PANBIRMINGHAM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STRATEGY

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PAN-BIRMINGHAM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STRATEGY
A co-ordinated city-wide responseFIRST YEAR
REVIEW
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Scale of DV

• Reliance upon police data
• 13440 incidents reported
• 6661 crimes
• Under-reporting
• Within any one year over 43,000 women will have
  experienced domestic violence in Birmingham
• similar numbers of children

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Damaging our communities

• Major social issue -family breakdown,
  delinquency, educational attainment, economic
  viability, homelessness
• Major public health issue hospital admissions,
  mental health, increase substance misuse, rise in
  STDs, increased teenage pregnancy, suicide (1 in
  4) and murder
• (Mann 2001)

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Damaging our children

• Domestic abuse is a primary indicator of child
  protection needs.
• (Stark.B,and Flitcraft,A,)
• High co-existence domestic violence and child
  sexual abuse
• 80 serious case reviews (child deaths) in West
  Midlands feature domestic violence
• Without intervention and support, can create a
  spiral of disadvantage for life (Montgomery et
  al,)

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A picture of reporting to the police
2006/7
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Cost of domestic violence to Birmingham

• Services over 58million
• Lost economic output - 50 million
• Human emotional costs - 321million

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Strategic Vision

• To reduce domestic violence and to make
  Birmingham safer for those experiencing domestic
  violence, their children, through co-ordinated
  and comprehensive multi-agency action.

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Establishes 5 priorities

• Safety Justice
• Supporting Need
• Early identification and prevention
• Children and Young People
• Co-ordinated responses

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A co-ordinated city-wide response

• Strengthening Reshaping of Birmingham
  Inter-Agency Domestic Violence Forum
• Senior level representation
• Feeding into and from local domestic violence
  forums, think tanks and summits
• Implementation plan sits with Birmingham
  Community Safety Partnership

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1. Safety Justice

• Specialist Domestic Violence Court
• Birmingham Womens Safety Unit
• Domestic Violence Civil Orders
• MARACs and Risk Indicator
• Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme
• CPS Scrutiny

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Specialist Domestic Violence Court

• The largest domestic violence court in Europe
• 3 courts
• average 21 cases per day
• 11 components of a specialist court including
  listings, training for court staff and
  magistrates and having independent support

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Birmingham Womens Safety Unit

• Independent support to domestic violence victims
  through criminal and civil proceedings
• Risk assessment safety planning
• Reducing re-offending
• Increasing confidence in the system 70
• Increasing safety for women and children - 75
  safer

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Birmingham Womens Safety UnitWorking in
Partnership

• Civil Orders City Council taking civil action
  against domestic violence perpetrators
• Single Referral Route to Refuge
• Home Options
• Mental Health Pathways - BSMHT
• Substance Misuse Pathways - BSMHT
• Family Support with NSPCC

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Sanctuary/Home Security

• Lead by Housing Department
• Cross tenure reducing homelessness
• Choice and risk
• Importance of independent support worker
• Home Security or Sanctuary?
• Pilot in Kings Heath/ Billesley
• Community house
• Roll-out 2008

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2. Supporting Need

• Capacity - Supporting People Review
• Diversity
• Forced marriage seminar website
• No recourse to public funds
• Choice
• Improving Services - Birminghams Domestic
  Violence Standards

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4. Children Young People

• Extending specialist support
• City wide - NSPCC Womens Aid
• Local areas family support (non-abusing adult)
• Training- working with families

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Changing Attitudes

• 78 people would report someone kicking or
  mistreating their dog whereas only 53 would
  report someone kicking or mistreating a partner
• (BBC Survey 2003)
• Over 30 boys think it acceptable in certain
  circumstances to hit their girlfriend
• Over 30 of girls think it acceptable in certain
  circumstances to be hit
• 16 regularly hit by boyfriends
• (NSPCC 2005)

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4. Children Young People

• Changing attitudes
• Opportunities to disclose
• Schools Youth settings
• Childrens Fund BSWAid
• The Schools Pack

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4. Children Young People

• Take-up by extended school clusters
• Kingstanding Education Action Zone
• Training for teachers
• Training for non-teaching staff
• Named person in school
• Schools programme
• Next day coffee morning with parents
• Support sessions for children
• NSPCC campaign

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Supporting PractitionersTraining Events

• Training
• Awareness
• Direct Questioning
• Risk Assessment
• Working with families
• Professional Training Social Workers
• Seminars
• Forced marriage
• Alcohol Domestic Violence

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Supporting PractitionersInformation -
www.biadvf.org
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Supporting Practitioners

• Directory link to CAF directory

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www.biadvf.org Members Area
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Getting InvolvedLocal Forums Task Groups

• Edgbaston
• Kingstanding
• Ladywood
• Northfield
• North (Sutton Erdington)
• Perry Barr
• Selly Oak
• Sparkbrook
• Contact details on www.biadvf.org

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Getting InvolvedDV Groups

• Asian Womens Domestic Violence Forum
• Specialist Midwives Group
• BEN Domestic Violence Forum
• Supporting People Mini Forum (DV)
• Homeless in Hostel
• DomAD
• Domestic Violence Civil Orders Partnership

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2008-9 Opportunities

• National Indicators
• Reducing repeat victimisation
• Reducing dv homicides
• Public Sector Agreements
• Reducing harm from domestic violence and sexual
  violence

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OpportunitiesBirminghams Domestic Violence
Standards

• 2004 - first local authority area to agree
  multi-agency principles and standards
• All agencies
• All settings
• All workers

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OpportunitiesBirminghams Domestic Violence
Standards

• Extend to embrace challenges
• Complex and diverse needs
• Information sharing
• Common assessment framework
• Family support services
• Shaping services based on risk and need
• Involvement in the process maintaining the
  dialogue

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Children Young People

• Impact of WMPolice risk indicator DARIN
• HOB receiving 70 notifications per week
• Risk screening tool for children
• Overload and risk
• Safeguarding Board Police
• Improving referral and risk assessment processes
  to protect children
• Role of public protection units

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Public Protection Units

• Inspector Sean Russell
• West Midland Police
• Vice-Chair HOB Safeguarding Forum

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Further information

• www.biadvf.org