Domestic violence
Manchester's Domestic Violence and Abuse Strategy is being updated. The new strategy is due to be published in Autumn 2021.
Domestic abuse causes significant risk and harm to victims and children across Manchester.
Both the number and risk of harm to victims and perpetrators have increased every year.
The pandemic is having an increased impact on demand for support and services, for example:
- The city's three Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) have seen referrals increase from 1,469 in 2018/19 to 1,887 in 2019to 2020 and 2,456 in 2020 to 2021.
- Referrals dealt with by the city's Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) service for the period September 2020 to April 2021 increased by 18.2%, compared with the same period from 2019 to 2020.
- Referrals into community outreach services increased from 2,397 in 2019 to 2021 to 2,985 in 2020 to 2021.
The Council and its partners worked together to respond quickly and creatively to the impact of the pandemic.
Child to Parent Violence and Abuse (CPVA) support programme
Despite being underreported, there are still a significant number of calls to the police about incidents where a young person was the perpetrator and a parent or carer was the victim.
The Council has funded a nationally accredited programme by Talk Listen Change to work with around 150 children, young people and families over 2 years to provide more than 750 professionals with knowledge and training on the issue.
Drive programme
Drive aims to change the way statutory and voluntary agencies respond to high-harm, high-risk perpetrators of domestic violence and abuse by:
- Reducing the number of new and repeat victims.
- Reducing the harm caused to victims and children.
- Reducing the number of serial perpetrators of abuse.
- Intervening earlier to protect victims and families.
We work with those who can be included in the programme to challenge and - if needed - disrupt their behaviours. The victim and children are also given specialist support.
Around 150 perpetrators are expected to be subject to the intervention during 2021 to 2022.
Priority Move-on Project
The pandemic saw increasing numbers of victims of domestic abuse needing to flee their abuser and find safe accommodation and support.
Manchesters refuge and outreach service providers faced a number of challenges in meeting demand and maintaining services. They worked creatively with Council departments, housing providers and community organisations to find solutions.
One such solution has been the Priority Move-on Project. Manchester Women's Aid worked with partners to identify suitable accommodation and set up moves for victims and families, providing them with stability and security as soon as possible, while also freeing up vital emergency bed space at the refuge.
From March 2020 to the end of March 2021, the Project has delivered moves into safe, affordable and appropriate accommodation for 106 victims and 65 children. This represents over 100% improvement on the output achieved during the same time period in 2019 to 2020 and is testimony to excellent partnership working.
The Project will continue into 2021 to 2022 with the ongoing support of the and its partners.
COVID-19 communications and engagement
The pandemic meant that people experiencing domestic abuse needed access to advice, services and support in as many ways as possible. Victims may have been in lockdown with the perpetrator for weeks and months.
This challenge has been met in a number of ways:
- Social media messaging from domestic-abuse services and the Home Office
- Pharmacies passing on information about local domestic-abuse services
- Messages broadcast on local community radio stations and a messaging campaign on digital audio platforms
- Training for colleagues undertaking neighbourhood response work and those operating the Test and Trace programme, allowing them to promote available support and services.
This communication and engagement work will continue through 2021 to 2022 as we move gradually out of restrictions and return to normal living, working and socialising arrangements.