APPENDIX 42
Memorandum submitted by Victim Support
INTRODUCTION
Victim Support is the national organisation
providing practical help information and emotional support to
people affected by crime. We also run the Witness Service in every
criminal court in England and Wales. Last year our community service
supported 403,835 victims of domestic violence and our Witness
Service supported a total of 351,740 witnesses. Our Supportline
provided telephone support to a total of 15,387 people.
In order to give the committee the latest
information, this document draws from responses from about 20
services, many of whom offer specialist support to victims in
domestic violence.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
AND AWARENESS
RAISING
At the local level, awareness-raising and public
education often need to be quite generic in order to safeguard
the safety of DV agencies. Such activities need to take place
in a number of settings and in partnership with a range of agencies,
for example, those responsible for drugs, social care, children's
services and health services. As proper awareness raising takes
time a resources, some DV forums have taken the initiative to
specifically fundraise for this function.
Awareness about the scope of domestic
violence needs to be increased. BME, LGBT communities and disabled
people need more information, possibly through their specialist
agencies so that they can better recognise what is happening and
agencies can be encouraged to take action.
There needs to be awareness raising among
children and young people, through schools but also within families:
"all young people should have education
about domestic violence in schools so that they know that it is
unacceptable to be a perpetrator and that they need not accept
it as a victim."
"Has to start with the families themselves—too
many DV victims I helped at court were under 24 and had always
experienced abuse within the home—it was an expectation
that they would continue to be abused in their own relationships."
For example, the London borough of Hounslow
runs a multi agency project called Learning to Respect which delivers
training to schools.
POLICE POWERS
AND LEGAL
PROTECTION FOR
VICTIMS
(please also see other sections for relevant information)
Victims report a range of experiences
with the police- some are very upset with their treatment whilst
others are satisfied.
Victims of domestic violence need to
have clear information about what can be done if they decide to
ask for help and/or engage with the criminal justice system:
"Many victims are not always aware of bail
conditions and how to report a breach of them. For example, in
one case the defendant returned to the family home and lived there
even though the court had set bail conditions where he was told
he had to live elsewhere and not contact her until after the trial.
She had no idea how to report this breach and when she did call
999, they claimed to know nothing about it."
CRIMINAL AND
CIVIL JUSTICE
PROCESSES, INCLUDING
THE SPECIALIST
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
COURT (SDVC) PROGRAMME
The benefits of the SDVC process was
best put by our member from Croydon, and echoed by others:
"the SDVC is brilliant... having everyone
in court trained about DV issues is just great—from ushers
to Magistrates—to Legal advisors—to CPS... The way
the courts work has also sent out a message to the defence teams
and perpetrators—there are just no soft options now and
the safety of the victim is considered paramount. The integrated
DV court is working now... if the victim is prepared and supported
through the process at this time—results are good."
On the other hand, some members expressed
frustration that SDVCs do not exist in their area or that progress
to establish one has been slow. Even where SDVCs do exist, there
are still problems concerning victims being kept informed about
the outcomes of both criminal and civil justice processes. Some
of the difficulties are caused simply by lack of coordination
in court information systems. Also, the importance of the speed
that the SDVC model offers was recognised in relation to the safety
that the process offers the victim.
However, according to some, following
the law change on 1 July 2007 to make the breach of an injunction
a criminal offence, victims of domestic violence & their friends
& neighbours will be less likely to report breaches as they
will not want to participate in criminal proceedings as a witness.
SUPPORT FOR
VICTIMS, INCLUDING
FINANCE AND
REFUGE SERVICES
Support services and refuges must be
equipped to address the alcohol and substance misuse and mental
health problems that are often present in domestic violence situations.
Two practical factors deter victims from
stepping away from an abusive relationship: accommodation and
finance.
"Financial hardships are one of the problems
and reasons for women staying in a violent relationship and there
seems to be no help out there for them unless they are totally
reliant on legal aid with civil matters. Croydon authorities do
interest free loans- but the hardship of victims who work in a
lower paid job are very real. The government should provide money
that would be available on a means tested basis so that they can
start new lives."
The cost of relocation for victims is
often prohibitive as is the cost of applying for non molestation
orders. As pointed out by one member, "even though [an order]
can only cost £70, if you have nothing as most victims do,
£70 might as well be a million. They just cannot afford it."
Financial problems for people with no
recourse to public funds are particularly acute:
"finding people who have no access to public
funds accommodation in a refuge is practically impossible. The
Southall Black Sisters campaign continuously on behalf of these
particular victims but as yet there are no special funds available
to help them."
"This is a totally unacceptable state of
affairs as many of the perpetrators know the situation of their
partner and rely on this to stop them from leaving—thus
near enough `enslaving them'."
Refuges
The overwhelming view is that more refuges
are needed. Increased provision should help speed up the process
of being allocated a space and reduce the chance that people will
have to travel far to access a refuge and leave important networks
of family and friends. Any identified problems relating to refuges
were described as being "10 times worse" for male victims
of DV.
The sanctuary projects were cited as
important safety options: "Given how long the process of
being relocated by the council can take, the Sanctuary Project
plays a very positive role in making victims feel more secure."
MULTI AGENCY
APPROACHES AND
WHAT BARRIERS
EXIST TO
THEIR EFFECTIVE
OPERATION
Differing arrangements around the country
mean that the obligations set out in the Victims code of practice,
which ensure that victims are kept informed and supported throughout
their involvement with the CJS are not always implemented. For
example, if a specialist IDVA service is performing what are usually
witness care unit functions, victims may not be referred to the
statutory victim contact service provided by probation. It is
important that the right balance is struck between providing specialist
support and ensuring that victims have access to the overarching
rights set out in the Code.
Witness Service and IDVAs
Our members have reported mixed performance
in relation to joint work between IDVAs and the Witness Service.
In some areas, the SDVC toolkit is followed and the Witness Service
supports witnesses in court and at pre trial visits and IDVAs
support witnesses/victims before, after and around court hearings.
In other areas, IDVAs support victims at court, which can result
in overcrowding of Witness Service facilities and duplication
of precious resources.
Borough boundaries often cause an issue
with multi-agency approaches with individuals slipping through
the support net as a result of agencies having different accessibility
criteria.
OTHER ISSUES
Victim Support works with victims of
the spectrum of domestic violence. It is our view that non-intimate
partner violence is rarely captured by the SDVC, MARAC and IDVA
structures. For example, we have supported parents who are physically
abused by their teenage children. They may not qualify for an
IDVA and likely to be reluctant to go to Social Services for fear
of the stigma of their own parenting skills being analysed, and
in case the child gets put into care. Parents often do not want
the police involved as they do not want their children to have
criminal records. There are often issues with education authorities,
as the child may have been excluded from school due to their behaviour.
If independent domestic violence advisers mainly support female
victims, other victims will not benefit from the focused, skilled
risk based approach of the IDVA model.
Our members have also reported insufficient
support and refuge services for male victims. One of our services
commissioned a survey of male clients and those who responded
all mentioned that the major deterrent to engaging with any kind
of support is the fear of not being believed or being suspected
of being perpetrators.
Language needs present challenges to
services where there is no budget for interpreters. Any one borough
may have over 100 languages. The vulnerability of a victim is
much greater if she/he does not speak English. There should be
far greater provision of easily accessible English classes, some
of which should have cre"ches attached.
16 October 2007
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