Agenda item

(To receive a report from the Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing which presents the case for re-commissioning a remodelled Domestic Abuse Support Service and seeks approval to procure a new contract commencing 1 April 2023)

1.    That the commissioning of a Domestic Abuse Support Service and the undertaking of a procurement to establish a contract, to be awarded to a single provider of a county-wide service effective from 1 April 2023, be approved.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director of Adult Care & Community Wellbeing, in consultation with the relevant Executive Councillor, to determine the final form of the contract and to approve the award of the contract and the entering into of the contract and other legal documentation necessary to give effect to the above decision.

The Executive Councillor for Children’s Services, Procurement and Community Safety introduced the report and highlighted that it related to an important support service that the Council provided.  It also provided outreach support to children.  It was noted that 30,000 adults in the county experienced domestic abuse each year.  It was reported that whilst the authority did receive a grant for the refuge services, it did not cover the outreach services.  The Police and Crime Commissioner and NHS have contributed funding to this Service.

The Executive was guided through the report and it was explained how this service would be funded and detailed the commercial approach taken as well as the service review which had been undertaken as part of the process.  It was noted that there was the potential for further legislative change during the term of this contract.  The model outlined in the report would strengthen the universal offer of support.

In terms of the commercial approach, it was highlighted that market engagement had been supportive of the approach and it was attractive to the market.  The contract would be in place for a maximum of five years, with an initial period of three years, with a two-year extension.  An agreement with the PCC and Health partners had been reached for them to contribute funding.

The Chairman of the Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee presented the comments of the Committee following its consideration of this item at its meeting on 19 July 2022.  The Executive was advised that the Committee unanimously supported the proposals in the report.

During discussion by the Executive, the following was noted:

·       Clarification was sought regarding the budget and cost implications, and it was confirmed that the CCG (now the Integrated Care Board) had agreed to contribute £150,000 per annum rather than the £250,000 requested but would also be allocating dedicated staffing roles to domestic abuse victims within acute settings.  It was noted that this would be monitored through performance,

·       It was noted that the agreement also set out that if there was increased demand from health, the Council would be able to request an additional funding contribution.

·       When people were asked how they accessed the service, it was found that the Police were referring 80% more people into the Service than Health services.  Based on national figures, it was believed that there was a hidden demand from Health services.

·       In terms of the higher numbers of referrals from the Police, it was noted that this was likely due to becoming more aware of the duty around domestic abuse, however, it was believed that demand would be plateauing, and that more demand would start to come through health services.

·       The service had received some funding due to Covid-19 following a joint bid with the PCC which paid for the IDVA Service.  However, this had been one-off funding and was not recurrent.  It was suggested that a note could be circulated to the Executive which set out the additional funding throughout the year.

·       It was acknowledged that this was an important service, and while a budget could be set, it was not possible to have control over the demand on that budget.  Evidence suggested that during economic downturns, domestic abuse increased.  Clarity was sought regarding how the Council would be able to manage the expected increase in demand for this service.  Officers advised that demand would be monitored and tracked to identify where increases were coming from and when this was understood, discussions would take place with Partners around the expectation to contribute more funding from that area.  This requirement would be written into the contract, so that funding could be increased or decreased as necessary.

·       In terms of the emergency element for support, it was confirmed that that would always be available.  It was likely that any demand increases would happen slowly so there would be the chance to have those discussions.

·       It was noted that the work of a scrutiny panel set up by the PCC would feed into the Domestic Abuse Support Team.

·       It was confirmed that those people who accessed the service but did not do so through health or police referrals, would either have self-referred, or come through third sector services.

RESOLVED

1.    That the commissioning of a Domestic Abuse Support Service and the undertaking of a procurement to establish a contract, to be awarded to a single provider of a county-wide service effective from 1 April 2023, be approved.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director of Adult Care & Community Wellbeing, in consultation with the relevant Executive Councillor, to determine the final form of the contract and to approve the award of the contract and the entering into of the contract and other legal documentation necessary to give effect to the above decision.