Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence from the Task Group but the Community Safety Manager had sent her apologies.

There were no disclosures of interest.

The minutes of the meeting on 11 July 2012 to be submitted for signature.  

The minutes of the meeting on 11 July 2012 were submitted and signed.

Representatives from different agencies have been invited to attend and discuss domestic violence in Watford.

The briefing for the meeting is attached and includes questions for the guests to address.

Members may ask any further questions and draw conclusions on the topic.

The latest government definition of domestic violence and abuse is:

Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour,  violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass, but is not limited to, the following types of abuse:

• psychological
• physical
• sexual
• financial
• emotional

“Controlling behaviour is: a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour.
 
“Coercive behaviour is: an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim.”
 
* This definition, which is not a legal definition, includes so called 'honour’ based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, and is clear that victims are not confined to one gender or ethnic group.

The Chair invited everyone to introduce themselves and explained that the Task Group’s role was to look at the strategic direction of the Community Safety Partnership. The Task Group’s role was that of a critical friend and to consider whether any action was needed.

Alison explained that she had distributed the quiz to set the scene and she discussed the answers with the Task Group.  The Task Group felt that the statistics were roughly what they had expected but noted that domestic violence was not decreasing.

The Chair invited Charmaine to address Members.

Charmaine explained that she was an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) and she covered Three Rivers and half of Watford. The number of posts had been reduced and another IDVA covered the other half of Watford and Dacorum. She described how victims were referred to her from a variety of agencies. She added that it was her role to ensure that victims had the tools they needed to know their options. It often took a long time for victims to feel comfortable to contact the Police and statistics went up with increased reporting.

The IDVAs had a disclosure policy which they made sure that their clients understood. Many victims feared the Police and did not want Children, Schools and Families involved. They would feel embarrassed if the Police came to their home and they did not necessarily want the perpetrator to get into trouble. She explained about the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) where high-risk cases were discussed; consent was not needed to discuss a case at MARAC.

Charmaine explained that domestic violence affected people across the community. The latest Home Office definition applied to all over-16s and she also worked with a number of families where the teenage sons were abusing their parents.

She described some of the barriers faced in their work including language barriers with victims and options for those without recourse to public funds as they were not able to access hostel services. There was also a lack of male support workers for male victims and as they often worked it was more difficult for them to access existing daytime services.

She noted the opportunities that being based in council offices presented; she had easy access to housing services, leisure services and the community safety team.

Councillor Khan asked about domestic violence where the perpetrators were teenagers. Charmaine responded that parents were often reluctant to call the Police about their children. She added that she referred the families to Herts Practical Parenting to enable them to manage the behaviour.

The Chair invited Chief Inspector Caveney to speak to the Task Group.

Chief Inspector Caveney explained that there had been a very small increase in domestic violence in the last year. The major challenge was to increase the conviction rate. He explained that in November 2011 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) changed their policy about how they dealt with victimless prosecutions. The CPS were measured on their positive conviction rate in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

The Task Group is asked to agree the work programme for the remainder of the municipal year.

The draft work programme is attached as are the outstanding proposals that the Task Group should consider.

The Task Group received a report of the Committee and Scrutiny Support Officer including proposals from councillors.

The Chair said that there was more work that could be done on the domestic violence topic to consider the actions. It was suggested that an appropriate officer from the County Council could be invited after consultation with the Community Safety Manager. This could be part of the meeting in February 2013 but this would be confirmed at the next meeting.

Councillor Aron noted that domestic violence could dovetail well with the drug and alcohol topic.

The Task Group confirmed that they were happy with the proposals for the December meeting.

ACTION - Committee and Scrutiny Support Officer to find a new date for the February meeting.