Domestic Abuse Policy

Author	Claire Tyrrell
Scope	Service Delivery Policy
Purpose	Domestic Abuse Policy
Approval	Michael Hutton
Review	In line with the MCC Domestic Abuse Strategy

 

Revision History

Version	Date	Author	Description of change
V1	31.10.2024	Claire Tyrrell	Change to reflect transfer from Northwards Housing to MCC Housing Services.

 

1.    Introduction

1.1  This document sets Manchester City Council Housing Services policy relating to domestic abuse.  The policy details the organisation’s commitment, aims and approach in tackling and preventing domestic abuse.

1.2  Domestic abuse is a largely hidden crime, occurring primarily at home, victims often don’t report or disclose domestic abuse to the police. There are no reliable prevalence data on domestic abuse, the Crime Survey of England & Wales, is the most reliable survey and states that in the year ending March 2023, 1.4 million women and 751,000 men experienced domestic abuse. The police recorded 889,918 domestic abuse-related crimes, with 51,288 domestic abuse-related prosecutions in England and Wales. As in previous years, women were disproportionately represented among victims of domestic abuse-related crimes, with 73.5% of all victims being female in the last year.

 

2.    Scope of Policy

2.1  This policy applies to all customers, including those living with our tenants, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability or financial status. There is a separate policy for staff of Manchester City Council.

 

3.    Responsibility

3.1  The Head of ASB & Housing Support is the strategic lead for domestic abuse and the Community Safety Manager is responsible for overseeing the day to day service. 

 

4.    Definition

4.1  Manchester City Council Housing Services has adopted the government definition of domestic abuse, which 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. The abuse can encompass but is not limited to psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional abuse.

In addition we follow the Manchester City Council guidelines and recognise seven types of domestic abuse: 

• Coercive control (intimate terrorist)
• Violent resistance (resisting the intimate terrorist)
•  Situational couple violence
• Female genital mutilation
• Forced marriage
• Elder/carer abuse
• Young people aged under 18 years who are violent towards their parents

We also recognise transgender status to be inclusive of all marginalised groups that may experience domestic abuse.

4.2  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.  The basic pattern of coercive control is the use of multiple control tactics (violent and nonviolent) to attempt to take general control over one’s partner. Specific control tactics vary from case to case involving different combinations of economic control, isolation, emotional abuse, intimidation, use of children and other control tactics.

4.3  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. 

4.4  It has been widely understood for some time that coercive control is a core part of domestic abuse.  As such the extension does not represent a fundamental change in the definition.  However it does highlight the importance of recognising coercive control as a complex pattern of overlapping and repeated abuse perpetrated within a context of power and control. Without the inclusion of coercive control in the definition of domestic violence and abuse, there may be occasions where domestic violence and abuse could be regarded as an isolated incident. As a result, it may be unclear to victims what counts as domestic abuse – for example, it may be thought to include physical violence only. We know that the first incident reported to the police or other agencies is rarely the first incident to occur; often people have been subject to violence and abuse on multiple occasions before they seek help.”

4.5  We also recognise that children who witness domestic abuse are victims in their own right. We will always check that a safeguarding referral has been made for social care checks to be carried out and for the voice of the child to be heard.

 

5.    Policy Statement

5.1  Domestic abuse is unacceptable and Manchester City Council Housing Services wants our residents to know how to seek help and feel confident in doing so knowing they will receive the right help at the right time.  Wherever possible we want to support people at the earliest possible opportunity.  We will respond quickly and appropriately considering the victim’s choices.

5.2  We provide our tenants with information on how we can support victims of domestic abuse via our website. We will raise awareness of domestic abuse with our customers, highlighting our approach. We will support and be involved in local and national initiatives to raise awareness of domestic abuse.

5.3  Our tenancy agreement explicitly prohibits domestic abuse:

4.9 You must not inflict domestic violence, threaten violence or use mental, emotional or sexual abuse against your partner, ex-partner or another member of your family or household.

5.4  Where appropriate we will enforce the tenancy agreement and support victims during this process.  We will look to secure legal sanctions against the perpetrator as necessary.  This might be obtaining a civil injunction or supporting other agencies, such as Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) to obtain a non-molestation order or an occupation order.  In some cases we can obtain immediate protection from the courts in the form of an ex parte (without notice) injunction order.  In very serious case we can consider rehousing the victim to another property not in the vicinity of their current home. We will also consider possession action against tenants who are perpetrators of domestic abuse, if this will not have a detrimental effect on the victim.

5.5  We adopt a victim centred approach to domestic abuse and will take seriously all reports.  We will support victims internally and refer victims to other support agencies who can provide further assistance.  We will log all reports of domestic abuse and manage these cases, with regular reviews of progress by the relevant neighbourhood housing manager.

5.6  We will carry out a risk assessment, using the “Manchester Domestic Violence & Abuse Assessment and Referral Form” and share this information when necessary with the Manchester Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC). This is a multi-agency meeting at which cases are discussed to determine the best outcome for the victim.

5.7  We work closely with partner agencies to support victims, minimise the risk of domestic abuse and prevent the risk of homelessness caused by domestic abuse.  We will where applicable and possible refer perpetrators of domestic abuse to relevant agencies for appropriate help.

5.8  We attend the Manchester Domestic Abuse Forum, a multiagency meeting of professionals working in Manchester, and participate in the annual action plan, produced by this forum, which outlines the city’s response to domestic abuse. We sit on the MARAC Steering Group, ensuring that the response to victims of DA is current and following best practice.

 

6.    Confidentiality

6.1  We will provide a confidential service to victims of domestic abuse.  We will only share information where it is necessary; and information will only be exchanged in accordance with current protocols for the exchange of information for crime and disorder issues and the relevant protocols for both safeguarding children and adults.  We will endeavour to gain permission from victims before forwarding information to third parties.

 

7.    Links

7.1  This policy also takes into consideration Housing Service’s policies on antisocial behaviour, vulnerability and adult and child safeguarding and will act in line with these policies when appropriate. Staff will make referrals to social services to ensure that victims and their children are safeguarded.