Agenda item

7.1

Sheffield City Council (SCC) has been awarded £1,356,134 for 2023/24 and £1,381,721 for 2024/25 by the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities in order to provide support for people living in safe accommodation because of domestic abuse. This is the third and fourth year of new burdens funding relating to Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

The purpose of the report is to approve the commissioning of services and support and use the funding for existing contracts and grants for the purposes of meeting our statutory duties under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act – which requires local authorities to provide support to people living in safe accommodation due to domestic abuse (as laid out in the statutory guidance).

7.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Finance Sub-Committee:-

1.     notes that the Council has been awarded a grant of £1,356,134 for 2023/24 and £1,381,721 for 2024/25 by the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities to meet its new statutory duties under Domestic Abuse Act 2021 as outlined in this report;

2.     approves the commission strategy relating to this funding via the contracts and grant variations as outlined in this report, in respect of the grant funding being awarded to the Council;

3.     to the extent not covered by existing delegations, delegates authority to the Director of Integrated Commissioning in consultation with the Director of Finance and Commercial Services and the Director of Health and Social Care to approve a commissioning strategy regarding any funds as yet unallocated in order to provide specialist support services to domestic abuse victims / survivors in safe accommodation, in line with this report; and

4.     where no such authority exists, delegates authority to the Director of Integrated Commissioning in consultation with the Director of Finance and Commercial Services, the Director of Health and Social Care and the Director of Legal and Governance to take such other steps as may be necessary to meet the outcomes and objectives of this report.

7.3

Reasons for decisions

7.3.1

Sheffield has been allocated £1,356,134 for 2023/24 and £1,381,721 for 2024/25 to enable the Council to meet the statutory duties introduced by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and outlined within this report. Commissioning the services and support as outlined within this report will support the Council to meet those statutory duties.

7.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

7.4.1

The Council could decide to not accept the funding however this would mean that it would be unlikely to be able to meet the statutory duties in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

7.4.2

The contracts, grants and variations are all working well and alleviating hardship, promoting recovery and supporting children and young people impacted by domestic abuse.

7.1

The Strategic Commissioning Manager for Domestic and Sexual Abuse submitted a report seeking approval for the commission of services and support following the award of £1,356,134 for 2023/24 and £1,381,721 for 2024/25 by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to Sheffield City Council (SCC) to provide support for people living in safe accommodation because of domestic abuse.

7.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Finance Sub-Committee:-

1.     notes that the Council has been awarded a grant of £1,356,134 for 2023/24 and £1,381,721 for 2024/25 by the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities to meet its new statutory duties under Domestic Abuse Act 2021 as outlined in this report;

2.     approves the commission strategy relating to this funding via the contracts and grant variations as outlined in this report, in respect of the grant funding being awarded to the Council;

3.     to the extent not covered by existing delegations, delegates authority to the Director of Integrated Commissioning in consultation with the Director of Finance and Commercial Services and the Director of Health and Social Care to approve a commissioning strategy regarding any funds as yet unallocated in order to provide specialist support services to domestic abuse victims / survivors in safe accommodation, in line with this report; and

4.     where no such authority exists, delegates authority to the Director of Integrated Commissioning in consultation with the Director of Finance and Commercial Services, the Director of Health and Social Care and the Director of Legal and Governance to take such other steps as may be necessary to meet the outcomes and objectives of this report.

7.3

Reasons for decisions

7.3.1

Sheffield had been allocated £1,356,134 for 2023/24 and £1,381,721 for 2024/25 to enable the Council to meet the statutory duties introduced by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and outlined within the report. Commissioning the services and support as outlined within the report would support the Council to meet those statutory duties.

7.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

7.4.1

The Council could decide to not accept the funding however that would mean that it would be unlikely to be able to meet the statutory duties in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

7.4.2

The contracts, grants and variations were all working well and alleviating hardship, promoting recovery and supporting children and young people impacted by domestic abuse.