National Assembly for Wales

Call for Evidence

Committee Inquiry into Domestic Abuse

The Communities and Culture Committee has chosen to carry out an inquiry into domestic abuse; and is calling for those with an interest or expertise in this area to submit written evidence.

Background

"It has been estimated that domestic violence will affect 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men in their lifetime and that some 77% of victims of domestic violence are women” (Source: Home Office publication Crime in England and Wales 2006-07). The Welsh Assembly Government published a Domestic Violence Strategy in 2005. Domestic abuse embraces not only physical violence but includes, for example, emotional abuse and isolation from friends, family or other potential sources of support. Services for victims of domestic abuse are funded and provided by a range of organisations; the Welsh Assembly Government, the Home Office and the voluntary sector.

Terms of Reference

It is proposed that the Committee should review:

  • Delivery of the Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy for tackling domestic abuse;
  • Provision of support to victims of domestic abuse, including support provided to witnesses in the criminal justice system
  • Resources allocated by relevant bodies such as, the Assembly Government, Home Office, health and social services and criminal justice agencies to implement domestic abuse policies.
  • Provision of compulsory and voluntary interventions aimed at perpetrators of domestic abuse, including the allocation of resources to support such interventions;
  • Initiatives aimed at preventing domestic abuse; for example, school programmes and awareness raising initiatives.

The Committee will also:

  • Make recommendations on actions that could be taken to tackle the problem of domestic abuse in Wales.

Some of the issues to cover during evidence gathering sessions:

  • The availability and accessibility of support for different groups; including counselling services for - men, women, children, people from ethnic minority communities, older people and disabled people;
  • The provision of services for adults and children who have suffered sexual abuse within a domestic context;
  • The response of different sectors to domestic abuse, including, criminal justice, health and social care agencies;
  • How the national strategy is delivered at a local level, the ways in which different bodies and agencies work with each other to ensure the best response;
  • The allocation of resources to tackle domestic abuse and any potential conflict between the aims and objectives of different funding sources;
  • Statistical evidence of the rates and nature of domestic abuse, including incidences of murder, conviction rates, geographical trends;
  • The impact of isolation exacerbated by, geographical, cultural and individual factors; and
  • Processes for monitoring and evaluating outcomes.

Interested parties are invited to submit written evidence to the committee clerk at the address below, to arrive no later than Friday 9th May 2008. If possible, please supply an electronic version by e-mail to the following address:
Community.Culture.Comm@Wales.gsi.gov.uk   

Please indicate whether you would be interested in presenting your views to the Committee in person.

It is normal practice for the National Assembly to publish evidence provided to a committee. Consequently your response may appear in a report or in supplementary evidence to a report. You will, unless you request otherwise, be identified as the author of the evidence although the National Assembly will not publish any other information which it considers to be personal data.

You should be aware however that in the event of a request for information submitted under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, it may be necessary to disclose the information that you provide even though this has not been published.

If you are providing any information, other than personal data, which you feel is not suitable for public disclosure, or if you do not wish your identity, as author of the evidence, to be disclosed, this must be clearly identified, together with your reasons for wishing to withhold the material in question. The National Assembly will take this into account when publishing information or responding to requests for information.