In July 2021, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) was awarded £200,124.66.
This was to deliver a pilot programme focused on working with domestic abuse perpetrators with a range of complex needs. The details are in DRF 2021-7335. This pilot, and the Home Office funding for it, will end on 31 October 2023. The Home Office-funded pilot ran from July 2021 to October 2023. It provided learning, which the OPCC would like to build on.
In addition, the OPCC is conducting a Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Strategy. This will be published in early 2024.
The strategy will inform the longer-term commissioning intentions of the OPCC regarding commissioning of perpetrator interventions.
The funding
Funding available to the OPCC for commissioning of perpetrator interventions to 31 July 2024 is £27,690. The OPCC has progressed exit planning for the Home Office funded pilot, which will end on 31 October 2023.
The pilot board and delivery partners agreed that there are benefits to reviewing the learning from the pilot and how we can build on this.
This is in the context of a proposed, PCC-funded co-ordinator for domestic abuse – perpetrator’s with multiple unmet needs.
The role
This role will provide some continuity to existing perpetrator’s engaged in the project. It will also provide ongoing assistance to the range of multi-agency forums (MATAC, MARAC, MAPPA, TATI.)
The role will identify cases, which could benefit from additional support. The staff member could also co-ordinate safety planning and risk management around both perpetrators and associated victims.
It is, therefore, proposed that the OPCC fund the coordinator role until 31 July 2024. This will provide some continuity to current perpetrators engaged in the pilot as the Home Office funded pilot comes to an end.
It will also allow the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Strategy to be finalised. The strategy will inform commissioning intentions around perpetrators beyond August 2024. Two domestic abuse provider organisations delivered the Home Office pilot between 2021 and 2023. They each employed a ‘complex needs’ coordinator. One of those partners said that it did not intend to submit an expression of interest regarding any competitive process regarding allocation of new funding for the interim post to 31 July 2024. Given the challenges associated with recruitment – and the 11 month timescale for delivery – Harbour would provide the service.
The current role, provided by Harbour, would move into the interim role from 1 November 2023.
Given the limited funding available, the interim arrangement to July 2024 is not a continuation of the previous Home Office funded pilot.
Instead, the arrangement is a significantly scaled back offer of support to relevant perpetrators and multi-agency forums. It has a role in coordinating risk management and victim safety.
The victim safety/support element would delivered through existing arrangements offered by domestic abuse services commissioned separately to support victims of domestic abuse.
Following a briefing with PCC Steve Turner on 31 October 2023 where the PCC supported the proposal this decision record is provided to approve the allocation of £27,690 funding towards the employment of 1 full-time (37 hours) Domestic Abuse – Perpetrator’s with Multiple Unmet Needs Coordinator from 1 November 2023 to 31 July 2024.