Agenda item

Report ES15067

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) had allocated a total of £86,570 Preventing Homelessness Grant to L B Bromley. The Public Protection and Safety Portfolio Holder agreed in June 2015 that £26,570 be released from Central Contingency and approval was now sought to release the remaining £60k.

The funding would be used to enable Bromley Women’s Aid (BWA) to continue and expand their Schools Programme to develop awareness of healthy relationships and domestic violence. It would also be used so that a Volunteer Manager and a Resettlement Officer could be employed to expand the BWA support service for the next two years. The scope of support available within BWA’s services could improve so that women move from a refuge when ready into a range of different housing options, rather than wait for a local authority housing offer.

Early identification, intervention, and support would not only help prevent domestic abuse but could also remove a need for refuge accommodation, allowing bed spaces to be provided for those in urgent need.

The grant would fund the project to 31^st March 2017. The service specification and project plans had been developed by BWA and the grant awarded on the understanding that BWA would deliver the project. There were no other known local providers with the capacity, knowledge or skill set to undertake the work.

Some Members of the Executive and Resources PDS Committee were concerned that children as young as seven years old should be addressed on domestic violence, and suggested that raising the awareness of teachers might be more appropriate. There was also concern at how outcomes would be measured and it was suggested that Executive Members be sent summaries of the content of actual sessions with further details of DCLG methodology and performance standards. Councillor Fawthrop suggested that the methodology behind the programme needed consideration and he supported the involvement of teacher staff who would have an understanding of the children and be familiar with their history.

The Schools Programme was delivered by a BWA officer in a one hour session in the children’s classroom with the children’s teacher present. The session would include the use of DVD material and feedback suggested that the children engaged well. Any children disclosing domestic abuse during a session were referred to the school’s safeguarding lead and offered one to one support by a BWA Child Support Officer. The Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Safety suggested that information on  the Service Level Agreement with BWA be circulated to highlight activities and outcomes from the project.  Referring to the Executive’s Children’s Board, the Leader was re-assured on measures for dealing with some of the safeguarding issues and all schools had a nominated safeguarding officer.

Confirmation was sought on whether issues unrelated to safeguarding would be passed to agencies. It was explained that a focus would be on the most vulnerable children with identified concerns. The school would manage the relationship between the BWA officer and children. Assessments would be made around the degree of risk for a child and of hearsay issues not related to domestic violence and child abuse. The BWA officer would be encouraged to report concerns to the Head Teacher and/or Safeguarding lead and feed back concerns to the project organisers via the Council’s Head of Trading Standards and Community Safety. 

As part of ongoing scrutiny, it was suggested that the Public Protection and Safety PDS Committee receive a presentation from the BWA officer providing sessions at schools. A Member was unsure on whether means were available to judge project outcomes; he was also concerned about a DVD on domestic violence being shown to children as young as seven years old. He suggested that schools already covered the matter without a need for BWA sessions which could incentivise children to report issues that might not be there.

The Leader felt that if one child could be prevented from serious harm then it was necessary to consider release of the funds. Although concerned to ensure there would be no ongoing cost should grant funding be withdrawn, the Leader suggested that the recommendations be agreed in principle. The Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Safety added that Bromley Women’s Aid were experts in their field and the DVD would focus on what a healthy relationship would look like.

It was agreed to support the recommendations in principle with the Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Safety delegated to obtain responses to concerns raised in discussion. This would include feedback on the range of matters reported on from the BWA classroom sessions.

RESOLVED that, in principle:

(1)  draw-down of the £60k sum held in Central Contingency be approved and allocated to the Public Protection and Safety Portfolio Budget for 2015/16;

(2)  award of the contract to provide a Schools Programme, Volunteer Manager, and Resettlement Officer to Bromley Women’s Aid be approved; and

(3)  any residual balance of the year two grant be carried forward into 2016/17 to enable Bromley Women’s Aid to deliver the project.