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Tackling domestic abuse is a moral duty for social landlords
The number of domestic abuse cases reported to Sovereign rose by 170% last year. Sarah Andrews explains that if there are more issues reported, there are more actions that housing associations can take
At Sovereign we feel a strong sense of responsibility to support, signpost and help those who are affected by domestic abuse. Since April 2020, the number of incidents reported by our customers has been between three and six a week. Whereas in the previous financial year, we had a total of 77 cases, during 2020/21, we saw an increase of 107%, to 160 cases. But it’s likely that that’s just a drop in the ocean.
Data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) for the year ending March 2020 estimated that 5.5% of adults aged 16 to 74 – 2.3 million people – experienced domestic abuse in the previous year. We have 60,000 homes so, using CSEW figures, can roughly estimate that 3,300 people could be affected.
Local authorities have been given £125m to start to try and address these issues as part of the Domestic Abuse Bill and, with our geographical reach and the current pressures on social services, at Sovereign we have a moral responsibility to do more. These kinds of services should not be seen as an ‘add-on’.
The pandemic was a catalyst to reshape our offer for customers and employees to be more inclusive, more progressive, and really endorse a ‘whole housing’ approach. By establishing strong foundations at the heart of Sovereign to tackle this issue, we’re ensuring that what we do is data-led, follows a strategic vision and set principles, and is backed up by strong operational groups.
“We’re ensuring that what we do is data-led, follows a strategic vision and set principles, and is backed up by strong operational groups”
We’ve also ensured that the programme is championed by senior leaders and we’re now feeding back on a quarterly basis to keep a close eye on progress being made. We’re ramping up the training required to identify domestic abuse so that the whole business is aware of the support that our organisation offers, and what they can do to facilitate that offer.
We’ve already run two webinars, attended by nearly 200 of our employees, with guest panellists from the domestic abuse charities Womankind, ManKind Initiative and Respect, alongside a financial abuse awareness expert. A third webinar is focused on challenging perceptions, to see past the stereotype of who someone experiencing domestic abuse is, especially when we go into people’s homes.
Working towards Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance accreditation, a process that takes around a year, will ensure that our policies, procedures and behaviours meet set criteria.
Partnering officially with Womankind, which provides services for women in the Bristol area, means that they can offer expertise to our customers that we currently do not have. Experienced counsellors are able to guide women through one-to-one sessions, group therapy and befriending, allowing them to feel empowered to make decisions about their future.
We estimated that we would refer 50 cases to them for assistance over a 12-month period. In fact, our housing officers referred 59 women. Outcomes for women participating in the service over the past year have been incredibly positive, with 100% of completed ‘end evaluations’ showing increased mental well-being.
Using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, which rates people’s feelings of mental well-being, we found that one customer’s scores increased from 22 at assessment – falling within the lowest 10% of the UK population – to 42 at the close of the project. Another went from 36 – in the ‘probable depression’ category – to 61, a score which falls within the top 15% for the UK.
Of those 59 women referred by our housing officers, 16 chose to work to leave their relationships, with the hope of ending an abusive cycle. Sixty per cent of those referred were mothers – the future impact on those families of making these changes to their lives should not be underestimated.
“Research shows that a therapeutic approach has better outcomes than punishment”
Having started off in the prison service, and with a degree in criminology, I have personally seen the full cycle of abuse many times. I think that having worked with perpetrators first, I have an idea of what many of them have been through, too.
At the moment, unless there is a criminal offence, we don’t get involved – our offer is centred around the survivor – which is entirely right as we feel our way into this sphere of influence. But, going forward, there is so much more for us to consider.
For example, what obligation do we have to a person who’s removed from one of our properties for domestic abuse? What happens if they move into another of our properties? Do we take legal action against them or take out an injunction, or do we try to work with them, offering anger management sessions or counselling? Research shows that a therapeutic approach has better outcomes than punishment.
Tackling domestic abuse is undeniably of financial benefit to us – if we support and empower people, we can enable them to sustain their tenancies. But it’s also a moral duty. If we’re saying we’ve been here for 30 years and we’ll be here for 30 more, then we should embody all that that means to create happy, secure, safe tenancies for all of our customers.
Sarah Andrews, regional housing manager who leads Sovereign’s response to domestic violence
