Agenda item

5.1  Councillor Gavin Edwards, chair of the housing, environment, transport & community safety scrutiny sub-committee, introduced the sub-committee’s final report on the review of services relating to domestic violence and abuse in Southwark.

5.2  In answer to questions from members of the committee, Councillor Edwards confirmed that the council tenancy agreement contained clauses relating to domestic violence and allowed the re-housing of one partner as a result of domestic violence.  He clarified recommendation 5 as asking the council to look into the possibilities of linking tenancy conditions and attendance at behaviour change programmes.

5.3  In answer to further questions, Councillor Edwards explained that the Courts Service had the authority to create a dedicated domestic violence court.  He also corrected paragraph 40 of the report  to read detection rate rather than conviction rate.  Members of the committee highlighted recommendation 2 in respect of establishing a domestic violence court and took the view that the committee might write to the Courts Service in support of this and in addition seek the views of the three Southwark MPs.

5.4  Members also referred to table 4 of the report, which set out numbers and sources of referrals to the Solace advocacy and support service, and highlighted the lack of statistics in respect of primary carers and GPs.  Councillor Mark Williams, chair of the health, adult social care, communities & citizenship scrutiny sub-committee, indicated that the sub-committee would be happy to look at this aspect and if necessary write out to GPs and the clinical commissioning group.  Councillor Williams also commented that table 5, on the number and types of abuse, did not give figures in respect of female genital mutilation.

5.5  Members of the committee were concerned at the current response from the housing department (recommendation 9) and that the safety of the victim should be the priority.  Councillor Edwards stressed that every case was different and that training was essential across all groups.  A member suggested that the groups identified in recommendation 3 should include leaders of local faith groups.

5.6  A member highlighted paragraph 15 in respect of mothers and children and wondered about the extent of thinking it had been possible for the sub-committee to do around the effect on the mental well-being of children in a household where domestic violence was taking place.  Members of the committee were of the view that this was an area where further work could be undertaken at a later date, perhaps as joint work across sub-committees or perhaps by the overview & scrutiny committee itself.  Councillor Williams added that this was also something that the health, adult social care, communities & citizenship scrutiny sub-committee could raise with South London & Maudsley NHS Trust in relation to changes to psychological therapies services.

5.7  Another member queried whether recommendation 13 should remain as he understood that such a scheme already existed.  Councillor Edwards stated that he would confirm whether or not this was the case before the report was submitted to cabinet.

  RESOLVED:

1.  That the committee write to the Justices’ Clerk and the Chair of Bench for the South Central area, copying in the Honorary Recorder of Southwark, asking if consideration has been given to setting up a dedicated domestic violence court and encouraging this course of action.

2.  That the committee also write to the three Southwark MPs asking if they would support the introduction of a dedicated domestic violence court for Southwark.

3.  That the final scrutiny report on services relating to domestic violence and abuse in Southwark be submitted to the cabinet for consideration.