A year on from the passing of the 2021 Act, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, recognised that “there’s far more to be done to support victims, to tackle the causes of domestic abuse and hold perpetrators to account”, noting that “there needs to be far more focus on prevention, early intervention and a more co-ordinated community response.” The Commissioner proposes that to better support victims of domestic abuse, the Victims Bill, presented to Parliament in May 2022, “provides the perfect opportunity to ensure that community-based services get the recognition and funding they need to plug some of the gaps which were left unfilled in the Domestic Abuse Act”, including in relation to “advocacy, safety planning, therapeutic support and counselling, support for children, and work with perpetrators to change their behaviour.” The Commissioner also calls on the government to provide £18.7m over three years to ensure that victims without recourse to public funds can access support, accommodation and subsistence.
This symposium will look at the legacy of the pandemic on the incidence, nature and victims of domestic abuse, and discuss the impact of the Domestic Abuse Act and how the Act can best be implemented by key stakeholders.
Programme
- Plan and implement effective intervention strategies to identify and support victims early
- Evaluate the extent to which the passing of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 has adequately addressed the complex and urgent needs of domestic abuse survivors
- Examine how the Victims Bill can be shaped to ensure better support for victims of domestic abuse
- Explore the impact of the pandemic on levels of domestic abuse
- Address gaps in specialist training for police forces on how to respond to domestic violence cases
- Discuss the changing profile of abusers and what practical and policy changes should be considered
- Understand what the Domestic Abuse Act means for local authorities and how they can effectively meet their statutory duty to deliver a strategy
- Examine ways to address the fundamental drivers of domestic violence
- Analyse the inequalities which are present in current and proposed efforts to address domestic abuse, particularly with regard to migrant women, economically vulnerable women, and women from minority, marginalised or disadvantaged communities or backgrounds, or those with protected characteristics
- Discuss collaborative and partnership opportunities for various agencies and departments, including the role of pharmacies
- Scrutinise the current legal remedies which are in place to protect the abused and punish the abuser and their efficacy in practice
- Review the ways in which domestic abuse has changed in recent years, considering the effect of the internet, the increasing recognition of economic abuse, and the impact of domestic violence upon children
- Develop effective strategies for protecting and supporting survivors of domestic abuse, at national, regional and local levels
Responses