Domestic Abuse Housing Strategy

Action plan

The Council aims to provide the best, and most appropriate housing service, to all victims and survivors of domestic abuse and will deliver on the following priorities and actions.

Priority	Action
Victim Prevention and Early Intervention	Protect victims from future harm by working with partners to identify secure accommodation and provide victims, survivors and their children with support once accommodated.
	Provide a Sanctuary Scheme for households at risk of domestic abuse and provide enhanced security measures to enable victims and survivors to remain in their own homes.
	Ensure that individuals accessing the Council’s Housing Service who disclose they have been victims of domestic abuse are signposted to available support available and how to access it.
	Have robust procedures in place to be followed by staff when victims of domestic abuse approach the Council’s Housing Service for support.

Priority	Action
Working in Partnership to tackle Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)	Provide appropriate staffing and work with partner agencies to deliver the One Stop Shop Service enabling victims to receive free advice, information and support from a range of services under one roof.
	Work in collaboration with the domestic abuse commissioned service providers and voluntary sector agencies in Dartford to ensure that victims and their children consistently receive the best support available.
	Minimise potential risks to victims by making appropriate referrals to and supporting the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) process.
	Attend and have an active role in the multi-agency North Kent Domestic Abuse Forum.
	Actively participate, where required, in Domestic Homicide Reviews, District Child Protection Panels, Adult Safeguarding Case Conferences, Adult Safeguarding Reviews and Multi-agency Public Protection Arrangements.

Priority	Action
Education, Communication and Campaigning	Ensure that Council Housing Service staff receive appropriate training to identify domestic abuse and how to support victims. This includes self-harm and suicide prevention training to help staff recognise the risks and include these in safety plans where appropriate.
	Ensure that all new Council Housing Service staff receive domestic abuse and safeguarding training as a standard part of their induction into the workforce.
	Continue to support the delivery of the Council’s White Ribbon Campaign Action Plan to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) including through staff training to challenge behaviour that perpetrates gender inequality and encouraging staff to become White Ribbon Ambassadors and Champions.
	Support the annual 16 Days of Action #SeeKnowSpeakOut Campaign between 25 November-10 December with a programme of daily messaging events to promote broader awareness of domestic abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), services available and to encourage reporting both by victims and third parties.
	Raise awareness of domestic abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) issues, and provide information about housing services available to support anyone experiencing these issues.

Priority	Action
To achieve Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) accreditation by 2026	Become a member of the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) and achieve DAHA accreditation.