Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
9.1 |
It is noted that the Council has accepted this funding, a government grant of £1,325,868 for the year 2021-22. The purpose of the grant funding is to assist the Council meeting its new statutory duty within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. There is a statutory duty upon local authorities to provide specialist support to domestic abuse victims / survivors in safe accommodation. Approval is sought to agree proposed spending plans and a delegated authority to agree a procurement strategy to the Director of Director for Health and Social Care meet such statutory obligations. |
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9.2 |
RESOLVED: That Co-Operative Executive:-
2. Approve such spending plans and strategy as outlined in this report, in respect of the grant funding;
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9.3 |
Reasons for Decision |
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9.3.1 |
The funding is related to the statutory duty which is included in the Domestic Abuse Act that had cross party support and received Royal Assent on the 29th April. Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act has introduced a statutory duty for Local Authorities to ensure all victims of domestic abuse have access to the right support within safe accommodation when they need it.
Tier one LAs (such as Sheffield) have a duty to assess the need for support and prepare strategies to provide specialist support for victims who need to reside in the relevant safe accommodation.
The Government have provided £125 million to cover costs of the new duty in 2021/22 to ensure there is sufficient provision of support within domestic abuse safe accommodation. Sheffield has been allocated £1,325,868 in funding for the year 2021-22 to meet the new statutory duties. As the funding is related to Domestic Abuse it is proposed that the funding is managed in the Domestic Abuse / Drug and Alcohol Coordination Team (under Head of Commissioning Sam Martin) who will work closely with Housing Independence Service and colleagues in Housing on implementing the proposals.
The governments draft statutory guidance for support in safe accommodation states that ‘where possible, commissioning should be conducted on a long-term basis to encourage consistency and security for victims and their children. Unless there is good reason not to, commissioning should at a minimum reflect the period covered under the local strategy (3 years).’ It is recommended that for key services such as the women’s refuges, a 5year commissioning plan with break clauses and mitigations around central government funding reductions will enable high quality service provision for the city and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to reducing the impact of domestic abuse on individuals and families. |
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9.4 |
Alternatives Considered and Rejected |
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9.4.1 |
None |
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9.5 |
Any Interest Declared or Dispensation Granted |
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None |
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9.6 |
Reason for Exemption if Public/Press Excluded During Consideration |
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None |
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9.7 |
Respective Director Responsible for Implementation |
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Executive Director, People Services |
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9.8 |
Relevant Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee If Decision Called In |
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Overview and Scrutiny Management |
Publication date: 28/06/2021
Date of decision: 23/06/2021
Decided at meeting: 23/06/2021 - Co-operative Executive
Effective from: 03/07/2021
Accompanying Documents: