Pan-Sussex Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation and Support Strategy –

Key changes post-consultation

Key theme/area	Previous version	Change in strategy Green: Other key changes Red: Change to strategic priority/recommendation wording	Page number in tracked Word doc
Explanation of the scope of the strategy	The Pan-Sussex Domestic Abuse Accommodation and Support Strategy 2021-2024 must also be considered as part of a wider context of domestic abuse work across the county. This Strategy has been informed by and builds upon previous strategies, consultations and reports developed by Tier One local authorities in Sussex, including:	Wider preventative work, such as healthy relationships programmes in schools and early intervention work with families, is fundamental in reducing domestic abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). However, the scope of the Strategy is limited to accommodation and support within accommodation for victims/survivors of domestic abuse, in line with Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The Strategy outlines the priorities and recommendations for domestic abuse accommodation and support. Action plans are under development locally to guide the implementation, delivery and monitoring of these priorities and recommendations. The Pan-Sussex Domestic Abuse Accommodation and Support Strategy 2021-2024 must therefore be considered as one part of a wider and ongoing response to domestic abuse across the county.	7
Recognition of housing stock crisis in Sussex	N/A	In developing housing and accommodation options for victims/survivors of domestic abuse or needing to move on from safe accommodation, it is pertinent to note that the housing market, both private sector and social housing, is a very challenging environment across Sussex. Private sector rents and property prices have been driven up considerably by the influx of working professional households from metropolitan areas following the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, reflecting new home working arrangements and a desire for more space. This has priced out of the market large numbers of households reliant on the benefit system to meet part or all of their rental costs or are insecure, erratic employment. In turn, the pressure on social housing has risen, with numbers on local housing authority Housing Registers increasing significantly as vacancies have fallen, meaning an increasingly lengthy wait to obtain a social housing property. It will take considerable innovation in the delivery of this Strategy to effectively increase the housing and accommodation options available to victims/survivors of domestic abuse.	7-8
Recognition of the disproportional impact of DA on women and girls	N/A	In line with the statutory definition, this Strategy recognises that anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse and for this reason adopts the inclusive terminology of ‘victims/survivors.’ However, it must be recognised that domestic abuse is a predominantly gendered crime and should be understood in the wider context of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). In the majority of cases, domestic abuse is experienced by women and perpetrated by men. Women are more likely to experience different types of abuse, multiple incidents and to be the victim of a domestic homicide.	9
Change to strategic priority subtitle – Consistent and Collaborative	Promoting multi-agency and partnership commissioning and working to ensure a consistent offer across Sussex	Promoting partnership working and co-production with survivors to ensure consistent support across Sussex	23
Change to recommendation wording - Consistent and Collaborative	Inconsistencies and gaps in service provision across Sussex should be addressed in accordance with local demand and needs.	Inconsistencies and gaps in service provision across Sussex should be addressed to reflect local demand and needs and in line with national policies and initiatives.	24
Change in recommendation wording – Consistent and Collaborative	The consistency and quality of data collection must be improved across all services by establishing clear reporting requirements, unique client identifiers and pragmatic data sharing agreements.	The consistency and quality of data collection must be improved across all services by establishing clear reporting requirements which include protected characteristics, unique client identifiers and pragmatic data sharing agreements.	24
Change to recommendation wording - Consistent and Collaborative	Sussex local authorities should promote collaboration in the development of procedures and service models, including move-on pathways and co-located IDVAs. Wherever practical, Sussex authorities should jointly commission domestic abuse safe accommodation and support, to ensure consistency and value for money.	Sussex local authorities should promote collaboration in the development of procedures and service models, including move-on pathways and co-located IDVAs. Wherever practical, Sussex authorities should look for opportunities to jointly commission or align the commissioning of domestic abuse safe accommodation and support, to ensure consistency and value for money.	25
Change to recommendation wording - Consistent and Collaborative	Victims/survivors must be able to actively participate in the design and commissioning of domestic abuse safe accommodation and support services.	Victims/survivors must be able to actively participate in the design and commissioning of domestic abuse safe accommodation and support services, for example through the Lived Experience Board.	25
Mention of temporary accommodation	N/A	If refuge is not suitable or available, or there are limited other accommodation options, victims/survivors in Sussex are often placed in temporary or emergency accommodation, including Bed and Breakfasts. These sorts of placements are often mixed-gender, with no specialist support offer in place, and so are not considered appropriate domestic abuse accommodation. Although it is acknowledged that housing teams sometimes have no other option, their use for domestic abuse victims/survivors should be reduced.	29
Change to recommendation wording – Diverse and Appropriate	A broader menu of domestic abuse safe accommodation options, in line with a Whole Housing Approach, should be developed in Sussex. Consideration should be given to ensuring all new accommodation options are appropriate and quality assured.	A broader menu of domestic abuse safe accommodation options, in line with a Whole Housing Approach, should be developed in Sussex. Consideration should be given to ensuring all new accommodation options utilised by local authorities are appropriate and quality assured.	31
Inclusion of a range of needs and accommodation styles	N/A	The needs assessment highlighted that domestic abuse disproportionately affects women. However, there was considerable feedback from groups that have traditionally been excluded from refuge regarding the barriers they faced. This Strategy aims to highlight the gaps in provision, to enable consideration around how to ensure that all victims/survivors have access to accommodation and support that suits their needs.	32
Change to recommendation wording – Accessible and Inclusive	Sussex local authorities should ensure that every available form of domestic abuse safe accommodation offers dedicated, personalised and holistic support for children and young people. All relevant safe accommodation options should be suitable and appropriate for children.	Sussex local authorities should ensure that every form of domestic abuse safe accommodation that accepts children is suitable for their needs, offering dedicated, personalised and holistic support for children and young people, including those with disabilities.	33
Gender identity and sexual orientation	N/A (Feedback - non-binary individuals are invisible in the strategy)	Stakeholders have highlighted the importance of good quality data analysis and collection as best practice. As an example, ONS has been flagged as not having a succinct way of collecting data on non-binary people as this is not recognised in legislation. Likewise, other statutory services, for example the police, also struggle to collect data on Trans, Non-binary, Intersex and gender-variant (TNBI) communities and often are categorising equality and diversity data by sex, not by gender identity. This leads to people within the community having to categorise themselves as the sex they were assigned at birth, not their gender identity. These leads individuals feeling overlooked and underreported even when they are coming forward for support.	33
Change to East Sussex refuge policy r.e. transgender referrals	Only safe accommodation providers in Brighton & Hove are currently able to accept referrals for transgender women – refuges in East and West Sussex currently cannot. From 1st November 2021, East Sussex refuge provider, Clarion Housing Group, will accept referrals from transgender women.	Brighton & Hove safe accommodation providers are currently able to accept referrals for transgender women. Clarion Housing Group in East Sussex will accept and assess referrals from transgender people and will seek the most appropriate accommodation for them, including self-contained units.	34
Include mention of single-sex provision	Funding for current and future services for women and girls must be sustainable, long-term and independent from the funding for the other specialist services identified within this Strategy. The needs of women and girls must continue to be met alongside the needs of other groups for whom services are currently lacking.	The needs of women and girls must continue to be met alongside the needs of other groups for whom services are currently lacking. Funding for current and future services for women and girls must be sustainable, long-term and independent from the funding for the other specialist services identified within this Strategy. Where new multi-occupancy safe accommodation services are commissioned, these will be single-sex.	34
Change to recommendation wording – Accessible and Inclusive	All women in safe accommodation in Sussex should receive a minimum standard of care and support, to include keywork and move-on support.	All victims/survivors and their children in safe accommodation in Sussex should receive a minimum standard of care and support, to include legal aid, move- on assistance and longer-term IDVA and psychological support.	34-35
Change to recommendation wording – Accessible and Inclusive	Support and accessibility for disabled victims/survivors in safe accommodation should be improved, by introducing multi-agency in-reach teams where needed, developing new facilities or adapting existing facilities, with measures such as installing ramps, increasing ground-floor and step-free units and installing visual fire alarms to assist deaf people.	Support and accessibility for disabled victims/survivors in safe accommodation should be improved, by introducing relevant training, multi-agency in-reach teams where needed, developing new facilities or adapting existing facilities, with measures such as installing ramps, increasing ground-floor and step-free units and installing visual fire alarms to assist deaf people.	37
Change to recommendation wording – Accessible and Inclusive	Housing application processes should be in-person and accessible for those with SEND or SLCN and include interpretation for a range of languages, including British Sign Language.	Housing application processes should be accessible for those with disabilities, including those with special educational needs or speech, language and communication needs, and include optional in-person appointments and interpretation for a range of languages, including British Sign Language.	37
Change to recommendation wording – Accessible and Inclusive	Cultural awareness and immigration rights awareness training should be increased for frontline staff and commissioners to better understand the needs of various marginalised groups, including those with No Recourse to Public Funds and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. Training packages must acknowledge the intersection of race, class and gender.	Cultural and immigration rights awareness training should be increased for frontline staff and commissioners to better understand the needs of various marginalised groups. Training packages must acknowledge the intersection of race, class and gender, amongst other protected characteristics.	38
Change to strategic priority subtitle – Responsive to Multiple Disadvantage	Establishing specialist provision to support victim/survivors with Multiple Complex Needs	Establishing specialist provision to support victim/survivors with specific needs, including multiple complex needs	39
Inclusion of other needs alongside MCN	A prominent theme throughout the stakeholder engagement was the current lack of domestic abuse accommodation and support provision for women with Multiple Complex Needs (MCN).	A prominent theme throughout the stakeholder engagement was the current lack of domestic abuse accommodation and support provision for people with specific needs, including the protected characteristics mentioned above, care leavers, ex-service personnel and their families, but particularly those with multiple complex needs (MCN). Therefore, this section focuses on the current gap and need for a responsive approach to MCN.	39
Change to recommendation wording – Responsive to Multiple Disadvantage	Accommodation and support options appropriate for the needs of domestic abuse victims/survivors with MCN will be explored, including short-term respite facilities, specialist housing, ‘move on’ pathways and in-reach/floating support.	Accommodation and support options appropriate for the needs of domestic abuse victims/survivors with multiple complex needs will be explored, including short-term respite facilities, specialist housing, move- on pathways and long-term floating support.	42
Change to strategic priority subtitle – Person-centred	Empowering victims/survivors to remain in their own homes through choices	Empowering victims/survivors to remain in their own homes through choices where safe to do so	43
Change in wording regarding survivors staying in own homes	Feedback highlighted that the focus should shift from victims/survivors fleeing in order to seek alternative accommodation, to being effectively supported if they choose to remain in their own homes. With safety being the main priority, the following may only be appropriate for cases that are not high risk.	Feedback highlighted that although many survivors choose or are required to leave their area to increase their safety, this should not be their only option. Where safe to do so, survivors should be effectively supported if they choose to remain in their own homes and therefore the following measures may only be appropriate for cases that are not assessed as high risk.	43
Change to recommendation wording – Person-centred	Victims/survivors should be able to remain in their home if they choose to, and it is safe to do so, by introducing measures such as Sanctuary Schemes throughout the county	Victims/survivors should be able to remain in their home if they choose to, and it is safe to do so, by introducing measures such as Sanctuary Schemes throughout the county ensuring Sanctuary Schemes are available in each local authority area as part of a wider safety and support package.	44
Change to recommendation wording – Person-centred	Whole Family intervention and support should be promoted and further invested in throughout Sussex.	Awareness and availability of Whole Family interventions should be increased in Sussex. and support should be promoted and further invested in throughout Sussex.	45
Change to recommendation wording – Trauma-informed	Consistent trauma-informed practice training should be developed for district and borough housing teams, housing associations and registered social landlords, expanding on existing training packages.	Ensure that consistent domestic abuse and trauma-informed practice training packages are developed for frontline practitioners within housing authorities, housing associations and registered social landlords, with an aim to deliver the offer more widely.	46
Change to recommendation wording – Trauma-informed	Sussex local authorities will consider providing dedicated housing specialists within domestic abuse safe accommodation services.	Sussex local authorities will consider providing dedicated or floating housing specialists to provide support within domestic abuse safe accommodation services.	48
Change in wording to closing statement	Therefore, it is not envisaged that all the recommendations will be capable of being delivered or funded using the 2020-21 allocation alone. This Strategy represents a commitment that Sussex Local Authorities will consider and cater for the needs identified when making commissioning decisions around support provisions. The six strategic priorities should be used to ensure that future funding is spent in an inclusive, meaningful and sustainable way.	For this reason, the recommendations outlined in this Strategy will be delivered over a three-year period and reviewed in future refreshes.  This Strategy outlines the priorities and recommendations for domestic abuse accommodation and support. It represents a commitment that Sussex local authorities will consider and cater for the needs identified when making commissioning decisions around support provisions. The six strategic priorities should be used to ensure that future funding is spent in an inclusive, meaningful and sustainable way. Action plans are under development locally to guide the implementation, delivery and monitoring of the priorities and recommendations.	50