Policy paper

Annual progress report from the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation National Expert Steering Group 2022 to 2023

Published 20 February 2024

Applies to England

Forewords

Foreword from Felicity Buchan, Minister for Housing and Homelessness

This government is committed to tackling domestic abuse and determined to ensure victims and their children feel safe and supported in safe accommodation, both to seek help and to rebuild their lives. This is a key part of this government’s wider work to tackle violence against women and girls.

I am pleased, as the co-chair of the Domestic Abuse National Expert Steering Group (NESG), to present this annual report which covers the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. This report provides a summary of progress made by local authorities in implementing their duties under the landmark Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Since 2021, my department has allocated a very substantial £377.3 million to local authorities for the delivery of these duties, with a further £129.7 million committed in 2024-25.

Since the Group’s first annual report, significant progress has been made. In 2022-23, over 50,000 individuals have received support in safe accommodation in England, up from 36,545 in the first year of the duty. Of the total number of individuals supported in safe accommodation, 21,170 were children. This is an increase of 83% from the children supported in safe accommodation reported in 2021-22. Local authorities also supported 26,830 individuals with at least one specialist characteristic in safe accommodation, up from 11,740 in 2021-22.

In 2022-23, there were 16,350 commissioned bedspaces available, with the highest number of commissioned units of accommodation in sanctuary schemes with 8,550, and 3,850 commissioned refuge bedspaces. But while there has been an increase in the overall number of victims supported, it is still the case that there are victims who fail to receive the support they need when they require it.

I am determined to work with local authorities and the sector to ensure that all victims and their children receive this vital support.

Encouragingly, there are already excellent examples across England of good practice. This report highlights just a few of those examples delivered by local authorities. It is also important to acknowledge the input of specialist domestic abuse charities in ensuring that local areas are meeting the needs of all victims including those who have struggled to find the right support in the past.

I would like to thank the members of the National Expert Steering Group for their vital work in supporting the domestic abuse safe accommodation sector. In this past year, Refuge has launched their More than Bricks and Mortar report into best practice for domestic abuse dispersed accommodation.

Future workshops are planned jointly with the Local Government Association and members of the Group on a number of topics to discuss how to best support the needs of victims across England. Following initial work by Imkaan, Women’s Aid are working with other experts on how to best support ‘by and for’ specialist services. I am grateful for all the work being done to ensure victims get the best possible support.

I look forward to continuing working with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, and the members of the National Expert Steering Group to build upon the improvements we have seen in the past year, so that all victims who need to flee their homes can access the support they need to rebuild their lives.

Foreword from Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner

Having a safe home to turn to is vital in enabling victims and survivors to flee domestic abuse and rebuild their lives. The Safe Accommodation Duty was enacted in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 to help ensure that this vital combination of accommodation and support would be available to all victims and survivors who seek it, no matter who they are or where they live.

In its second year, the duty continued to fund provision for tens of thousands of victims and survivors with a variety of needs across England. It has been positive to see the improvements made to the collection of this year’s data, which has given us a clearer picture of those individuals who were supported, and where gaps remain. I am grateful to the Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Felicity Buchan, and her team in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), for their extensive work in compiling this data, as well as to the National Expert Steering Group for their invaluable expertise and feedback.

There are some very positive developments in this year’s report. I am pleased to see that a variety of accommodation types are being commissioned by local areas, so that victims and survivors can be housed in accommodation which best meets their needs. I am also hopeful that the ongoing work between DLUHC, local authorities, and the specialist domestic abuse sector on understanding the quality of safe accommodation and supporting specialist ‘by and for’ providers will help us build on the findings of this year’s report to strengthen best practice in safe accommodation provision.

However, there is still more to be done. It is worrying to see that the most common reason that survivors are unable to access support was because of the service’s capacity constraints. Additionally, many survivors also struggled to access safe accommodation because it could not meet their specific needs. The group that experienced this the most was those with no recourse to public funds.

Across the country, there is incredible work being done to continue to develop provision of safe accommodation. As local authorities refresh their needs assessments and strategies this year, I hope that these reflect the learnings from the early years of the duty and ensure support is accessible for all victims and survivors.

As we approach the third year since the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 came into force, I am encouraged by the progress that has been made for victims and survivors, and the organisations that support them. The findings of this year’s report are a testament to this. But I know we can go further. I look forward to continuing my work with the Minister and as co-chair of the National Expert Steering Group to ensure that the right resources are in place so that the duty can continue supporting victims and survivors well into the future.

Executive summary

The Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation National Expert Steering Group (NESG) was set up to monitor the delivery of the Part 4 duties within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The NESG supports the Minister for Housing and Homelessness through the provision of expert advice, sharing of evidence, data and best practice to ensure that local authorities receive the right level of guidance and support to deliver their duties. The Group has agreed to publish an annual report every year summarising progress across the country. This second report covers the period between April 2022 to March 2023.

This annual report sets out the progress made in the delivery of the statutory duty informed by the second year of national data provided by Tier one local authorities. In 2022-23, local authorities reported that there were 50,670 instances of individuals supported in safe accommodation, of which 21,170 were children. Local authorities also supported 26,830 individuals with at least one specialist characteristic in safe accommodation. Individuals were supported most often in refuge (44%) and sanctuary schemes (26%). However, the landscape of commissioning is changing, and dispersed accommodation (13%) is now the third highest type of commissioned service.

During this same period, local authorities reported 24,580 instances where a household was referred to a safe accommodation service, but the service did not support the household.

The data from the second year of the duty has been published.

This report demonstrates the hard work of local authorities and domestic abuse services to support victims of domestic abuse and their children across England. The report also acknowledges the challenges local authorities and services face, with proposed actions that the NESG and DLUHC will take to support them.

Introduction

1. The Domestic Abuse Support in Safe Accommodation Duty, introduced as part of the Domestic Abuse Act (2021), placed duties on Tier one local authorities in England relating to the provision of support for victims of domestic abuse and their children within relevant safe accommodation, and a duty on Tier two authorities to co-operate with Tier one authorities. Under these duties, which commenced on 1 October 2021, each Tier one local authority in England must assess, or make arrangement for the assessment of, the need for safe accommodation support in its area; and prepare and publish a strategy for the provision of such support, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy.

2. Since the duty came into force, all Tier one local authorities have now published domestic abuse safe accommodation strategy documents, supported by needs assessments and all councils have a domestic abuse Local Partnership Board to provide support and advise them.

3. Delivery of these duties aligns with the objectives set out in the government’s wider Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls work, which emphasises the importance of providing the right support to all victims and their children, to enable them to recover and lead lives free from abuse.

4. The term ‘violence against women and girls’ refers to acts of violence or abuse that disproportionately affect women and girls. However, the government is committed to ensuring that all victims of these crimes receive the support they deserve, including men and boys. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimated 5.7% of women and 3.2% of men experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2023^{[footnote 1]}.

5. The 2021 Domestic Abuse Act is clear that children of domestic abuse victims who have seen, heard, or experienced the effects of that abuse are victims in their own rights, and as such children staying in safe accommodation should also be offered support. For the purpose of this report, the term ‘victims and their children’ is used.  This mirrors the language in Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act and acknowledges that children staying in safe accommodation will be there with a parent, rather than as unaccompanied minors.

6. To accompany the duty, DLUHC has set out a clear definition of domestic abuse safe accommodation in regulations and has emphasised through statutory guidance that victims of domestic abuse and their children should have access to the right accommodation-based support when they need it. Under these duties, all Tier one local authorities in England are required to submit the Support in Safe Accommodation Data Monitoring Collection for the previous financial year to government annually. Local authorities reported by 30 June 2023 on how they have met their duties between April 2022 and March 2023.

7. The NESG, co-chaired by the Minister for Housing and Homelessness and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, has been tasked with overseeing implementation of the Part 4 duties across England. The Group committed to publish, in respect of each financial year, a report that traces the progress made on implementation across the country.

8. This annual report focuses on the progress made by local authorities in the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023; and sets out the direction for the future focus of the NESG.

Government action to date and planned action

9. The government has provided funding to support the delivery of the duty. In addition to the £125 million allocated in both 2021-22 and 2022-23, it has allocated £127.3 million in 2023-24 and committed a further £129.7 million in 2024-25. This will enable local authorities to make longer term commissioning decisions and give certainty to local providers such as specialist domestic abuse refuges. This funding will ensure that, regardless of where a victim lives in England, there is high-quality support ready to help.

10. To promote transparency and accountability, DLUHC has committed to publish the data return from each local authority on an annual basis from 2022-23 onwards. This will enable local authorities to understand the broader provision of support across England and to benchmark their performance against other local authorities. This data is also required to fulfil the public commitment in the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan and will be used as benchmark for the two key metrics for the duty: ‘a decrease in the numbers of victims and survivors turned away from support in safe accommodation in England’ and ‘an increase in the numbers of victims and survivors supported in safe accommodation in England’.

11. To complement the annual statutory collection, DLUHC has launched in January 2024 a voluntary quarterly collection exercise encouraging Tier one local authorities to submit a small subset of data more regularly. This data will allow DLUHC to monitor more readily the level of service provision and support across the country.

12. DLUHC has commissioned Ipsos and Ecorys to undertake a full evaluation of the domestic abuse duties due to report in March 2025. The evaluation will assess how the duties are being implemented, the specific approaches that local authorities are taking and the extent to which the support provided to victims is meeting their needs.

13. The evaluation will be informed by 19 case-studies from local authorities in many different parts of the country, involving both those who are responsible for commissioning services and providers delivering support for accommodation (commissioned and/or non-commissioned). The case studies were selected in conjunction with our evaluation partners to ensure the final sample is diverse and represents a spectrum of local authorities with different governance structures, populations and needs, and different provision of domestic abuse services. To ensure the research is conducted safely and ethically with a trauma informed- approach, a Community of Practice (bringing the professional knowledge of providing support services or safe accommodation) and a Lived Experience Panel (reflecting victims and survivors personal experience of support services) have been set up.

14. The NESG First Annual Progress Report outlined several key priority areas that the Group considered needed to progress. This included addressing gaps in the provision across the country of specialised support for black and minoritised victims and their children delivered by and for their own community; issues faced by disabled victims in accessing services; and concerns on the impact of in-house commissioned services.

15. In the past year, DLUHC has held a series of targeted workshops to support local authorities implement their duties, including inviting ‘by and for’ organisations to provide their insight about how to best meet victims’ needs. ‘By and for’ services are defined as specialist services that are led, designed and delivered by and for the users and communities they aim to serve (for example, victims and survivors from ethnic minority backgrounds, deaf and disabled victims and LGBT victims).

16. Following initial work by Imkaan, the national umbrella organisation dedicated to addressing violence against black and minoritised women and girls, DLUHC jointly with Women’s Aid have formed a Working Group with a number of specialist black and minoritised ‘by and for’ sector organisations and a group of local authorities. This collaboration has provided an opportunity to identify areas of challenge from both the perspective of smaller specialist ‘by and for’ providers (when navigating local authorities’ commissioning processes and tendering for services) and local authorities (for example, due to lack of ‘by and for’/specialist providers in some areas). This working group will explore measures for improving commissioning practices and produce best practice guidance to improve the availability of specialist ‘by and for’ support for victims and survivors across the country. Although rooted in the experience of black and minoritised services, we expect the findings of the Working Group to be relevant to commissioning for a wide range of ‘by and for’ specialist services. The NESG will consider the Working Group’s finding and recommendations as part of their ongoing work in monitoring and supporting the delivery of the duty.

17. While much progress has been made by local authorities in completing their needs assessment and publishing their strategies, this is not of itself an indication of the quality of these products in identifying local need or of the services received by victims and their children.

18. DLUHC has been considering with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, the domestic abuse sector and local authorities how to develop a better understanding of the quality of the support provided by local authorities. Work to date has focused on two main areas:

• A review of the approaches taken by local authorities in the assessment of victims’ needs locally, and how to achieve a more consistent approach in assessing need across England. DLUHC, working with the Local Government Association, has scheduled a series of workshops to support local authorities as they embark in the three-year review of their needs assessment and strategies due in 2024.
• A proposal to develop a national level understanding of what good quality support in safe accommodation looks like from the point of view of victims’ and survivors’ experience when accessing and using these services. Detailed work on this strand is expected to commence in 2024, in order to take account of initial findings from the independent evaluation of the duty.

19. This work will supplement the full evaluation of the duties.

20. As part of the programme of work to support local authorities’ continuous development in delivering the duty, DLUHC, jointly with the Local Government Association, will continue to organise further capacity building workshops. Future topics under consideration include how local authorities might approach and cater for the specific needs of children, to be developed jointly with the Children’s Commissioner and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner; and how Part 4 is working alongside homelessness legislation.

Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation National Expert Steering Group

21. The NESG holds three meetings each year to consider progress made across the country by local authorities in delivering the duties. Following publication of the First Annual Report, the NESG has focused on considering how to address the key priority areas outlined in the report, as set out above. In recent meetings, the NESG has been kept up to date on progress made on the wider evaluation of the duty, and had an opportunity to hear directly from some local authorities (Lancashire and Surrey) about their experience. Below is an example of the work done by an area who have used the duty as an opportunity to develop a new approach to improve access to support within safe accommodation.

Case study – Surrey County Council

In implementing the new duty introduced by the Domestic Abuse Act (DA) 2021, Surrey County Council took the opportunity to build on already strong relationships between key partner agencies and local domestic abuse specialist service providers, to ensure that survivors and their children are able to access the best possible support in safe accommodation-based services across the County. This involved implementing new approaches to improve access to services for survivors with multiple, complex needs and creating new provision for those unable to access existing women only safe spaces.

Surrey County Council vision is for every adult and child experiencing domestic abuse to be seen, safe and heard, and free from the harm caused by perpetrator behaviour. The Council’s partnership work is underpinned by the multi-agency domestic abuse strategy, alongside strategic support from their Domestic Abuse Executive. Beside completion of the required needs assessment and development of the Domestic Abuse Support in Safe Accommodation Strategy, the Council engaged the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance to undertake a ‘housing health check’ with their 11 district and borough housing needs teams to identify areas for improvement in the housing response to domestic abuse.

Successes to date:

• Investment in existing safe accommodation to introduce complex needs workers, development of trauma informed therapeutic approaches, support for survivors with no recourse to public funds, specialist support for minoritised women.
• ‘Refuge for All’ provides more diverse refuge provision with specialist support for any victim for which existing provision in women only shared spaces is not appropriate. This is done through eight dispersed, self-contained properties for men, LGBTQIA+, gypsy Roma and traveller survivors.
• Surrey-wide Sanctuary Scheme doubling resources previously available, allowing more survivors to stay in their own homes where safe to do so, and introducing four new Housing Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs).
• Introduction of a Domestic Abuse Support in Safe Accommodation Grant Application Process, inviting applications from any organisation that could further enhance the Council’s domestic abuse safe accommodation offer in Surrey. Successful bids include:
  • Emergency fund for essential items for those fleeing domestic abuse
  • 4x Hospital Independent Domestic Abuse Advocates
  • Funding for survivors with no recourse to public funds
  • Increased provision of ‘Refuge for All’
  • Domestic abuse perpetrator housing model
  • Domestic abuse immigration project providing specialist casework to support individuals who experience both domestic abuse and complex immigration/nationality/asylum challenges.

Wider domestic abuse safe accommodation sector context

22. Refuge have launched their More than Bricks and Mortar report into best practice for domestic abuse dispersed accommodation. The study consulted with survivors, frontline practitioners and managers to identify what that specialist support should look like and how this can be delivered within a dispersed accommodation setting, with the aim of developing a best practice model.

Warwickshire Dispersed Safe Accommodation Pilot

The pilot is a collaborative effort between Warwickshire County Council and Refuge. The accommodation is available to support survivors of domestic abuse who may not have typically been able to access the specialist shared accommodation in Warwickshire, such as survivors with disabilities, survivors with pets, male survivors, and transgender survivors.

The new pilot project provides 36 units of self-contained dispersed accommodation which allows for independent living with specialist support, this project, which is based on Refuge’s pioneering feasibility study funded by Commonweal Housing, will transform how domestic abuse service provision is provided in Warwickshire.

Mindful that support for survivors in dispersed accommodation would look quite different in dispersed properties compared to shared refuge accommodation with staff on site, Refuge carried out research with the aim of defining best practice. The findings are in: More Than Bricks and Mortar; A feasibility study into delivery of best practice in domestic abuse dispersed accommodation.

As well as delivering a best practice support model, Refuge is piloting a blended approach to securing high quality homes. Women in Safe Homes (a social impact fund) is purchasing and refurbishing 15 properties to lease to Refuge. We are in the process of securing a social impact loan to purchase our own property, as well as working with philanthropists who are interested in this area of work.

Refuge has developed property standards that we share with our landlords to ensure all properties meet our exact requirements. Every property is refurbished to a high standard to ensure a safe, fully furnished trauma informed space with specialist domestic abuse support and housing management and access to peer support in the community. We are working with Equation to provide specialist support for male survivors and hope to expand our partnership work as more properties come on board.

Commonweal Housing is funding Refuge to evaluate our model and we will be sharing learnings in a future report.

Quote from Councillor Andy Crump, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety at Warwickshire County Council:

Warwickshire has a comprehensive safe accommodation provision that has only been bolstered by the addition of the dispersed accommodation. Central Government funding has allowed for further investment into our Safe Accommodation Strategy, taking into account the need for housing units that meets wider representation needs. I am pleased to see the expansion of the support and the continuation of our working relationship with Refuge.

23. In January 2023, Women’s Aid published ‘The Domestic Abuse Report 2023: The Annual Audit Annual Audit 2023’, which drew together the findings from On Track, Routes to Support, the Women’s Aid Annual Survey, follow up interviews and Freedom of Information data to examine the provision and usage of domestic abuse support services during the 2021-22 financial year. The report focused on the experiences of service providers around the implementation of the statutory duty.

24. Women’s Aid released updated data for the 2022-23 financial year from On Track and Routes to Support on the usage and provision of domestic abuse services in September 2023. The data shows a further net increase of 53 refuge bedspaces for women. The forthcoming Annual Audit 2024 will look further at the impact of the statutory duty and present the views of domestic abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls’ organisations around the effect that is has had on service provision and support available. This includes findings also shared in the ‘Domestic Abuse Service Commissioning - Best Practice in Action’ briefing.

25. Women’s Aid produced a ‘Domestic Abuse Service Commissioning - Best Practice in Action’ briefing. The briefing used information from the Women’s Aid Annual Survey 2023 and case studies developed in partnership with Women’s Aid members to present service providers’ positive experiences with commissioning, aiming to highlight good practice and show how local authorities can best approach domestic abuse commissioning in their area.

26. New research commissioned by Wokingham Borough Council and produced by Professor Ben Hine from the University of West London explored the needs of cisgendered, heterosexual male and LGBT+ survivors of domestic violence and abuse seeking safe accommodation in the Thames Valley Area and the UK more broadly. The study provides valuable insights into the specific needs and barriers these marginalised groups face and provides recommendations to inform future practice and provision. Read the report.

Local authority context – Next steps local areas can take

27. The second annual data collection, covering the period from April 2022 to March 2023, allows local authorities to compare their data on support with their needs assessment and strategy.

28. The statutory guidance requires local authorities to undertake a full needs assessment as a minimum every three years, with the next review due in 2024. This provides local authorities with an opportunity to update their evidence base (particularly to address any identified gaps both on data limiting their understanding of need or on provision of services locally); and strengthen their strategies and commissioning approach accordingly. DLUHC, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Practice and Partnership team and sector partners will keep updated on plans and progress made by local authorities and are ready to support them as they embark on these reviews, to ensure local strategies provide a robust framework for responding to the local identified need.

29. Local authorities should also monitor the quality of domestic abuse service provision, to ensure it is delivering well against requirements and providing the right support for all victims.

30. It is clear that accommodation-based support commissioned by local authorities under the duty must meet the necessary quality standards and the data monitoring form asked authorities which quality standards they are following. The NESG recommends that local authorities should review data and monitor the quality-of-service provision to meet identified need in discussion with their Local Partnership Boards, including hearing from victims and survivors who have used services, to build a culture of survivor-led continual improvement in domestic abuse services.

Performance of the duty during 2022-23

Data limitations

31. The annual Support in Safe Accommodation Data Monitoring Collection monitors the implementation of the statutory duties as stated in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 concerning the provision of support within safe accommodation to victims of domestic abuse and their children. This data only covers those victims who access support in appropriate relevant safe accommodation under the duty, so does not provide a whole picture across England of all domestic abuse victims who flee their home. For example, those victims that present themselves as homeless as a result of domestic abuse and are housed in temporary accommodation will not be included. The statutory guidance and regulations set out the types of accommodation in which local authorities can commission accommodation-based support under this duty based on victim’s needs.

32. DLUHC has worked with local authorities to improve the quality of the national data set and mitigate the data issues identified last year. As noted in the first Annual Progress Report, although the overall submission rate was high (98%) some sections of the form had issues with under-reporting as all questions were voluntary.

33. Following feedback from local authorities, the monitoring form guidance has been strengthened to remove ambiguity in definitions and confirming that the collection is focused on properties where victims are receiving support. The monitoring form has also been streamlined to provide more clarity about how the data should be presented, ensuring consistency in the way the data is inputted by services. In addition, DLUHC has added data validations to enable local authorities to identify errors before submitting their returns; and made key questions mandatory to secure a consistent and complete data return from all local authorities.

34. The first year of data collected from Tier one local authorities in England, covering the period between April 2021 and March 2022, established a baseline for domestic abuse safe accommodation services nationally to be used as comparator in subsequent years. In the first annual progress report, local authorities stated that they were unable to collect all required data from their commissioned providers. This means that some sections of the form had under-reporting of data and it is therefore not directly comparable with the 2022-23 data. Where comparisons are not possible, we will indicate the differences between the data.

35. Data reported by local authorities has significantly improved compared to the first annual data collection in 2021-22. In some instances, the data reported in 2022-23 showed a significant increase compared to last year, for example, there was significant underreporting in 2020-21 on number of children or victims with disabilities supported. However, it is difficult to determine whether the increase is solely due to improvements in the data reported or partly due to an increase of support within safe accommodation locally, as the data collected does not provide an understanding of level of local need. Some local authorities have also indicated that they were still not able to answer every question fully, particularly when reporting about specialist characteristics. Where particular data is likely to be under-reported, it is identified below.

36. The data provided by Tier one local authorities reflects all commissioned safe accommodation services for victims of domestic abuse and their children across the full range of safe accommodation types. It is worth noting that this data is not comparable to sector reports such as those from Women’s Aid or the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Office. These reports may include a range of commissioned and non-commissioned services, but often focus on a narrower range of services, such as refuge.

37. It is also recognised that the data presented in this report does not provide insight into the quality of support and the outcomes achieved. As noted above, the full evaluation of the duty will examine the quality of support and measure other outcomes in addition to the monitoring data.

38. Where local authorities commission multiple services, there may be duplication of data. Individuals may be counted across multiple services if they receive support from a range of providers, or if they have had multiple journeys through safe accommodation services. This also impacts upon households unable to be supported, as one household can make multiple referrals. Where multiple services present a risk of duplication, this will be identified.

Numbers of individuals supported in safe accommodation

39. Within the Home Office Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, DLUHC set out two key metrics for the duty: ‘a decrease in the numbers of victims and survivors turned away from support in safe accommodation in England’ and ‘an increase in the numbers of victims and survivors supported in safe accommodation in England’.

40. The number of individuals supported in safe accommodation reported by local authorities between April 2022 and March 2023 was 50,670. This is a significant increase of 14,120 individuals, or 39%, compared to the instances reported last year. As noted below, there was significant under-reporting in the first annual return so any comparison should be made with this in mind. Figure 1 below shows the number of individuals supported by local authority area per 100,000 population.

Figure 1. Map of number of individuals supported by local authority area by 100,000 population (April 2022 to March 2023)

41. The increase has largely been driven by local authorities providing more accurate and complete figures for the number of individuals supported in safe accommodation. In 2021-22, some local authorities reported that they were unable to provide data on children or could only provide partial data on the total number of individuals supported in safe accommodation. DLUHC’s update of the data reporting form and associated guidance has helped mitigate this issue, with no authority reporting having under-reporting challenges in 2022-23.

Individuals supported by type of safe accommodation

42. The categories of safe accommodation listed here are the same as those in the statutory guidance. As shown in Figure 2 below, of the 50,670 individuals supported in safe accommodation in 2022-23, most individuals were supported in refuge accommodation (44%) followed by sanctuary schemes (26%). This was broadly similar to 2021-22.

Figure 2. Individuals supported by type of safe accommodation (April 2022 to March 2023)

43. Local authorities have provided a more accurate figure of the number of people supported in sanctuary scheme than last year. In 2021-22, 13% of local authorities reported that their providers were not able to record data on all individuals in sanctuary schemes.

44. As indicated in Figure 3 below, these percentages are broadly similar to those reported in 2021-22, showing local authorities are still commissioning refuge accommodation and sanctuary schemes above other types of supported safe accommodation. Specialist safe accommodation is defined in this report using the definition from the statutory guidance: accommodation offering dedicated domestic abuse support which is specifically to support those who share one or more particular protected characteristic(s) and/or who share one or more vulnerabilities requiring additional support.

Figure 3. Individuals supported by type of safe accommodation (2021-22 compared to 2022-23)

45.The accommodation types listed in ‘Other’ include accommodation which meets the definition of safe accommodation.

46. Data on the commissioning across England of services relating to domestic abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls collected by Refuge indicate that the nature of commissioning is changing. In particular, it shows a significant increase in the commissioning of dispersed accommodation. For example, Refuge’s commissioning report 2022-23 found that of the ‘48 safe accommodation opportunities released in 2022-23, 31 included dispersed accommodation’.

47. Below is a case study about an area with a robust approach for providing support to those victims who are referred for sanctuary measures.

Case study – Leeds County Council

The New Burdens funding has allowed us to set up a completely new team in Leeds – the Sanctuary Support Team (SST) - to provide ongoing emotional, practical and advocacy support to victim-survivors of domestic abuse who are referred for sanctuary measures. The SST works closely with Leeds Housing Options (LHO) who manages the Sanctuary Scheme that allows victims-survivors to access a range of security measures so that they feel safer in their homes.

A key aim of the SST is to create a pathway into support for people who we may have struggled to reach previously - particularly victim-survivors from marginalised groups. It aims to help individuals feel safer in their homes and to potentially prevent homelessness.

The SST is managed by Leeds Women’s Aid, with support workers based in a range of third sector partner organisations: Age UK; ASHA; Behind Closed Doors; Karma Nirvana; PAFRAS; Shantona; Touchstone and Women’s Health Matters. Each organisation brings valuable expertise and knowledge to the team, with specialisms including people at risk of honour based-abuse or forced marriage; people in LGBTQIA+ communities; older people; women who are pregnant and those who have disabilities; male victim-survivors; and women in culturally diverse and migrant communities. This range of expertise means that all team members are well informed and have an enhanced understanding of the different communities that are supported. They are then able to take this learning back to their own organisations, which helps upskill the wider workforce about how to better support people who have experienced domestic abuse.

Feedback from clients and professionals alike demonstrate the team’s passion for the work they do. One client advised “if it wasn’t for you and all your help and support, I don’t think I’d be where I am today, and I will be forever grateful for you.” Additionally, LHO’s Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator stated “The introduction of the Sanctuary Support Team has been invaluable in terms of the offer being made to victim-survivors across Leeds. Although additional security measures can vastly improve feelings of safety, they do not offer the emotional support and safety planning that only a trained worker can do and is so vital in enabling victim-survivors to rebuild their lives.”

We are so pleased that this additional support is now available to victim-survivors in Leeds and are excited to see how the Team further develops in the future.

Length of stay data for individuals supported in safe accommodation

48. Regarding the length of stay details, not all local authorities have been able to provide this data for every individual who stayed in safe accommodation, so the lengths of stay do not equal the total number of individuals supported in safe accommodation. Furthermore, the 2022-23 data returns differentiate between stays in specialist safe accommodation (including by and for services) from stay in refuges and dispersed accommodation. This data is, hence, not directly comparable to last’s year which did not apply the same differentiation.

49. As can be seen in Figure 4, the length of stay data shows survivors receive support for longer in specialist safe accommodation, with 42% of victims staying for over 6 months, compared to 33% for refuge and dispersed accommodation. DLUHC do not have any data exploring the reasons behind the length of stay. The Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance and Women’s Aid published a recommendation report in 2020 on Improving the move-on pathway for survivors in refuge services (PDF, 842 KB) which identifies some of the possible reasons.

50. In 2021-22, of the 12,520 stays for which length was recorded for refuge, dispersed or specialist safe accommodation 19% were less than 1 month, 27% were between 1 and 3 months, 25% were between 3 and 6 months, and 29% were longer than 6 months.

Figure 4. Length of stay for refuge, dispersed and specialist accommodation services (April 2022 to March 2023)

Individuals supported in safe accommodation by identity

51. Figure 5 below shows the number of survivors of domestic abuse supported in safe accommodation in England between April 2022 and March 2023, broken down by their identify.

Figure 5. Identity of individuals supported (April 2022 to March 2023)

52. In 2022-23, there were 21,170 (42%) instances of support were of children, no gender or age split available. Looking specifically at adults, 28,200 (96%) were women; 1,130 (4%) men and 170 (lower than 1%) trans and non-binary people. This compares to 19,053 women (97%), 561 (2.7%) men and 51 (0.16%) trans and non-binary victims in 2021-22, as shown in Figure 6 below.

53. The increase in support for men and trans and non-binary victims may be due, in part, to local authorities increased provision of a wider range of support available to victims. The increase in support for children may also be explained by the under-reporting of children in the first annual collection.

54. Analysis from the Mankind Initiative’s Oak Book directory of services shows that over 2022-23 there has been an increase in the safe accommodation support for male victims of domestic abuse. The number of organisations offering safe accommodation places for men has increased from 37 in 2022 to 5, and often running at full capacity. This includes new support in the Home Counties where there had been significant gaps, albeit not all areas of England are yet covered.

55. Below is a case study about an area with a strategic approach in the provision of support for male victims.

Case study – Trafford Council

Trafford, one of the 10 Greater Manchester Authorities, identified a gap in provision for male victims, able to accommodate only 1 referral out of the 25 instances of male suffering from domestic abuse reported in 2021-22.

Trafford Domestic Abuse Service (TDAS) undertook a review of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and Domestic Abuse Strategies across the 10 Greater Manchester authorities. This showed that all boroughs were seeing the same increase in demand from male victims, and a lack of services to meet that demand. Although local authorities within Greater Manchester can accept male victims into their dispersed accommodation, there was no male refuge or dedicated accommodation for male victims across the region.  

Prior to this audit, Trafford Council commissioned a male domestic abuse advisor role, hosted by TDAS. Following the launch of this provision in Trafford, the referrals for male victims double which confirmed the need for this specialist support.

TDAS engaged with male victims who indicated that although self-contained dispersed accommodation was welcomed and valued, they felt isolated; and what they needed was a shared living space with other male victims to enable peer support and to share their experiences of abuse.  

Supported by this evidence, Trafford developed a proposal for a dedicated male refuge in partnership with a social landlord. The refuge was to be located within Trafford but with the option of accepting referrals from across the Greater Manchester area. TDAS will be the service provider, and Trafford Council will take the lead on procurement processes, grant developments and ongoing monitoring of the service. 

The proposal was endorsed by the Greater Manchester newly formed Male Victim Board and the Greater Manchester Domestic Abuse Steering Group. Furthermore, 9 of the 10 local authorities and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority confirmed that they will support the proposal and provide the contributory funding towards the costs.  

The male refuge opened in April 2023 with capacity to provide accommodation to a minimum of 12 male victims every year. Collaboration with key partners has ensured that male residents receive person cantered support tailored to their needs. The initial 6-month report highlighted the following outcomes and achievements:

• 3 Successful move-ons from refuge to permanent accommodation
• High occupancy rates of 98%
• Additional outreach support provided to men where refuge was not suitable
• 100% of men reported better able to manage their mental health
• 100% of men reported a reduction in their anxiety
• 80% of men reported an improvement in their use of positive coping strategies
• 100% reported improvement in their risk and safety management
• 100% reported feeling safer

Figure 6. Identity of individuals supported (2021-22 compared to 2022-23)

56. Local authorities recorded 15% of all victims supported came from outside of the local authority area in the 12 months to March 2023, the same proportion as in the previous year, though a higher absolute number. For the purpose of the annual monitoring data, Greater London has been included as one area. This means survivors moving between London Boroughs would not be counted as coming from outside of their local authority area.

Households unable to be supported in safe accommodation

57. During April 2022 to March 2023, local authorities reported 24,580 instances where a household was referred to a safe accommodation service, but the service did not support the household. This is 3,970 or 19% higher than last year’s data. It is worth noting that there was some discrepancy in local authorities’ recording of the data last year, with some including in their figures referrals made to services when a space was available, as well as inquiries about a space when a referral was not possible.

58. The most common reason a household was unable to access support in the last 12 months to March 2023 was due to capacity constraints, where the service did not have sufficient space to house the survivor. There were 9,820 instances where this was a recorded reason, which is 40% of recorded reasons. There were 1,900 (8%) instances where the recorded reason was a household was not able to be contacted so support could not be provided; and 3,480 (14%) instances where a household was offered support but did not accept it.

59. Figure 7 sets out the most reported reasons why a household was unable to be supported. This figure presents two charts. The chart on the left sets out a breakdown of reasons why a household was not supported. This data may include repeat referrals in which households have received rejections before going on to receive support at another service. Households may also have multiple reasons why they could not be supported so the figures cannot be added cumulatively. The chart on the right sets a breakdown of reasons for those that were unable to be supported because their needs could not be met.

Figure 7. Reasons households were unable to be supported (April 2022 to March 2023)

60. The 3,280 other reasons a household was not supported (shown in Figure 7 above) includes households who did not meet service criteria, for example, where the victim had a history of violence or criminal convictions, so was deemed unsafe to be in a shared space; the household had already accepted a space in another service; the cost for rent for refuge was too high; and the referral was found to be for the perpetrator.

61. For those that were unable to be supported because their needs could not be met, (5,610 instances), this is further broken down on the right side of Figure 7. Within this data, there were 690 instances where households or individuals were unable to be supported due to the victim having No Recourse to Public Funds, which is lower than the 810 instances recorded in 2021-22. Note that the reasons for why households were unable to be supported or the need was not met was not always provided by the local authority in their submissions.

62. Following the government’s review of support for migrant victims in 2020, in April 2021, the Home Office launched the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) Scheme pilot to provide a support net for migrant victims of abuse with no recourse to public funds.

63. The 12-month pilot, run by Southall Black Sisters and their delivery partners, was supported with up to £1.4 million of government funding, and provided wraparound support services for migrant victims of domestic abuse, including accommodation, subsistence, counselling and legal advice.

64. As committed to in the Domestic Abuse Plan, Home Office allocated up to £1.4 million in 2022-23 to continue to fund the Support for Migrant Victim Scheme whilst taking on board lessons from the pilot. Between its introduction in April 2021 and March 2023 the scheme has supported over 950 victims. This has now been extended to March 2025 ensuring support for migrant victims of domestic abuse is maintained.

65. In addition to this, under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, all children in need are entitled to support from their local authority, regardless of their immigration status or that of their parents. Local authorities have an obligation to assess, on a case-by-case basis, the needs of a child to help determine how they can be best supported. The National Expert Steering Group members would like to encourage local authorities to ensure consistency in the discharging of these duties when supporting children impacted by domestic abuse.

66. As indicated in Figure 8, below, the rates of households unable to be supported per 100,000 population appear higher in the North of England, the South West and London compared with the South of England and the Midlands. DLUHC will work closely with local authorities to understand the reasons for these regional disparities.

Figure 8. Map of households unable to be supported by local authority area per 100,000 households (April 2022 to March 2023)

Individuals supported with specialist characteristics

67. Under the duty, local authorities should ensure sufficient appropriate support is available in safe accommodation to meet the needs of all victims including those with relevant protected characteristics, additional and/or multiple complex needs, or whose support needs cannot be properly met within non-specialist domestic abuse safe accommodation.

68. The specialist groups currently included in the data monitoring form are black and minoritised status victims, disabled victims, victims identifying as LGBTQ+, male victims, victims with mental health support needs, victims with a drug or alcohol support need, victims who are ex-offenders, victims aged 16-25 and victims aged 65+.

69. In 2022-23, Tier one local authorities reported 26,830 individuals with at least one specialist characteristic (53% of total individuals in safe accommodation). This is a 128% increase to the number of individuals reported in 2021-22 (11,740 or 32% of total individuals in safe accommodations). This might be due to the high rate of under-reporting last year when 44% of local authorities reported having partial or no data for this question.

70. The most common specialist characteristic reported were black and minoritised victims (11,660), mental health difficulties (10,750) disabled victims (5,730), younger victims (4,820), drug (2,020) or alcohol (1,890) support needs, and LGBTQ+ individuals (1,920). Figure 9, below, displays the proportion of victims with specialist characteristics in safe accommodation.

Figure 9. Chart displaying proportion of individuals with specialist characteristic(s) in safe accommodation (April 2022 to March 2023)

71. The categories included here are not exclusive, as an individual could fall into more than one category, and for this reason the figures should not be totalled.

Number of commissioned bedspaces

72. There were 16,350 commissioned bedspaces available between April 2022 and March 2023. It is not possible to compare this figure with the 2021-22 data, given the quality limitations of last year’s returns.

73. In 2022-23, local authorities reported the highest number of commissioned units of accommodation available were in sanctuary schemes with 8,550 (52% of total) units of accommodation. 3,850 (24% of total) were in commissioned refuge bedspaces, 1,430 (9%) dispersed units of accommodation, 790 (5%) units of specialist accommodation, 270 (2%) units of second stage, and 1,460 (9%) units of other accommodation.

Specialist ‘by and for’ services

74. The statutory guidance places emphasis on commissioning specialist and ‘by and for’ services which support those with particular protected characteristics, in order to build a support base which reflects the particular needs of all victims in the area.

75. In response to concerns raised in the first Annual Report about the commissioning of specialist services, and the gap of provision by smaller specialist ‘by and for’ organisations, DLUHC has improved the data monitoring form to get a more accurate understanding of level of provision of these services by local authorities. Local authorities are now required to report on how many specialist services they have commissioned and, of that total, how many are run by ‘by and for’ organisations.

76. In 2022-23, local authorities reported having commissioned 380 specialist services across England for black and minoritised survivors, disabled survivors, LGBTQ+ survivors and other specialist groups. The highest number of these services are in London, Surrey, Bradford and Manchester. The other types of commissioned specialist services recorded by local authorities include mental health and drug or alcohol support, and services specific for migrant victims. This figure does not reflect the total number of specialist organisations across England, as one organisation may be commissioned by multiple local authorities so may appear multiple times in returns.

77. Of the 120 commissioned specialist services for black and minoritised survivors, 56 of these are reported to be ‘by and for’ services, with 27 in London, and 11 in Manchester. In contrast, the North East, the East of England, South West and the West Midlands have fewer than ten commissioned ‘by and for’ specialist services for black and minoritised survivors for each of the regions.

78. Local authorities report having commissioned 60 specialist services for disabled survivors, of which 10 are ‘by and for’ services. The North East, the East Midlands, West Midlands, the East of England and the South West are without any commissioned ‘by and for’ services for disabled survivors, and there are less than 5 commissioned for each of the remaining regions: London, Yorkshire and Humber, the North West and the South East.

79. Regarding LGBTQ+ survivors, 60 specialist services were commissioned with 20 of these being ‘by and for’ services.

80. Local authorities report having 140 other specialist services across the country. These include ‘complex needs’ services, services for older victims, young victims, and faith-based services.

81. There are areas of England without any commissioned ‘by and for’ specialist services. However, it is not clear from the data whether this is due to services not being commissioned, or ‘by and for’ services lacking capacity to expand into new areas where there is currently no ‘by and for’ presence.

82. Below is a case study showcasing work done in an area to provide support to victims with complex needs.

Case study – Lancashire – Focus on complex needs.

The Lancashire Refuge Service commissioned through Lancashire County Council provides 170 units in refuges and safehouses across 9 of the 12 districts in Lancashire. This service is managed by a lead partner model, made up of specialist domestic abuse providers. Additionally, there are 14 units in safehouses across 3 of the 12 districts which support victim-survivors who may find a communal living environment challenging or unsuitable for their needs. These units provide a similar level of support to those living within a refuge (dispersed accommodation) and are managed by other specialist domestic abuse providers. All specialist services operate under “Routes to Support” which provides a database of refuge provision available nationally, including specialist provision.

The service provides 20 specialist complex needs units, which prior to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, represented 13% of the country’s complex needs refuge provision.

There is no one size fits all service for those fleeing domestic abuse, as many victim-survivors have multiple complex needs rooted in recent and historic trauma. The complex needs units provide 24/7 waking staff provision, with specialist support for those with addiction, severe and enduring mental ill health, and those who have experienced street homelessness, exploitation and sex work.

Specialist workers work in partnership with a range of recovery support services offering intensive longer term trauma informed support that’s needed to help victim -survivors move on safely, healthily and without fear.

All safe accommodation services work collaboratively to support victim-survivors, delivering a flexible approach to provision of safe accommodation. They have good knowledge of the local area and services available. Having developed collaborative ways of working with local housing providers, mental health and substance misuse services, they also have allocated GP’s and dentists, so victim-survivors are able to continue to access healthcare.

Units are in high demand, with only 30% of requests for a place accommodated. Complex needs require intensive, longer-term quality support, which per head is approximately 50% more costly due to the provision of additional specialised support. In Lancashire, generic refuges are seeing more and more complexity of need and we are working to address capacity with early intervention services such as outreach support that will help victim-survivors stay safe in their own home prevent the need to go into safe accommodation.

Support types commissioned in safe accommodation

83. The most common types of support received by victims in safe accommodation were general support (42,800), advocacy (30,530), prevention advice (27,480), housing-related support (25,620), specialist (18,000), and advice services (17,120). Victims may receive multiple types of support at various times. This data represents the number of individuals who received different types of support; it is not a measure of the quality of the support received.

Households who stopped receiving support in safe accommodation

84. Local authorities recorded 16,330 households (32% of those supported) stopped receiving support in safe accommodation between April 2022 and March 2023. This is a similar proportion to the previous year (31% or 11,420 households).

85. Following feedback that a list of move-on accommodation destinations is not a useful metric of outcomes for victims, local authorities have been asked to report whether a victim’s move-on from safe accommodation was planned or unplanned. Local authorities suggested that the form should retain those that moved into another form of safe accommodation, as well as those that moved in with their perpetrator.

86. As shown in Figure 10, below, local authorities reported that 6,490 households were recorded as leaving safe accommodation as planned during this period, with 1,140 leaving safe accommodation where it was unplanned.

87. Of all the households that left safe accommodation in 2022-23, 2,100 (13% of households) were recorded as moving to another form of safe accommodation, 450 (3% of households) were recorded moving into accommodation with the perpetrator, and 510 (3%) households were asked to leave or evicted from safe accommodation.

88. Households could fall into multiple categories, such as moving on as planned into another form of safe accommodation, so the figures cannot be totalled.

Figure 10. Reasons for stopping receiving support in safe accommodation (April 2022 to March 2023)

Data on children as victims of domestic abuse

89. Of the total number of individuals supported in safe accommodation between April 2022 and March 2023, 21,170 were children. This is an increase of 83% from the 11,540 children supported in safe accommodation reported in 2021-22. The significant increase in 2022-23 is in part due to under-reporting as providers did not always include the number of children in their counts last year. For instance, in London the reported number of children supported increased from 950 to 4,020 and we know this is partly due to better recording of children supported by service providers. It is also worth noting that some local authorities did not provide any data on children supported in safe accommodations last year.

90. In 2022-23, 13,670 children across England received specialist children’s support in safe accommodation. The data, however, does not provide further insight about whether there were instances when referrals to specialist children’s support might have been declined; or request for children support were refused.

91. Local authorities also reported 600 instances where households were not able to be supported due to either the age of the children or the size of the family.

Data on disabled victims of domestic abuse

92. Of the total number of individuals supported in safe accommodation with specialist characteristics between April 2022 and March 2023, 5,730 individuals were recorded as having a disability.

93. Local authorities also indicated 240 instances where a household was not able to be supported due to a disability.

In-house services

94. In 2022-23, local authorities have been asked to report about whether local authorities have brought, or plan to bring any services in-house.

95. In the annual return, initially, 53 local authorities responded yes to the question about having in-house services. However, following further discussions with those local authorities, a majority of them reported not having an in-house domestic abuse support service offering frontline support to victims. In those that responded, staff were employed to perform specific roles, such as in local authority housing services to support victims to move on from safe accommodation. DLUHC will continue to work with the sector and monitor any reported instances where local authorities might be planning to bring any services in-house; or are already operating an in-house domestic abuse support service offering support to victims.

96. DLUHC will update the reporting guidance for the annual data collection to clarify that the question on the provision of in-house services is intended to capture whether a local authority uses any of the Part 4 funding to directly employ staff who provide frontline support services to victims. This question is not meant to capture staff employed by a local authority who perform administrative functions connected with the duty such as commissioning or submitting data for the annual return.

How the NESG will support local authorities to deliver the duty

97. As set out in this report, local authorities have made considerable progress in delivering the duty. The improvement in this year’s data provides a more detailed and robust understanding of the level of provision across the country. The introduction of a voluntary quarterly collection return will enable DLUHC to monitor progress more readily.

98. But more still needs to be done if we are to ensure all victims have the support they deserve when they need it.

99. DLUHC should continue to work with local authorities to improve our understanding of the data and any changes in trends year on year, particularly in relation to provision of support for children and young people and victims with disabilities. DLUHC will continue to work with the sector to develop a comprehensive understanding of provision of support for domestic abuse victims (commissioned and non-commissioned) across England.

100. As local authorities embark in the refresh of their needs assessments and strategies, DLUHC will work with the Local Government Association to promote best practice and clarify guidance. It is important that local authorities have a robust and comprehensive understanding of the need for support and services for all victims within the local area, including also for those whose original residence was located outside the area. As highlighted in the statutory guidance, local authorities are encouraged to engage with local and national specialist services, through the Local Partnership Board; and draw data/evidence from a range of sources to get a greater understanding of the needs of domestic abuse victims/survivors requiring support within safe accommodation in the local authority area. Local authorities should also ensure the Local Partnership Boards adequately consider and factor in the voice of victims when reviewing the needs assessments.

101. The NESG recognises the need for long term funding to ensure the financial sustainability of service provision across the country. Funding has been confirmed until 31 March 2025 with future funding a matter for the next Spending Review.

102. The NESG would like to encourage local authorities to use the refresh of their needs assessment and strategies as an opportunity to review their commissioning processes to ensure these provide a level playing field for smaller, grassroots providers such as ‘by and for’. These providers often include organisations who may not have the expertise or confidence for bid-writing or cannot meet very stringent tender requirements (for example, for providers to have capacity to support all victims).

103. The NESG will continue to monitor progress in addressing the specific challenges faced by specialist ‘by and for’ services. DLUHC working jointly with Women’s Aid and the specialist ‘by and for’ sector and local authorities, will explore ways to improve the provision of specialist services across the country. DLUHC, supported by members of the NESG, will assist by signposting to expertise in areas where there are service gaps and providing best practice examples.

104. DLUHC will work with the Local Government Association to share best practice so local authorities can learn from each other and will run a series of targeted workshops for councils on a variety of topics. These will feature, where relevant, organisations which specialise in support for children and young victims; disabled; ‘and by and for’ providers.

Glossary

Bedspaces
Bedspace refers to a unit of accommodation for one victim and their children, regardless of how many beds/cots are in the unit.

Domestic abuse safe accommodation
This refers to specific types of housing and support structures designed to address the needs of victims facing domestic abuse. Accommodation such as bed and breakfasts are not considered relevant safe accommodation and are excluded in the regulations. Therefore, local authorities should refrain from commissioning support within these types of accommodation under the duty.

Types of domestic abuse safe accommodation

Refuge accommodation
A refuge offers single gender or single sex accommodation and domestic abuse support which is tied to that accommodation. The address will not be publicly available. Victims, including their children, will have access to a planned programme of therapeutic and practical support from staff. Accommodation may be in shared or self-contained housing, but in both cases the service will enable peer support from other refuge residents.

Dispersed accommodation
i. Safe (secure and dedicated to supporting victims of domestic abuse), self-contained accommodation with a similar level of specialist domestic abuse support as provided within a refuge but which may be more suitable for victims who are unable to stay in a refuge with communal spaces, and/or where peer support from other residents may not be appropriate, due to complex support needs, or where older teenage sons cannot be accommodated in a women only refuge, for example. Where two or more units share any part of the accommodation, including shared hallways or access routes, provision should be single gender or single sex.

ii. Safe (secure and dedicated to supporting victims of domestic abuse), self-contained ‘semi-independent’ accommodation which is not within a refuge but with support for victims who may not require the intensive support offered through refuge, but are still at risk of abuse from their perpetrator/s. Where two or more units share any part of the accommodation, including shared hallways or access routes, provision should be single gender or single sex.

Sanctuary schemes
A Sanctuary scheme enables victims of domestic abuse to remain in their own homes, where it is safe for them to do so, where it is their choice, and where the perpetrator does not live in the accommodation, by providing additional security measures. Crucially here we are interested in victims who receive on-going support in a sanctuary scheme. The end of a sanctuary scheme bedspace is considered when support ends, not when the installation is removed.

Specialist safe accommodation
Specialist safe accommodation offering dedicated domestic abuse support which is specifically to support those who share one or more particular protected characteristic(s) and / or who share one or more vulnerabilities requiring additional support. Accommodation may be in shared or self-contained housing, and the address will not be publicly available. An example of ‘Specialist Accommodation’ is ‘by and for’ services where victims are able to see themselves reflected in the staffing, management and governance structures.

Second stage accommodation
Accommodation temporarily provided to victims, including their children, who are moving on from other forms of safe accommodation, but would still benefit from a lower level of domestic abuse specific support for a period before they move to fully independent and settled accommodation. Where second stage accommodation is in shared housing it should be single gender or single sex.

‘Other’ safe accommodation
Any other commissioned safe accommodation (single gendered or single sex, secure and dedicated to supporting victims of domestic abuse) with domestic abuse support tied to the accommodation to enable victims to make informed decisions when leaving a perpetrator and seeking safe accommodation.

Types of domestic abuse services

Specialist services
Domestic abuse services designed specifically for victims with relevant specialist characteristics, for example: providing dedicated support to black and minoritised victims/survivors.

‘By and for’ services
‘By and for’ services are specialist organisations that are designed and delivered by and for the users and communities they aim to serve such as ethic minority victims, migrant victims, LGBTQ+ victims or disabled victims. For example, a specialist domestic abuse organisation that is led by black and minoritised women and children, for black and minoritised women and children.

Types of domestic abuse support

Advocacy support
Development of personal safety plans, liaison with other services (for example, GPs and social workers, welfare benefit providers).

Domestic abuse prevention advice
Support to assist victims to recognise the signs of abusive relationships, to help them remain safe (including online), and to prevent re-victimisation.

Specialist support for victims
i. Designed specifically for victims with relevant protected characteristics (including ‘by and for’), such as faith services, translators and interpreters, immigration advice, interpreters for victims identifying as deaf and / or hard of hearing, and dedicated support for LGBTQ+ victims (not limited to).

ii. Designed specifically for victims with additional and / or complex needs such as, mental health advice and support, drug and alcohol advice and support (not limited to), including sign posting accordingly.

Children’s support
Play therapy, child advocacy or a specialist children worker (for example, a young people’s violence advisor, IDVA or outreach worker specialised in working with children).

Housing-related support
Providing housing-related advice and support, for example, securing a permanent home, rights to existing accommodation and advice on how to live safely and independently.

Advice service
Including financial and legal support, including accessing benefits, support into work and establishing independent financial arrangements.

Counselling and therapy
Counselling and therapy (including group support) for both adults and children, including emotional support.

No recourse to public funds
Not entitled to claim the majority of benefits including housing benefit.

1. Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview - Office for National Statistics. ↩