Providing opportunities for victims and survivors to disclose abuse
A housing officer may be the first person the victim or survivor has disclosed the abuse to.
There are many barriers to disclosing abuse such as fear of reprisal, fear of not being believed, stigma, or lack of trust in professionals.
Survivors making disclosures will receive a supportive, empathetic, non-judgemental, and non-blaming response, and the disclosure will be treated with appropriate urgency.
All H&F housing staff will receive mandatory training which focuses on:
- the definition of abuse
- responding to victims and survivors
- identifying perpetrators
- risk and safeguarding
- rights and options.
This training will be refreshed annually and will be tailored to the level of interaction with survivors.
Officers may ask residents about their safety in their relationships where safe to do so, such as if the person is alone.
We ask people about potential risks to themselves to create opportunities for disclosure. We may do this routinely, such as during a homeless application, tenancy sign-up, application for a joint tenancy, or where concerns are raised by a neighbour, member of the public, or a professional.
In some cases, domestic abuse may be miscategorised as anti-social behaviour (ASB) and sometimes treated as a nuisance behaviour.
We recognise that domestic abuse and anti-social behaviour are different and will employ professional curiosity where ASB is suspected or reported to explore whether this could be domestic abuse and work jointly with ASB and neighbourhood teams.
Responding to disclosures or enquiring about risk will take place in a confidential space.
We aim to offer all victims and survivors the opportunity to discuss their experience with an officer of the same sex, cultural background, or who speaks the same language as themselves.
We will offer to arrange for an independent interpreter to be present for discussion with victims and survivors for whom English is not their first language.
We will avoid using friends or family as interpreters to avoid any risk of mistranslation or further harm.
We will allow victims and survivors to explain their experiences in their own words, and these will be reflected in case notes. Case notes will reflect the discussion of domestic abuse incidents, risk and safeguarding and will contain information about the perpetrator and any associated children.
All information will be recorded, managed and used in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the council's standard operating procedures for recording information.
Victims and survivors of abuse will be taken at their word when disclosing abuse - we will not adopt a blanket approach requiring evidence or third-party information. Officers may request further information to support an application and further understand any risks to the person. A lack of evidence will not be a barrier to victims or survivors accessing support.
Collecting additional information about domestic abuse will only be done with the consent of the victim or survivor and can include information from:
- friends and relatives
- social services
- multi-agency forums
- health professionals
- a domestic abuse support service
- the police.
This should not prejudice or delay any decision-making or support provided. We understand that information may not be available, and the victim or survivor may never have disclosed the abuse before.
We will never approach the perpetrator for any evidence of abuse or to confirm a person's homeless status in any case.
Working in partnership with specialist domestic abuse services
Housing officers are not domestic abuse specialists but can play an important role in keeping people safe through access to practical housing support. Housing officers will work alongside specialist domestic abuse services to reduce risk to a survivor and will facilitate referrals.
We will explain the council's statutory obligations to victims and survivors about safeguarding and confidentiality.
All disclosures of domestic abuse will be confidential, and information will not be shared with other agencies without the explicit consent of the victim or survivor, except cases where they are at risk of serious harm or homicide and requires a MARAC referral, or if there are safeguarding concerns.
A MARAC is a multi-agency risk assessment conference that takes place in every borough. At MARAC, relevant professionals discuss the cases of victims and survivors who are at risk of serious harm or homicide. The meeting is confidential.
Further information about this can be found in the section on confidentiality and safeguarding.
Any disclosure of abuse will be dealt with appropriately by the officer the victim or survivor has disclosed to. The officer receiving the disclosure may not be the best person to deal with this, but we will not refer victims and survivors to other services or departments without first discussing this with them to avoid disengagement from the service.
When a victim or survivor is passed to another service or officer, the officer making the referral will provide a full account of the disclosure and actions taken, to avoid the victim or survivor having to re-disclose.
We will offer all victims and survivors disclosing abuse to housing services, a referral to a domestic abuse service when making disclosures, such as an independent domestic violence advocate (IDVA).
H&F commissions a housing IDVA specifically to support with people at risk of homelessness. Where a victim or survivor has additional needs or barriers to support, we will make a referral to a by-and-for domestic abuse organisation or service.
Officers will follow up on any onward referrals made to ensure the appropriate support is in place and will work collaboratively with other services involved with supporting the victim or survivor. We will allow survivors to be represented by an advocate if this is what they would prefer.
Ensuring a safe space to stay
Our priority for supporting victims and survivors will be ensuring that they have a safe space to stay. This could include supporting them to access temporary accommodation, a refuge or other domestic abuse safe-accommodation, or arranging additional security measures to keep them safe in their own homes.
We will support victims and survivors to access safe accommodation on a permanent or temporary basis, for example staying in temporary accommodation while additional security is fitted to a property, or while a perpetrator is removed from a property or tenancy.
Sanctuary schemes are additional security measures that can be fitted to a property to increase the safety of the victim or survivor and enable them to remain safe at home, regardless of tenancy type.
The schemes provide a variety of security measures according to the victim and survivor's needs. These can include additional locks on windows and doors, security bars, fencing, or anything else that may be suitable.
Sanctuary schemes can be used for any tenure type provided the perpetrator of abuse does not have a legal right to the property and is not currently living at the address. These can be accessed via the victim or survivor's housing officer or via our local domestic abuse service.
We will not consider a victim or survivor who is unable to remain in their property due to domestic abuse intentionally homeless.
Managing and assessing risk
Officers who have been trained to do so, will offer to complete a DASH risk assessment with victims and survivors where they disclose abuse.
A DASH risk assessment is a Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour-Based Violence Risk Identification checklist. This is a simple tool for practitioners who work with adult victims of domestic abuse, to help them identify those who are at high risk of harm and whose cases should be referred to a MARAC to support risk management.
Cases identified as high risk either through risk assessment, professional judgement or repeat victimisation (discussed at MARAC within the past year) will be referred to the MARAC by the officer dealing with the disclosure. If the victim or survivor wishes to be referred to an IDVA, the DASH will be sent alongside the referral if the victim or survivor consents to this.
It is important to recognise that all victims and survivors experience abuse differently, and that abuse can be made worse by someone experiencing other forms of disadvantage.
This could be due to who they are as a person such as their race, gender, disability or ethnicity as well as experiences they have had in their life.
For example:
- being a care leaver or having had children removed from their care
- having spent time in prison
- having immigration issues or drug, alcohol, or mental health needs.
Officers will consider the whole person and their experiences when engaging with people, creating support plans and considering risk.
Financial support and rent arrears
The financial impact of abuse can have a huge impact on survivors' ability to flee abuse and sustain safe separation.
We will work with our link and support team, welfare benefits team, and specialist services to manage the financial impact of domestic abuse, including ongoing economic abuse and recovery. This can include welfare benefits advice, support to access appropriate benefits, support with tenancy sustainment and support with rent arrears.
Survivors who are placed in temporary accommodation, or a refuge who is eligible for housing benefits can make a dual claim for up to 52 weeks if they have left their home due to fear of violence and are intending to maintain their previous tenancy.
Victims and survivors can also access the 1-bedroom self-contained rate local housing allowance rate if they have experienced domestic abuse since they were 16 and have a supporting letter from a professional confirming the abuse. Support to arrange this is provided by the link and support team.
We will make use of Discretionary Housing Payments and Local Support Payments to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse where appropriate and where they are eligible.
Where a victim or survivor has accrued rent arrears associated with domestic abuse, we will work with them to create a plan to address the arrears. This could include support to:
- access specialist benefits advice and debt relief services
- maximise their income
- set up a payment plan
- apply for discretionary payments or funding.
Waivers of council rent arrears accrued that are associated with domestic abuse will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the rental income team and housing service officers.
Damage to property
Where there is damage to an H&F tenant's property because of domestic abuse (such as broken doors or windows) we will process an emergency make-safe repair as required within 4 hours from referral for a temporary fix.
The repairs team will then arrange a full repair, with a target date of 20 days, but a potential lead time of 6 to 8 weeks depending on supply issues or whether the repair needs to be manufactured (such as a new door or new windows).
We will also arrange for lock changes via the repairs team, marked as urgent if there is a risk of domestic abuse.
Repairs can be arranged by calling 0800 023 4499. It is the referring housing officer's responsibility to monitor the work until completion and follow up with the repairs team if necessary. If someone needs interim accommodation during this time, this can be arranged by their housing officer.
Survivors in temporary accommodation who require domestic abuse related repairs can contact their temporary accommodation officer, or the temporary accommodation team on 020 8753 4008 or 020 8748 8588 outside of our working hours.