Northamptonshire councils set out funding commitment to help victims of domestic abuse
18 May 2022
Services helping domestic abuse victims find safer accommodation across West and North Northamptonshire will receive extra funding of over £273,000 this year.
West and North Northamptonshire Councils have set out plans to boost the funding provided to the Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service (NDAS) and eve, Domestic Violence & Abuse support services.
It means the two organisations will share in total just over £700,000 in 2022/23 to help them meet an increasing demand for services. It also ensures that grant funding to NDAS for their Specialist Drug and Alcohol Refuge continues.
The funding is distributed by the two councils from the Government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The move reaffirms the councils’ commitment to supporting victims of domestic abuse and moving forward the actions of the countywide Domestic Abuse Strategy for 2022-25.
As part of the new strategy, NNC and WNC will work alongside community and voluntary sector partners and other local organisations to form the multi-agency Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board, which will support the provision of a
Safe Accommodation Pathway to extend the range of help and support available to victims of domestic abuse.
The Board objectives include:
- providing inclusive and culturally appropriate, high-quality domestic abuse safe accommodation support services across Northamptonshire that survivors can easily and safely access
- co-ordinating and delivering a personalised package of support for all people coming into refuge, ensuring continuity of support on entry, during and on leaving
- delivering evidence-based interventions that are inclusive of risk management, secure information sharing, and safety planning
- providing support that builds capacity and resilience in the lives of survivors and their children
- providing services to support children to recover from the impact of domestic abuse
- evaluate and report to Commissioners on performance about clients and their outcomes.
Following the enactment of the Domestic Abuse Act last year, DLUHC will be providing annual funding to ensure all tier one local authorities can respond to the levels of need in their areas and provide accommodation-based support for all victims of domestic abuse and their children - including those who come from outside of the area.
Additionally, the Ministry of Justice closed a consultation last month as part of development towards a landmark “Victims Law”, which will build on the Victims’ Code to improve victims’ experiences nationally, with community-based services for domestic abuse forming part of this.
Cllr David Smith, WNC Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Engagement and Regulatory Services, said: “The Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Strategy sets out an agreed vision, to enable families in West Northants to live safely and prosper.
“Our approach to domestic abuse includes the provision of a range of safe accommodation options and the development of a managed Safe Accommodation Pathway which supports victims - and where possible - keeps them safe in their own homes using a range of interventions or alternative housing options such as social housing and refuge.
“Domestic abuse, in all forms, is completely unacceptable and alongside our partners we are committed to preventing abuse from happening and supporting victims in any way we can.”
Cllr Helen Harrison, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing said: “Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime that has the most devastating impact on the lives of the victims and their families.
"We must do all that we can to stop it from happening. We are working with our partners to both prevent it from happening and to offer support to victims.
“We very much welcome this additional funding which will help with the delivery of our strategy – the blueprint of how we will work together to use a variety of methods to tackle domestic abuse.”
See our Domestic Abuse Strategy