(COR0239)
1. Over the last ten months there has been a significant increase in the number of people reaching out to domestic abuse services for support.[1] For the period 1st April to 31 December 2020, the number of calls and contacts logged on the National Domestic Abuse Helpline run by Refuge (both incoming and outgoing) increased by 34% on the same period for the previous year (114,986 in 2020 vs 85,771 in 2019). This number only increases for specialist ‘by and for’ services, with Galop’s national LGBT+ helpline experiencing a 36% increase in calls over the same period; Karma Nirvana’s so-called ‘honour-based’ abuse helpline experiencing a 49% increase in calls; and the Respect helpline for male survivors experiencing a 39% increase in calls.
2. While Covid-19 has not in itself caused domestic abuse, what the very necessary public health measures have done is to create a conducive context for it to happen. For many, this period has led to an escalation of violence and abuse, closed routes for people to escape safely and made it more challenging to bring perpetrators to justice. Women’s Aid’s Perfect Storm report on the impact of Covid-19 found that over three quarters of survivors (78.3%, 36 out of 46) of those living with an abuser said they felt they could not leave or get away because of the pandemic.[2]
3. In addition, the report found that two thirds of survivors who were currently experiencing abuse reported that their abuser used lockdown restrictions as part of the abuse. 91% of respondents currently experiencing domestic abuse said the Covid-19 pandemic had negatively impacted in at least one way. Of those women living with their abuser during lockdown, 61% said the abuse had worsened. More than two-thirds (68%) said they felt they had no one to turn to during lockdown.[3]
4. Frontline domestic abuse services are overwhelmingly reporting that survivors have higher and more complex support needs. This is in part because people are facing difficulties accessing statutory support services such as mental health services. We have heard a number of reports from Domestic Abuse services that other agencies, owing to the significant demands for their support, are reportedly ‘stepping back’ from supporting victims of abuse, particularly mental health and drug and alcohol services. This is leaving specialist DA services to ‘pick up the pieces’ and consequently their caseloads have become more complex, with lengths increasing as a result.
5. Evidence also suggests that the nature of abuse itself is becoming more severe, with an increase in domestic homicides and suicides during the pandemic. Provisional data show there were 64 domestic homicides recorded by the police in England and Wales between January and June 2020, of which 30 occurred in the period April to June. This represents an increase in the number of domestic homicides recorded by the police compared with the same six-month period in the previous year (55), but a slight decrease compared with 2018 (67).[4]
6. As there is no existing accurate and detailed national dataset held by the police on domestic homicides, the National Police Chiefs’ Council embarked on a rapid project to look at each and every homicide in order to identify rapid learning for police during lockdown. The Domestic Homicides Project was first established as a pilot in June 2020, and was subsequently funded until 31 March 2021. The project aims to better understand domestic homicides in England and Wales during Covid-19 and lockdown, in particular: a) the true scale and nature of domestic homicide deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown compared with previous years, and whether any increase is related to lockdown; b) rapid learning for police from an examination of domestic homicide deaths about how police might predict, intervene or manage risks to prevent homicide; c) typologies of perpetrators, and to what extent they were already known to police. This report will be published in March.
7. However domestic homicides do not account for all domestic abuse-related fatalities. Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse have reported a 117% increase in domestic abuse-related suicide/unexplained death referrals received (12 to 26 – comparing the nine-month periods April to December 2019 and 2020). The majority of these referrals (60%) come directly from bereaved families. The remainder come from other charities, Domestic Homicide Review chairs and Community Safety Partnerships. This does not necessarily indicate an increase in the number of victims taking their own life, but that more families are reaching out for support.
8. Indeed we have seen an increase in public awareness and attention on domestic abuse over the past 10 months, as evidenced by the increase in third-party reports. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline run by Refuge record that over this period, 72% of calls were made from survivors, 10% from professionals and 11% from third parties. [5] The proportion of calls from third parties were at their highest level during the first national lockdown. The London Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) received a total of 41,158 calls-for-service for domestic incidents between 25 March (following the lockdown restrictions imposed on 23 March) and 10 June 2020. This is a 12% increase compared with 36,727 calls over the same period in the previous year. The weekly number of calls from victims remained at similar, sometimes lower levels to the previous year, however, there were large increases in calls from third parties.[6]
9. The increase in third-party calls can be understood in the context of lockdown, where more people who may not usually be at home would be in close proximity, and therefore have greater opportunity to observe and report the abuse. The targeted #YouAreNotAlone media campaign launched in April 2020 may have also increased awareness of domestic abuse, and therefore the likelihood of members of the public being vigilant of it.[7] In contrast, victims who were confined to their homes in close proximity to their perpetrator would have had less opportunity to safely report their abuse. It will be essential that the government continues to sustain investment in public communications campaigns beyond the public health lifetime of the pandemic to ensure we continue to reinforce the message that preventing and tackling domestic abuse is everybody’s business.
10. The pandemic will have a significant long-term impact on the nature and rates of domestic abuse. The sharpest surges in demands for domestic abuse services have followed the periods of the tightest national lockdown restrictions. Research from the Home Office in 2019 found that the average length of abuse for a victim is three years.[8] We also know that the length of time taken for a survivor of domestic abuse to be able to access support will vary across different groups. For example, for disabled survivors, many of whom have been shielding throughout this period and face some of the highest levels of exclusion from mainstream services, we expect this period to be longer.
11. We welcome the emergency funding that has been provided by national government for the provision of community-based services, national helplines and emergency accommodation for those fleeing domestic abuse. Funds provided by the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government totalled £44 million. The fund was split in the following ways and has proved to be a vital lifeline for many organisations:
The Ministry of Justice: secured additional funding to support victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
The Home Office:
12. However, the pandemic and surge in demand for services has further exposed the vulnerability of the sector with regards to funding, with many services, who have been relying on piecemeal funding, struggling to cope with the increased number of survivors requiring support. This is particularly the case for specialist ‘by and for’ services and smaller grassroots organisations.
13. Independent research has shown that local authority spending on domestic abuse has decreased during the past decade. Of 178 authorities that responded to FOI requests from the Guardian in 2018, 65% had cut funding for refuges in real terms since 2010, amounting to an average fall for each of £38,000, or £6.8m in total.[9]
14. FOI requests to all London councils by Novara Media found that refuges led ‘by and for’ Black and minoritised women lost around half of their annual council funding between 2009 and 2016. Independent research carried out for Imkaan on the impact of Covid-19 found that 75% of their members entered the pandemic with less than three months reserves.[10]
15. Research from SafeLives with frontline practitioners in June found that many services were already experiencing financial difficulties. Over half said that this was due to funding opportunities having dried up, and almost one in six (16%) due to local commissioning changing due to Covid-19.[11] Comments from practitioners highlighted that the funding pots they would usually apply to in order to fund core services had become Covid-19 specific, leaving their service ineligible.
16. Pre-existing capacity issues within the sector have been compounded by Covid-19, and particularly the third lockdown. Sector partners are reporting increased sickness by workers who are already at full capacity and at breaking point – either through Covid, through the need to self-isolate, or burnout due to excessive workloads.
17. However, it is important to recognise the proactive and timely work of the Ministry of Justice to gather vital evidence during this period from the services that were funded through the initial funding round. This evidence included the volume and nature of the work they were carrying out, as well as the projected costs required to continue over the winter months. This helped the department secure the additional £10 million for domestic abuse and sexual violence organisations.
18. Nevertheless, we would have welcomed greater coordination from central government in the distribution of these funds, through the establishment of one single funding pot as there were instances of organisations having to make four separate funding applications to central government for emergency funding.
19. Recommendations going forward:
20. Whilst rates did not mirror the significant rise in the numbers of people seeking support for domestic abuse, it was encouraging to see an 8% increase in police referrals of domestic abuse cases to the CPS between April to June 2020 compared to the first three months of the year.[12]
21. However, we are concerned that the latest CPS data covering July to September 2020 showed a 4.1% drop in police referrals compared to the previous quarter.[13] The quarter-on-quarter fall might be due to police responding to other types of crime as we came out of lockdown. This is concerning as we did not see significant drops in the number of survivors reaching out for domestic abuse support.
22. We therefore anticipate that as other crime types return to pre-pandemic levels, the police will have less time to focus on DA cases and as a result, referrals to the CPS will continue to drop. This is particularly troubling given what we understand about the long-term impact on the nature and rates of domestic abuse and the increase in reporting that we anticipate over the next 1-3 years.[14]
23. In terms of DVPNs and DVPOs, there was an increase in the percentage of DVPNs granted between April and June 2020. A total of 26 forces provided data on both the number of DVPNs applied for and the number granted by a superintendent between 1 April and 30 June 2020. [15] For these forces, 91% of DVPNs applied for were granted (1,628 out of 1,797 applications. This compares with 75% of DVPN applications that were granted by a superintendent in the year ending March 2020.
24. A total of 36 forces provided data on both the number of DVPOs applied for and the number granted by a magistrates’ court between 1 April and 30 June 2020. For these forces, 88% of DVPOs applied for were granted (1,657 out of the 1,873 applications). This is similar to 91% of DVPO applications that were granted by a magistrates’ court in the year ending March 2020 (based on 37 police forces that supplied adequate data).
25. At the start of the pandemic, there were numerous reports made to the DAC that the police were reluctant to issue DVPOs because they were concerned that a perpetrator might become homeless. We now understand that this position has been significantly improved. Many forces switched to applying for DVPOs virtually as part of remand hearings and there has been a heavier focus on find alternative temporary accommodation for perpetrators. We are still hearing reports however in some areas of the country where the issued relating to making a perpetrator homeless is arising with regards to the issuing of a DVPO.
26. In terms of Police engagement with MARACs, SafeLives conducted a survey between April and June 2020, to which approximately half of all MARACs responded. More than a third of respondents (37%) reported that referrals to the MARAC were lower than usual and some suggested that lower police referrals were a factor in this, due to some forces receiving fewer reports of high-risk abuse.
27. Furthermore, 32% of responding MARACs found that agency attendance had changed during the time period: “the police are no longer attending - but sending updates before the meeting. Housing are not attending, and education are not attending. Agencies who make a referral and usually attend in person to present it are now not phoning in.”[16]
28. During the first lockdown period there was a significant drop of 39% in prosecutions for domestic abuse cases between April – June 2020.[18] This is unsurprising, given the vast reductions in court capacity during the first few months of lockdown.
29. The latest data published by the CPS shows that prosecutions are at their highest level since Q2 2019-20, suggesting that courts are prioritising DA cases.[19] However, this is not enough to suggest that backlog is being recovered. The overall long-term trend still shows declining referrals, prosecutions and convictions.
30. In terms of the Family Courts, the latest data from the MoJ shows that Family Court proceedings between July – September 2020 were broadly comparable to the same quarter in 2019, but that there was a 26% increase in domestic violence remedy cases.[20] Applications for non-molestation orders rose by 27% and occupation orders up 22%.[21] Problems with the Family Court remain the single most common issue we are contacted about from victims and survivors, and Covid-specific issues include changes to child contact arrangements rather than necessarily a backlog in proceedings (which are largely taking place virtually). There were increases in the average times taken for care proceedings – taking an average of 40 weeks (up 7 weeks compared to the same period in 2019).[22]
31. Given the significant court delays faced by survivors and victims of domestic abuse it is critical that: 1) the CPS continued to prioritise DA cases, and 2) the Government commits to the long-term funding of vital community-based services that support survivors to access and navigate the criminal justice system, including court-based IDVAs. Without this we will see significant attrition rates among survivors and a failure to bring perpetrators to justice.
32. The specialist ‘by and for’ sector have faced additional barriers during the pandemic, in part because of their even more precarious funding position pre-pandemic. In addition, there have been significant barriers to accessing mainstream services for women for whom English is not their first language. This is due to a lack of interpreter services.
33. We recommend a single, dedicated, cross-government ringfenced pot of funding for specialist ‘by and for’ services for survivors who face the highest levels of exclusion (including BAME, LGBTQ+ and disabled survivors) that is administered directly from national government straight to frontline services. We recommend that this includes an allocated proportion for capacity building.
34. In addition, as it currently stands the Domestic Abuse Bill fails to provide support for migrant women who are subject to domestic abuse. We strongly recommend that the Bill is amended to provide recourse to public funds for survivors and to create a firewall between public authorities and immigration enforcement to ensure that women are not deterred from coming forward for help.
35. In terms of providing recourse to public funds for migrant survivors, the Home Office published the draft bid prospectus for the Support for Migrant Victims scheme (SMV) pilot last October. The prospectus is the outcome of a review that was carried out by the Home Office (the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Review). The pilot is due to run for 14 months (we expect until March 2022) and will inform the government’s decision about further funds to support migrant survivors of domestic abuse. The contract for this has not yet been awarded.
36. Ample evidence on the need for change, and the support required, already exists to support these amendments, and it is not therefore necessary to wait for the report from the Home Office’s SMV pilot in order to make further recommendations on the support needed for migrant victims of domestic abuse.
37. The amount of £1.4m that is on offer will be able to support only around 500 women, for three months each, over a one-year period. This means that many women will continue to be excluded from protection and crisis support. In 2019, Southall Black Sisters was awarded £1.09 million by the Tampon Tax to support women with NRPF across England and Wales over two years (April 2019-March 2021), with both accommodation and holistic, wrap-around support. However, this amount is only able to meet the housing needs of around 130 women over a two-year period. The Tampon Tax funding is due to end in March 2021, which means that for the many women who cannot access the Support for Migrant Victims Scheme due to its limited funding, there will be no access to a safety net.
38. Furthermore, a joint investigation by HMICFRS, the College of Policing (CoP) and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that victims of crime with insecure or uncertain immigration status are fearful that, if they report crimes to the police, their information will be shared with the Home Office.[23] Liberty and Southall Black Sisters say that these features deter domestic abuse victims and witnesses engaging with the police because of their unsettled immigration status. As a consequence, victims and survivors are denied justice, while offenders go unpunished and remain a threat to the public.[24]
39. The Domestic Abuse Bill has been presented as a ‘once-in a-generation opportunity’ to support all victims of domestic abuse. If the Government is to meet its equality and human rights obligations (particularly Article 3 of the ECHR concerning the right not to be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment), it must use the opportunity presented by the Domestic Abuse Bill to put protection for all migrant women on a statutory footing.
40. We would have welcomed greater coordination from central government in the distribution of emergency funds, through the establishment of one single funding pot. Indeed there were instances of organisations having to make four separate funding applications to central government for emergency funding.
41. We understand that the inter-ministerial group on violence against women and girls has not met during the last ten months, impacting the scope for coordinated work during this period. In light of the current development of the forthcoming VAWG strategy, as well as the short and long-term impacts of the pandemic on those experiencing domestic abuse and other forms of VAWG, we recommend that this group meets as a matter of urgency.
42. We welcome the additional £10 million of emergency funding from the MHCLG and the £125 million secured in the Spending Review to deliver Part 4 of the DA Bill. The new statutory provision in the bill should – if accompanied by a tight definition of specialist safe accommodation and support in the statutory guidance – lead to greater stability of funding for refuge accommodation and other forms of specialist safe accommodation.
43. However, we are concerned that whilst additional bed spaces have been created as a result of emergency funding, a significant percent have been created in temporary, non-specialist forms of accommodation, such as student halls of residence. This will not address the longer demand for accommodation created by the pandemic. It is important to note that even pre-pandemic, there was a significant shortfall in the number of refuge spaces required by survivors. In the year ending May 2020, there were 3,935 refuge spaces in England. This figure falls short by 1,629 (30.1%) of the Council of Europe’s minimum recommendation (one refuge space for every 10,000 people).[25] During the full lockdown period from 23 March to 31 May 2020, there was a 42% reduction in the number of refuge vacancies.[26] This has largely been caused by a lack of move on accommodation for those already in refuge, a fear of spreading the virus in communal accommodation, a lack of PPE during this period and a lack of interpreters to survivors for whom English is not their first language.
44. We are also concerned about the increase in the number of non-specialist exempt accommodation providers claiming the higher rate of housing benefit who do not provide the specialist support required by survivors. Evidence suggests that these services are more likely to be accessed by survivors who face the highest levels of exclusion from mainstream DA survivors, including BAME, LGBTQ+ and disabled survivors.
1) What is the funding gap between the resource available to services and what they need to meet current demand?
2) If the current Government funding support is not carried over to 2021/22, what will happen in terms of service provision, and how quickly?
3) What trend in demand for services is forecast for 2021/22, and what further funding does the sector need to support the demand for services?
4) What is it possible to say about the demand for services and the requirement for funding support in the medium term, e.g. in financial year 2023/24?
February 2021
[1] Please refer to our previous written submission for further information on the helpline data: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/22154/pdf/
[2] https://www.womensaid.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/A-Perfect-Storm-August-2020-1.pdf
[3] https://www.womensaid.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/A-Perfect-Storm-August-2020-1.pdf
[4]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/domesticabuseduringthecoronaviruscovid19pandemicenglandandwales/november2020
[5] https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/22154/pdf/
[6]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/domesticabuseduringthecoronaviruscovid19pandemicenglandandwales/november2020
[7] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-secretary-announces-support-for-domestic-abuse-victims
[8]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/918897/horr107.pdf
[9] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/23/council-funding-womens-refuges-cut-since-2010-england-wales-scotland
[10] Imkaan unpublished research
[11] Safe Lives, (June 2020), Safe at Home:Domestic abuse frontline service COVID-19 survey results for June 2020
[12] https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/cps-data-summary-quarter-1-2020-2021
[13] https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/cps-data-summary-quarter-2-2020-2021
[14] Please refer to our previous written submission for further information on Police data: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/22154/pdf/
[15] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/domesticabuseduringthecoronaviruscovid19pandemicenglandandwales/november2020
[16] SafeLives, England, Wales and Northern Ireland Covid-19 Marac Survey (April-June)
[17] https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/cps-data-summary-quarter-2-2020-2021
[18] https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/cps-data-summary-quarter-2-2020-2021
[19] https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/cps-data-summary-quarter-2-2020-2021
[20] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020
[21] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020
[22] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020
[23] https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/liberty-and-southall-black-sisters-super-complaint-on-policing-and-immigration-status/
[24] https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/liberty-and-southall-black-sisters-super-complaint-on-policing-and-immigration-status/
[25] https://www.womensaid.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/The-Domestic-Abuse-Report-2021-The-Annual-Audit.pdf
[26] https://www.womensaid.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/A-Perfect-Storm-August-2020-1.pdf
[27] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/23/council-funding-womens-refuges-cut-since-2010-england-wales-scotland
[28] https://novaramedia.com/2017/10/02/bme-womens-refuges-in-london-have-lost-half-their-annual-council-funding-since-2009/
[29]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/918897/horr107.pdf