To receive a presentation and provide feedback and comments on the Council’s ongoing work in relation to tackling domestic abuse.

The Strategic Manager, Domestic Abuse delivered a presentation detailing different forms of domestic abuse (DA), the impact on children and their families and highlighted that 41% of assessments carried out for children entering statutory services had the factor of DA within their family setting. Members were advised that officers were considering a needs assessment and current working practice within the service to ensure support services were fit for purpose and effectively supported families. The Council was developing managers’ guidance in order that those staff experiencing DA within the home could be appropriately supported and ensure the Council met its statutory responsibilities as an employer. Members were appraised of the challenges, the need to alter perceptions and the three key areas of focus which were to protect, recognise and challenge instances of DA and the critical need to support those whose experiences then led them into the criminal justice system.

In light of the presentation Members discussed the following in summary:-

·         The importance of educating children and young people with regards to the definition of DA and the need to work with schools in order to promote awareness within Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) lessons.

·         The positive work within youth groups which focussed on healthy relationships, recognising that young people often perpetrated DA due to learnt behaviour and a need to work closely with all perpetrators in order that education brought about long term change.

·         Anecdotal evidence from women’s refuge centres reporting the proactive and effective support they received from the Council.

·         The robust working relationship with the police and other partners whose priorities were closely aligned with those of the Council.

·         The need to understand the scale of the problem within Central Bedfordshire given that nationally there were 2 million reported cases of DA every year.

·         Recognising the impact of permanent stress on the brain development in young children as a result of DA within the home.

·         Notwithstanding the impact of drug and alcohol abuse contributing to some instances of DA, there was a need to recognise that only 17 percent of reported cases involved substance misuse. The other 83 percent of cases were unrelated.

·         The need for increased awareness of the signs in relation to coercive behaviour and control.

RECOMMENDED that the presentation be delivered at the next meeting of full Council and that it be promoted as an educational tool within the public domain.