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Memorandum from Welsh Woman's Aid (SPP 91)
Summary
Welsh Women's Aid submission response to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee Supporting People Inquiry.
Introduction
Welsh Women's Aid (WWA) is the leading established national organisation in Wales dealing with domestic abuse. WWA is one of four UK Women's Aid Federations and was founded in 1978 to campaign and lobby for improvements in public policy and government legislation in relation to women and children experiencing domestic abuse in Wales.
WWA is the national umbrella organisation with a membership of 34 local Women's Aid Groups situated throughout Wales. Our member groups provide emergency temporary accommodation, outreach and floating support, information and practical support on legal issues, benefits, housing, children's issues and other matters related to the experience of domestic abuse. As a national organisation we also provide training, specialist support and information to affiliated groups and challenge and inform national policy on their behalf.
Welsh Women's Aid also manages the Wales Domestic Abuse Helpline, a free 24 hour, bilingual, gender neutral and confidential helpline providing support and information on emergency accommodation, welfare and benefit rights, housing issues, legal issues, child welfare and perpetrator programmes.
Presentation of WWA views to the Committee
As a national organisation Welsh Women's Aid, through its Chief Executive Paula Hardy, would be extremely interested in presenting the views in this response to the Committee in person and to answer any questions that the Committee may have after reading our response. We have raised herein a number of issues and provided recommendations for the Select Committee to consider. Information
The cost of Domestic Violence Domestic abuse and violence against women is hugely costly, both to the lives of individual women and to society as a whole. The impact of violence ranges from physical injury, psychological consequences, long-term mental health issues, constrained socio-economic opportunities and wider social exclusion.
It is estimated that the human and emotional cost of domestic abuse in England and Wales alone is £23 billion a year and violence against women costs £40 billion a year. The Communities and Local Government report found that the cost found that women seeking refuge from domestic abuse costs £59,500,000 and has a net benefit of £87,500,000 to the Supporting People budget. The Welsh Assembly Government found that women seeking refuge from domestic abuse costs £8,240,763 and has a net benefit of £47,946,346 to the Supporting People budget. The funding in Wales of women services dealing with violence against women in 2001 was £151.00 per 1,000 women, which equates to £0.15 per woman in Wales. In England it was £0.49 per woman and in Northern Ireland it was £1.25 per woman.
In line with other services, such as homeless families, single homeless, people with drug problems and young people at risk the financial benefits often outweigh the costs of a service.
Supporting People's original intention was to support all vulnerable people throughout England and Wales, ringfencing the monies was the only way of protecting the services to vulnerable people. Local Authorities priorities often do not match the true need of the vulnerable people within the area, as has often been the case. The priorities are often to ensure service provision within their own statutory responsibilities, which does not always reflect the need of the people.
The loss of best value services in exchange for cheaper alternatives has meant vulnerable people do not receive quality services, the fact that the service exists and meets the service aims does not always mean that it is the best service.
There is an issue with funding across the Third Sector, as funders require new and innovative services and not innovative remodelling of current service provision, the lack of ringfencing will add to this issue for current services. Local Authorities are top slicing supporting people monies to the extent that it makes it impossible to provide a best value service.
The CLG report1 states that:
The findings of this work are that the best overall estimate of net financial benefits from the Supporting People Programme is £2.77 billion per annum for the client groups considered (against an overall investment of £1.55 billion).
The savings made to other services such as the NHS and Social Services departments within Local authorities far outweighs the expenditure. The improvement in people's lives is immeasurable because there is no comparison as to what their lives would be like without the support they receive, but the increased cost to other services can be measured.
As the savings are substantial for other departments it is felt additional monies could be sourced from these departments to increase funding within supporting people.
This can only continue to be achieved by ensuring that the money is ringfenced to guarantee that the services to vulnerable people are protected so that they can continue to improve their lives with support and for those who able to move forward so that they no longer require support.
Statutory services are those that the Local Authorities are required to undertake and these are key services to vulnerable people.
In relation to the strategy the four key aims
Keeping people that need the service at the heart of the programme This has not always happened, Local Authority priorities are not always that of the area. Needs mapping is not always a true picture of need within an area.
Enhancing partnership with the Third Sector This again has not always happened working in partnership is vital to ensuring this happens, many organisations have found themselves disregarded during future planning for Supporting People and this does not meet with the key theme.
In a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation2 92% of Third Sector agencies were involved in Supporting People consultation, considering the number of Third Sector agencies within England and Wales this leaves a large block of agencies whose voices are not heard.
Delivering in the local government landscape The issues within this are that there should be clear processes for delivery on a local level and these should be measurable.
Increasing efficiency and reducing bureaucracy This has not happened process are long winded and continual contractual bidding does not increase efficiency and does increase bureaucracy
A continual change of support provider due to contracts changing does not give a consistent service to the vulnerable person. Consistency in support is vital for this creates stability in what may be a hectic or confusing situation. Unfortunately, at present in this current bidding climate the service user cannot rely on any stability from its support providers. A consistent service to vulnerable can add to the quality of the support provision.
Gender Equality
The Gender Equality Duty requires all public bodies in England and Wales to demonstrate that they are taking active steps to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment, and promote equality of opportunity between men and women. The Code of Practice, for the Duty, advises public authorities to prioritise action to address the most significant gender inequalities within their remit and to take actions that are likely to deliver the best gender equality outcomes.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission have recognised that domestic abuse is one of the most serious forms of gender inequality. Trevor Phillips the Chairman of the Equality of Human Rights Commission has recently written[i] that more needs to be done around violence against women because 'there is evidence of an undeclared war against some women'. A number of local authorities in Wales are not aware of the Gender Equality Duty and the fact that violence against women is a form of discrimination. The Equality and Human Rights Commission have put all public authorities and local councils on notice because if they do not have Schemes covering domestic abuse they will be named publicly to ensure more is done on this issue on a local and national level.
It is not recognised that the number of women suffering domestic violence is significantly higher than that of male victims; the figures are disproportionate in relation to domestic violence. Women's Aid services throughout England and Wales are being put under to pressure to provide services to men; this is inappropriate use of power by local authorities and goes against Women's Aid ethos of women only services. This is often a cost cutting exercise rather than putting forward funding for gender specific services.
Women only services
A number of our members and other women only services are under a great deal of pressure. A number of our member groups have been asked by their local authority to open their doors to both women and men. There is no evidence to support for the claim that our member groups or other refuge providers should make their services available to men but there is clear evidence to show that if services are mixed this may deter women from accessing support. Research shows over 90% of women support a woman's right to access women-only services and professionals if reporting domestic or sexual violence.3 Safety, both physical and emotional, is a key benefit of women-only services. As a result, women feel supported and comfortable. They become empowered and develop confidence, greater independence and higher self-esteem. They are less marginalised and isolated and feel more able to express themselves. Women using these services feel that their voices are heard and listened to.
Research also shows that women-only services have positive impacts on society. For example, they enable women to better support their families. Many go on to work or volunteer for the voluntary and community sector as a result of feeling more empowered, having greater skills, improved confidence and being more politicised. The economic benefits of women-only services are likely to be significant, saving the state millions of pounds per year, such as through improving women's job opportunities or through preventing re-victimisation (e.g. domestic abuse) or health problems arising or worsening.
Having a mixed service could also put women at risk; heterosexual men who access men's services were actually more likely to be a perpetrator (either the main abuser or involved in 'common couple violence', meaning he and his female partner were abusive to one another) than a survivor.4 In addition, it is clear that the Gender Equality Duty does not mean that single sex services should be cut, or that services should necessarily be provided on the same scale for both men and women. Women make up the majority of victims of domestic abuse and rape, therefore it would not be appropriate for a local council to fund or provide refuge services on an equal basis for men and for women or put pressure on established women only services to provide services to men. As the need for men services are a small percentage of current services required for those who have experienced domestic abuse, a way to avoid these generic services is to regionalise services for men cross boundary.
Welsh Women's Aid Recommendations
As the lead it is felt that the more monitoring and review processes that are in place by Central Government to ensure that Local Authority fulfil the key themes within supporting people, the more likely the process will succeed in meeting its aims and objectives.
1. Ringfencing should be brought back to secure specific services for vulnerable people such as domestic violence and substance missuse.
2. Guidance is required on keeping existing services by extending contracts to ensure consistency of service to the user.
3. Monitor Local Authority practice and performance
4. Guidance needs to be in place to set maximum management charges made by Local Authorities on Supporting People contracts
5. Ensure appropriate funding for gender specific services to vulnerable people
May 2009 Documentary evidence
1 Research into the financial benefits of the Supporting People programme Published 16 January 2008: Communities and Local Government Report 2 Support for Living? The impact of the Supporting People Programme on housing and support for adults with learning disabilities. Joseph Rowntree Foundation; Rachel Fyson, Beth Tarleton and Linda Ward; 15 August 2007 http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/impact-supporting-people-programme-adults-with-learning-disabilities 3 Women's Resource Centre (2007) 'Why women-only?' (London:WRC) http://www.wrc.org.uk/downloads/Policystuff/whywomenonly.pdf 4 Robinson, A. and Rowlands, M. (2006) 'The Dyn Project: Supporting Men Experiencing Domestic Abuse (Cardiff:Cardiff University)
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