Tameside Domestic Violence Strategy 2005-2008

This is a summary version of Tameside's Domestic Violence Strategy

View the Full Strategy 1.08 MB

Domestic violence has more repeat victims than any other crime

• Introduction
• What is Domestic Violence?
• We cannot ignore Domestic Violence
• What we will do
• Key Measures
• Activities
• Need Help?

Introduction

The Tameside Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership seeks to support the victims of Domestic Violence and ensure those who are responsible for this abuse are brought to account.

The Partnership is helped in this work by the agencies that make up the Tameside Domestic Violence Forum. They produced this strategy to help tackle and monitor Domestic Violence in Tameside

The Tameside Domestic Violence strategy will support the overall Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy 2005-08 for the borough. Combating violent crimes including Domestic Violence is a key priority. We want to encourage local services to work together more and to increase reporting of domestic abuse as a crime.

The Domestic Violence Forum reports to the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership Steering group

Over 50% of women who are in contact with mental health services have a history of domestic abuse (Dept of Health 2002)

What is Domestic Violence?

There is no specific Domestic Violence criminal offence. It is a term used by the Police to define a range of criminal offences and incidents from common assault to rape.

The Domestic Violence Forum has agreed its own definition to help the different agencies work together. It is an amended form of the definition recommended by the Government of England.

"Any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between people who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality."

It can be difficult to get an accurate picture of Domestic Violence as it is such an under reported crime. It is a complex and wide ranging issue needing the involvement many services and agencies.

We cannot ignore Domestic Violence

• 833 Domestic Violence related crimes were recorded in Tameside from Oct 1 2003 to Oct 31 2004 (13 month period)
• Nationally, Domestic Violence accounts for a quarter of all violent crime.
• In this country Domestic Violence claims 150 lives each year
• Domestic Violence has more repeat victims than any other crime (on average there will be 35 assaults before a victim calls the police).
• Domestic Violence costs the nation in excess of £5 billion a year.
• The 2001 British Crime Survey Inter-Personal Violence module found that 54% of rapists were current or former partners of the victim.
• 70% of male offenders, who had a Domestic Violence order against them, were also perpetrators of other offences. 1 in 12 had committed sexual offences in and outside of the home (recent research by Metropolitan Police).
• Over 50% of women who are in contact with mental health services have a history of domestic abuse (Dept. of Health 2002)
• The Home Office Survey of Midwives 2004 revealed that 1 in 16 pregnant women seen over a 5-day period was a victim of domestic abuse.
• The special unit in the Foreign Office has dealt with 1,000 cases of Forced Marriage since being set up in 2000. It has also rescued and repatriated to the UK, 70 young people a year from overseas.

90% of Domestic Violence incidents in a household have children in the same or next room (Hughes 1992)

What we will do

Encourage a greater understanding of the nature of abusive relationships within family and partner relationships; the detrimental effects this has on the victims and their families and its consequent impact on a wide range of services.

Not to tolerate or ignore the problem of Domestic Violence and encourage the reporting of all forms of domestic abuse – including forced marriage - to the Police and other partnership agencies.

Ensure there is a range of quality services available to protect and support victims – including help for children from abusive households.

Deal effectively with those responsible for domestic abuse through enforcement, including prosecution, and by supporting programmes for changing abusive and controlling behaviour.

Just because someone does not look like a "typical victim" does not mean he or she is not suffering from domestic abuse.

Domestic Violence can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, sexuality, class, religion or ethnicity.

Key Measures

It is important that we measure how well we achieve our objectives.

• Number of Domestic Violence incidents reported to the Police
• The number of Homicides as a result of domestic violence*
• % of Domestic Violence incidents reported to the Police that end up as convictions
• The score received by the local authority for BVPI 176
• The % of young people who think that violence is acceptable in some circumstances*
• The number of civil orders made*
• The number of children on the Child Protection Register due to factors relating to Domestic Violence
• Victim satisfaction with the support received from key agencies*
• The number of convicted offenders attending Probation Service accredited perpetrator programmes

* Drawn from the indicators set out by the Government in 2004 to measure the overall national Domestic Violence strategy.

Activities

Following on from this strategy, these are the most useful activities for the Domestic Violence Forum to concentrate on in the next three years.

• Effective exchange and analysis of information relating to Domestic Violence by the agencies represented on the Tameside Domestic Violence forum
• Produce workforce training packs for local agencies
• Produce and promote an Education programme for schools
• The Sure Start programmes will make Domestic Violence a priority
• Provide information for the public on Domestic Violence
• Instigate or extend existing information sharing protocols to develop case discussion groups to progress cases
• Provide information on a Forced Marriage
• Support the operation of a 24 hour help line in Tameside MBC
• Ensure the Tameside Housing Strategy aims to address Domestic Violence
• Promote a "sanctuary type scheme" to make properties safe to allow victims to remain in their own homes
• Produce guidelines for workforce policies on Domestic Violence
• Continue and where possible expand support and counselling services for victims and their families
• Link Domestic Violence into current work on alcohol harm reduction and drugs misuse where appropriate
• Find sources of funding for Domestic Violence projects
• Raise awareness that sexual assault by a partner is domestic abuse
• Raise awareness of males experiencing abusive relationship and violence same sex relationships
• Look at ways of finding out how satisfied victims are with the help they received from local services

A summary of this document can be provided in large print or other formats. Please contact Tameside MBC Community Safety Unit on: 0161 342 3997

Need help?

If you are in an abusive relationship there is help available.

• In a emergency contact 999
• Women's Aid National Help Line: 0808 2000 247
• Tameside Women's Project Help Line: 0800 328 0967