Agenda item

The Committee received a presentation from the Strategic Lead for Safer Communities who provided a summary of what the strategy sought to achieve, namely;

·                     Reassure victims and survivors of domestic violence and abuse that they will be supported.

·                     Encourage the local community to report violence against women and girls.

·                     Inform the community how we would like to work with them to reduce the risk of violence against women and girls in Barnet.

·                     Provide clear direction on joint working for the strategic partners, voluntary and community groups to ensure consistent co-ordinated services.

·                     Set out the VAWG priorities and actions that partners can embed into their own organisational strategic and commissioning plans.

·                     Highlight to perpetrators our zero tolerance approach that they will be held to account for their behaviour either through enforcement or intervention to change their behaviour

Further detail was provided with regards to the 4 following partner objectives and what actions were to be undertaken to ensure each objective was met

1.            Preventing Violence against women and girls

2.            Improving outcomes for victims and their children

3.            Holding perpetrators to account

4.            Enhancing joint working practices between agencies

With regards to future commissioning she explained this would be influenced by a number a factors, namely;

·         Focusing on local need

·         Looking at the evidence of what works in order to meet new challenges

·         The involvement of third sector organisations in commissioning

·         Pooled budgets

·         Support models of early intervention and the maintaining of crisis provision

·         Early disclosure leading to more victims and families to support

·         Services to consider women from outside the borough fleeing violence

·         The need to calculate cost of VAWG across agencies  to support cross sector buy in

·         Clearly identifying outcomes and indicators – early intervention

·         Considering the statutory duties under the Equalities Act

With regards to budget the council’s annual budget for DV and VAWG services is £771,210.00.This covers two posts and a commissioning budget of £650,806.02.

Families Services also commission a young people’s perpetrators programme listed under commissioned service 3 and 4 from their departmental budget

There are currently 5 Violence against Women Girls VAWG) Commissioning Projects

1.      Advocacy Services

2.      Refuge Services

3.      Perpetrator Services

4.      Risk Assessors

5.      DV MARAC (new commission)

Other VAWG services in the Borough include:

·                In March 2015 Barnet Council and Barnet Homes in partnership with  Solace Women's Aid and Jewish Women's Aid were successful in a  bid for the amount of £100,000 to set up a women's refuge for homeless victims approaching Barnet homes .

·                In February 2017 Barnet Council and Barnet Homes in partnership with Solace Women's Aid and multi specialist agencies like IKWRO, Asian Women Resource Centre, Mental health…. were successful again for a bid of £100, 000 to sustain refuge while supporting those with specialist and complex needs

·                Barnet Homes One Stop Shop (OSS) - In September 2015 Barnet homes in partnership with multi agencies –Solace WA Victim Support, Jewish women Aid, Police, IKWRO, Asian resource centre, 3 solicitor Firms(family law, housing, Immigration), a Barnet Magistrate, Cyber Care,  …set up a One Stop Shop for early intervention advice, information, risk assessment, support and options all in one place Since September 2015, OSS has seen 401 cases

Through the Children's Safe Guarding Board, partners have also pooled resources of £87k to fund the Identification and Referral to Improve Safety (IRIS) Programme for GPsto train staff in 25 GP surgeries 

The Strategic Lead for Safer Communities confirmed that there would be an all Member workshop on the draft strategy. The purpose of the workshop to seek Members views on what outcomes they would like to see happening in the Borough over the next 2-3  years. The final strategy would presented to the next meet of the Committee

RESOLVED – That the Committee noted the final London Borough of Barnet Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2017-2020 will be reported to their next meeting.