Thousands of people fleeing domestic abuse will be given greater protections under new measures announced by the Government.
Under the proposals, local authorities will have a legal duty to ensure that survivors of domestic abuse are provided life-saving support in secure accommodation. The move aims to end the variation in support across local authorities and provide consistency across the country.
There will also be a requirement for local authorities to work together to ensure that the needs of local people are reflected in the support offered.
Local authorities will also be expected to develop and publish strategies to set out in detail the range of services available for survivors. The Government is also backing up its proposals with funding to ensure services to support survivors of domestic abuse are sustainable.
The work compliments the Government’s Domestic Abuse Bill, which was announced earlier this year. The Bill will:
- introduce the first ever statutory Government definition of domestic abuse to specifically include economic abuse and controlling & manipulative non-physical abuse - this will enable everyone, including victims themselves, to understand what constitutes abuse and will encourage more victims to come forward
- establish a Domestic Abuse Commissioner to drive the response to domestic abuse issues
- introduce new Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to further protect victims and place restrictions on the actions of offenders
- prohibit the cross-examination of victims by their abusers in the family courts
- provide automatic eligibility for special measures to support more victims to give evidence in the criminal courts.
The news has been welcomed by North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson, who was closely involved with the Domestic Abuse Bill as the Department of Work & Pensions' Lead Minister on tackling domestic abuse.
Justin has campaigned on this issue for many years; working with Swindon Women’s Aid to highlight the issue and bring attention to the important work the charity does to support survivors of this terrible crime.
Last year Justin chose Swindon Women’s Aid for his Christmas Gift Appeal and opened his office as a drop-off point for gifts to families in the local refuge. In March Justin joined the charity for a breakfast to mark International Women’s Day, where he listened to survivors of domestic abuse talk about their experiences.
In 2014 Justin hosted the parliamentary launch of the Football United Against Domestic Violence campaign and praised the work of Swindon Women’s Refuge in a Westminster Hall debate.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: “Leaving a violent relationship can be terrifying and traumatic – it is vital that men and women who have the courage to leave such relationships are provided with the support they need. The ground-breaking Domestic Abuse Bill shows our commitment to supporting survivors and bringing abusers to justice.”
