Domestic Abuse Strategy

Dear Cumbria County Council,

Please can you answer the following Freedom of Information request:

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

By virtue of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, each tier one local authority has a duty to appoint a multi-agency Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board and to prepare and publish a strategy for accommodation-based support in its area.

The key duties are set out in s57 and s58 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 as follows:

57
Support provided by local authorities to victims of domestic abuse

(1) Each relevant local authority in England must—
(a) assess, or make arrangements for the assessment of, the need for accommodation-based support in its area,
(b)prepare and publish a strategy for the provision of such support in its area, and
(c) monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1)—
“accommodation-based support” means support, in relation to domestic abuse, provided to victims of domestic abuse, or their children, who reside in relevant accommodation;
“relevant accommodation” means accommodation of a description specified by the Secretary of State in regulations.

(3) A relevant local authority that publishes a strategy under this section must, in carrying out its functions, give effect to the strategy.
(4) Before publishing a strategy under this section, a relevant local authority must consult—
(a) the domestic abuse local partnership board appointed by the relevant local authority under section 58,
(b) any local authority for an area within the relevant local authority’s area, and
(c) such other persons as the relevant local authority considers appropriate.
(5) A relevant local authority that publishes a strategy under this section—
(a) must keep the strategy under review,
(b) must keep under review any effect of the strategy on the provision of other local authority support in its area,
(c)may alter or replace the strategy, and
(d)must publish any altered or replacement strategy.

58 Domestic abuse local partnership boards
(1) A relevant local authority in England must appoint a domestic abuse local partnership board for the purposes of providing advice to the authority about—
(a)the exercise of the authority’s functions under section 57, and
(b) the provision of other local authority support in the authority’s area.

MY REQUEST

1 - Please confirm whether you have appointed a Partnership Board and confirm the make-up of the same; and

2 - Please confirm whether you have written and published a strategy pursuant to s57 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021; and

3 - If the answer to question (2) above is yes, please confirm the date it was published and provide a copy of the strategy;

4 - If the answer to question (2) above is yes, please provide details of how you are giving effect to the strategy with reference to the statutory guidance on the same;

5 - If the answer to question (2) above is no, please provide your anticipated timescales for publication of a strategy pursuant to s57.

I look forward to receiving your response within 20 working days.

With thanks

Yours faithfully,

Russell Scott