Recommissioning Domestic Violence and Abuse Services

South Gloucestershire provides Safe Accommodation and Specialist Support Services for people affected by Domestic Violence and Abuse. The council currently commission services which include:

• Accommodation-based support for single women, women and their children and single men who cannot remain in their homes because of domestic violence and abuse
• Helpline services
• Community based support services, where survivors are supported in their own homes
• Co-located services, for example where a domestic violence support worker is based in a GP practice to provide support to patients and advice to staff
• Group work programmes for those who have experienced domestic violence and abuse

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 places a statutory duty on tier one local authorities relating to the provision of support to victims of domestic abuse and their children residing within refuges and other safe accommodation. There is more funding available to South Gloucestershire Council to provide domestic violence and abuse support services since our last commissioning cycle in 2016/7 and the council is proposing to use this additional funding to increase its provision of domestic violence and abuse services and to build on and improve how we provide these services.

The purpose of this consultation is to find out more about the following:

• Diversifying the safe accommodation offer for those experiencing domestic violence and abuse
• Considering a range of group work options for those experiencing domestic violence and abuse
• Expanding the offer of support to children and young people experiencing domestic violence and abuse
• Considering how to improve accessibility and engagement with groups currently under-represented in specialist domestic violence and abuse services.
• Considering how to improve partnership working between agencies to improve the offer for those experiencing domestic violence and abuse

The consultation is open from 25 August 2022 until 20 October 2022.

If you, or somebody you know is a victim of domestic violence and abuse, help is available from one of the services listed on our council website here

How to have your say and find out more:

• Write to: South Gloucestershire Council, Consultation Team, DVA22, Council Offices, Badminton Road, Yate, BRISTOL, BS37 5AF
• Take part in our online survey
• Read the Equalities Impact Analysis and Assessment for these proposed changes
• Read our commissioning intentions strategy
• Download, print and complete a PDF copy of the survey for service users or for all other stakeholders and return it to the address below.
• Email: consultation@southglos.gov.uk

This consultation has now closed and we are analysing the results, which will be published here in due course.