Issue - meetings

Refresh of Policies

Meeting: 22/04/2025 - Housing Liaison Board (Item 8)

8 Refresh of Policies pdf icon PDF 176 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Assistant Director of Housing Management & Enforcement presented the report to the Board.

 

The Neighbourhood and Community Standard required all landlords to engage with other relevant parties so tenants could live in safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods (therefore feeling safe in their homes).

 

It also set out that all Registered Providers must have a policy for how they recognised and effectively responded to cases of Domestic Abuse (DA).

 

The Domestic Abuse Policy (the ‘Policy’) was attached at Appendix 1 and set out how the Housing Team would tackle DA and hold perpetrators to account.

 

The Council had used the definition of DA from the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and by the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance:

 

Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality.  This can encompass, but is not limited to, the following types of abuse:

 

·       Psychological / emotional – e.g. victim-blaming, name-calling, belittling;

·       Physical – e.g. hurting or threatening to hurt physically;

·       Sexual – e.g. forced to take part in unwanted, unsafe or degrading activity;

·       Economic – e.g. restricting finances / access to work, getting a victim into debt;

·       Coercive control – e.g. isolating, monitoring, threats, humiliation.

 

The Act also recognises the impact of domestic abuse on those who are ‘personally connected’ and defines what is meant by this as:

 

“…intimate partners, ex-partners, family members or individuals

who share parental responsibility for a child.”

 

The Policy statement at Section 4 explained the training that officers would undertake to recognise the signs of DA and how to make appropriate referrals.

 

The Policy explained the role of the Specialist Domestic Abuse Officer, who had expertise in this area and whose role was to work with and support victims and survivors of DA.

 

It was important to always support the victim and their choice: they might not wish to stay in their property, or they might choose to stay and therefore require different support.

 

To a question on the victims of DA, the Assistant Director of Housing Management & Enforcement informed the Policy had been written to ensure all who experienced DA (female, male, transgender, old, young, etc.) were safeguarded.

 

Apologies were given to the Board as the Policy had already been presented to the Customer Services Scrutiny Committee and approved by the Executive at its meeting on 14th April 2025.

 

RESOLVED that members of the Board note the Domestic Abuse Policy.