Communities and Culture Committee

Scutiny Inquiry : Domestic Abuse

Response from Swansea Women’s Aid Group

Have MARAC’s, SDVC and IDVA been successful in helping women?

The response to this question in Swansea is an overwhelming yes. The MARAC system of multi agency information sharing has been operating in Swansea for several years and is very effective at ensuring safety measures are in place, support is provided to victims, there is an awareness of previous offences or other important background information, any child protection concerns are highlighted and that all issues are monitored and each agency takes responsibility for undertaking actions that are agreed. At least 40 very high risk victims are discussed every month to ensure all agencies are providing services to prevent further violence and ultimately homicide.

In Swansea, the IDVA service now called the Swansea Women’s Safety Project (SWSP) was established in December 2006 as an inherent part of the Specialist Domestic Violence Court system. The project is jointly managed by Swansea Women’s Aid and BAWSO to take account of diversity and equality issues and employs two IDVAs, one full and one part time. Between Jan 1^st and Dec 31^st 2007, the project received 408 referrals of which 110 were supported. The project also sent information about safety and support services to over 300 women. Of the 110 women supported, 30 were supported through court, 22 at Magistrates and 8 at Crown, in the Magistrates, 11 were found guilty and 8 pleaded guilty (2 dismissed, 1 not known), in the Crown, 3 found guilty and 5 pleaded guilty. For the women supported at court this represents almost 100% successful outcomes. The project also assisted 12 women with civil proceedings and gave advice, information and support to many other women about safety and court processes. The IDVA service has helped women in Swansea and could assist more with increased resources; the project is extremely busy and requires further resources to meet the demand for support.

In terms of the SDVC, in Swansea this requires improved co-ordination from the Magistrates Court and is lacking in effective leadership. It is anticipated that this will improve when the management of the court is merged with that of Neath and Port Talbot.

Of great concern however is the funding situation in relation to IDVA projects. Projects have received grants from the Home Office of £20,000 for each of the last two years. It is an expectation that local criminal justice agencies will take over responsibility for this funding or, at the least, provide supplementary funding. This is proving to be extremely difficult and our understanding is that this is the picture across Wales. This is not acceptable when reflecting on the outcomes achieved. Whilst fully understanding that the Home Office has limited funds, it is essential that their initiatives are funded at an adequate, sustainable level.

Swansea Women’s Aid also fully supports all of the issues raised by Welsh Women’s Aid in its response.