Victims of Domestic Violence.

2. 'Places' means the number of rooms providing bed spaces for a woman and her children. Rooms not normally designated, as bedrooms should not be counted towards the total. 'Refuge' means emergency accommodation for women and children who have been referred for help having experienced threats to their physical safety. It must provide help, advice and advocacy support as well as being part of an integrated local approach involving partnership with other local and statutory bodies. Calculate 'Local Authority population' using the latest ONS mid-year estimates.

3. The co-coordinator should be employed at a local authority level (see exemption below) and have responsibility for strategically co-coordinating domestic violence issues throughout the local authority area. Where funding has been provided to the voluntary sector or local partnership to employ a co-coordinator this will meet the definition as long as their role remains to co-ordinate work in both the statutory and voluntary sectors across the area covered by the local authority. The DV co-ordinator may be based within the local authority or with a partner organisation. Exemption - In cases where District Councils fund a county-wide co-coordinator the District Council will meet the requirements of this BVPI if the responsibility for ensuring that any county-wide work is implemented at a district level is included in the job description of an existing senior officer for that district.

4. The strategy should have been developed in partnership with all relevant statutory and voluntary partners. It should be supportive of, and aligned with, the authority's Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy (CDRP). The strategy should cover a 3-year period with an action plan reviewed annually. The action plan should contain at least 50% outcomes that are SMART and include a section on how the needs of BME communities will be addressed. A Chief Officer and an Executive member in the authority should have been allocated responsibility for its implementation.

5. The forum should have a mix of statutory and voluntary sector representatives at a senior enough level to aid the implementation of decisions and the strategy action plan. The forum should be formalized as part of the Crime and Disorder Partnership.

6. The information-sharing protocol must facilitate the exchange of information to enable domestic violence to be effectively tackled across all statutory agencies. Key statutory agencies are defined as the Police, Health, Housing, Social Services and Education. The protocol will also provide an opportunity to implement Homicide Reviews where appropriate. It must ensure that confidentiality and victims safety is protected.

7. A sanctuary type scheme must provide security measures to allow the woman to remain in her home where she chooses to do so, where safety can be guaranteed and the violent partner no longer lives within the home. It must be available across tenures where the landlord of a property has given permission for the work to be carried out. It must consist of additional security to any main entrance doors to the accommodation and locks to any vulnerable windows. Wherever possible it must provide a safe room in the home secured with a solid core door and additional locks. It is essential that this service is only provided where it is the clear choice of the victim. The scheme should be implemented through partnership with the police and/or the voluntary sector that could provide supplementary support. It may be provided directly by the local authority or through a third party funded as part of the local authority's homelessness prevention work through grants that may be available for crime reduction initiatives.

8. The indicator is met if there is a percentage reduction in homelessness acceptances due to domestic violence. Acceptances who were previously homeless in another local authority area should not be included. Reductions achieved in preventing repeat homelessness should be clearly linked to positive measures adopted to provide genuine alternatives for women to either remain in their own home or be placed in alternative accommodation, removing the need to become homeless. Alternative accommodation may be secured by arranging a reciprocal property with another social landlord, or a safe management transfer. Any options or measures to prevent repeat homelessness must only be taken with the full consent of the victim of domestic violence.

9. Any clause should make clear that evidence of domestic violence for eviction purposes does not need to rely on a criminal charge. Evidence may be based on a possession action using civil evidence.

10. The domestic violence education pack must have been specifically designed for use in schools and with youth groups. It must aim to challenge attitudes of tolerance to violence and help young people to achieve positive relationships based on mutuality and respect. Schools and youth groups cannot be forced to run a programme on domestic violence but the pack must be easily available and actively promoted. Schools should be encouraged to use the material as part of their PSHE or Citizenship curriculum.

11. The training programme must cover domestic violence awareness training, the legal framework, information sharing, and who provides what services to victims of domestic violence with referral and contact points. The programme should be developed in consultation with the Domestic Violence Forum and reviewed by the forum annually.

This Page Was Last Updated

Tuesday 6 February, 2007 7:27

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