Warwickshire County Council Cabinet has approved the Warwickshire Safe Accommodation Strategy for 2025 -2028, which provides improved support for victim-survivors of domestic abuse in Warwickshire.
WCC is committed to supporting victim-survivors of domestic abuse to access appropriate, safe accommodation that meets their needs.
One of the biggest challenges faced by victims of domestic abuse is the immediate need for safe accommodation. Safe Accommodation can provide a lifeline for individuals and their children, escaping domestic abuse, offering a secure and supportive environment where they can begin to rebuild their lives. Following a call out for real stories in April 2024 to contribute to the new Warwickshire Safe Accommodation Strategy, over 60 victim-survivors and professionals shared their views.
Find out more about the Strategy from Cllr Andy Crump in this short video:
The refreshed strategy promotes five main objectives:
- Early intervention and prevention – victim-survivors (adults and children) are supported as early as possible and presented with options to remain safe at home, in order to prevent homelessness. As part of prevention, perpetrators will continue to be held accountable for their behaviour.
- Accessible services – both victim-survivors and professionals are aware of the services available to them and how to access them. This applies to services locally and nationally.
- Appropriate safe accommodation – that accommodation options and appropriate support is in place for all victim-survivors
- Multi-agency delivery – victim-survivors will be met by effective and collaborative multi-agency support.
- Support to return home or move on – victim -survivors are supported to return home safely or, should they choose, to move into an alternative permanent accommodation.
Cllr Andy Crump, Portfolio Holder for Fire and Rescue and Community Safety said: “Our vision in Warwickshire is that all victim-survivors and their children are able to access safe accommodation that meets their needs.”
He added: “The Safe Accommodation Strategy is a testament to the victim-survivors living in Warwickshire, who shared their stories to help Warwickshire build a strategy that would integrate their lived experiences. Working with Refuge, who manages the Warwickshire Domestic Abuse Service, we are pleased to see the improvements to the offer for victim survivors.”
The development of the Safe Accommodation strategy is a requirement of the Domestic Abuse Act (2021), which asked for more flexibility around support for all victim-survivors. This flexibility has allowed Warwickshire to widen its accommodation support to a much larger group of victim-survivors, which includes:
- male victim-survivors (with and without children)
- larger families, including female victim-survivors with sons over the age of 14
- transgender victim-survivors
- victim-survivors who have disabilities
- victim-survivors with pets
- older victim-survivors with mobility needs.
The published version of the strategy will be available by the end of December. For help and support please go to www.talk2someone.org.uk
A copy of the Cabinet report can be found here: https://democracy.warwickshire.gov.uk/documents/s39531/Warwickshire%20Safe%20Accommodation%20Strategy%202025-2028.pdf