Community Domestic Abuse Sexual Violence Service (Safer Futures)

Description

Safer Futures provides a helpline, 1-1 advocacy, recovery support (both 1-1 and groups) including the family domestic abuse programme, behaviour change (abusive person) programme, therapy, professionals training and primary and secondary healthy relationships programme to priority schools. In 2021/22, Safer Futures supported approximately 8000 people through the range of services provided. Lot 1: 1. Background The Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence team is responsible for directly commissioning specialist domestic abuse and sexual violence (DASV) services for Cornwall on behalf of the Safer Cornwall Partnership, to respond to the strategic priorities identified within the partnership Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Strategies. We use the Public Health Commissioning process to provide a shared understanding of local need, to develop our commissioning intentions, to inform procurement and to evaluate and review whether we are enabling victims, their families and children and those who engage in abusive behaviours to have their needs met effectively. To inform our decisions we have developed a thorough DASV Needs Assessment which brings together the latest data and information from a broad range of local partners – including police, commissioned domestic abuse and sexual violence service providers and housing – alongside national data and research. Qualitative insights have been gathered through multi-agency workshops and Lived Experience focus groups and case studies. In order to simplify access to domestic abuse and sexual violence support, commissioners across multiple organisations came together in 2018 to produce a pooled budget and to jointly commission services, including a community integrated DASV service. This approach in Cornwall has been recognised as best practise in the National Violence Against Women and Girls Commissioning Toolkit 2022. Our co-commissioning partners include; Cornwall Council, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Cornwall Integrated Care Board, Victim Support, NHS England, Public Health With the pooled budget the following services have been commissioned across Cornwall: 1. Community DASV integrated service – Safer Futures. This service provides a helpline, 1-1 advocacy, recovery support (both 1-1 and groups) including the family domestic abuse programme, behaviour change (abusive person) programme, therapy, professionals training and primary and secondary healthy relationships programme to priority schools. 2. Primary Care DASV service. This service provides a single point of contact for domestic abuse for GP surgeries, training for surgery staff in recognising and responding to domestic abuse/sexual violence and a direct referral pathway into DASV specialist services. 3. DASV Outreach service. To support those with multiple vulnerabilities who are unable to access safe accommodation for any reason. 4. Two Women’s refuges. To provide safe accommodation for women and their children who are fleeing domestic abuse. 5. Male refuge. To provide safe accommodation for men and their children who are fleeing domestic abuse. 6. Dispersed units of Safe Accommodation. To provide safe accommodation for those who may find communal living difficult. This is available to all genders and sexes and for families. 7. Complex needs women’s accommodation. To provide safe accommodation for women with multiple vulnerabilities, such as drug and alcohol use or mental health difficulties. Commissioning decisions are signed off and overseen by the DASV Partnership Board, which is now a statutory Board under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 responsible for the commissioning of DA services. Since 2018, there has been increased awareness and activity around domestic abuse and sexual violence. We have seen the development of a National Violence Against Women Strategy, A national Domestic Abuse Plan and the implementation of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. With this change in legislation and increased national awareness, there has been additional grant funding to address the increased responsibilities for local authorities to respond to domestic abuse. Alongside these national changes we have seen a significant increase in demand for all DASV services (highlighted below) since 2018. Some of the additional grant funding has been used to increase capacity to meet this increased demand. In 2025, the contracts for the integrated community DASV service and the DASV Primary Care service come to an end. The delivery of domestic abuse, and sexual violence services not only contribute to the safety and recovery of individuals, families and communities, but also to a reduction and breaking the cycle of abuse, and early intervention and prevention. Cornwall’s approach to commissioning domestic abuse and sexual violence services was recognised as best practice in the recent National Commissioning Toolkit for Violence Against Women and Girls. 2. Safer Futures Service Safer Futures provides a helpline, 1-1 advocacy, recovery support (both 1-1 and groups) including the family domestic abuse programme, behaviour change (abusive person) programme, therapy, professionals training and primary and secondary healthy relationships programme to priority schools. In 2021/22, Safer Futures supported approximately 8000 people through the range of services provided. 2.1 Growth since 2018 Since 2018, the demand for the service has increased significantly. The overall number of clients known to Safer Futures is growing at a current annual rate of 13%, almost 800 clients more were referred during 2022-23, compared with 2021-22. While the rate is highest amongst those under the age of 18, the majority of the growth comes from adult referrals. This increase in referrals has been seen across all parts of the service, with increasing waiting lists having to be introduced for therapy. Around 1000 service users were engaged with Safer Futures at the end of March 2023 across the Safer Futures services, with the largest proportion belonging to the Recovery Pathway and group therapy elements of the service. Around a quarter of these episodes are dealing with reducing immediate risk to clients and their families. Domestic abuse and sexual violence are hidden crimes so this increase in referrals is really positive and reduces the gap between the estimated number of people impacted by domestic abuse in Cornwall (22,000 per annum) and those who are accessing support. In order to meet this additional demand, we have been successful in a number of grant funding applications. The additional funding has allowed us to expand service provision to meet the increasing demand by: Doubling our Health DA advocate provision Doubling our CYP DA advocate provision Doubling our family DA programme (this includes support for adults, children and young people and those who want to change their abusive behaviour) Provide an outreach service for those with multiple vulnerabilities Pilot a Primary Care DASV service Additional capacity within our behaviour change programme Change 4 U to be able to include a high risk pathway and a healthy foundations programme Additional capacity within the family programme A family Court Independent Domestic Violence Advocate Extended helpline opening hours for the evening and weekend cover 3. Consultation and codesign In order to ensure that the service that is commissioned in 2025 meets the needs of people impacted by domestic abuse and sexual violence across Cornwall as best it can, we are speaking to as many people as possible. This includes a lived experience project, workshops with practitioners, organisations and services and the DASV Partnership Board. This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is to advise all interested suppliers of our intention to hold the above pre market engagement sessions: Stage 1 – workshops with DASV providers, people with lived experience and Voluntary Sector Forum Alliances. We want to understand as much as possible: - What is working well? - What could improve? - What are the priorities for the future service? We hope to be realistic in developing our priorities, with acknowledgment that the funding will never meet the full demand across Cornwall. We also want to take a preventative approach with the aim of turning the tide and breaking the cycle of abuse. Date for VSF alliance workshop – 16th January – 2.00pm-4.00pm – Microsoft Teams Stage 2 – Codesign workshop to codesign some of the key areas of the specification – to look at key areas identified as priorities – this may include: - Outcomes - Support/service types - Approaches - Contracting model - Social value Date for Community Domestic Abuse Service (Safer Futures) procurement workshop – 9th Feb –- CORNWALL COUNCIL, Chy Trevail, Beacon Technology Park, BODMIN, PL31 2FR - Chy Trevail – room 1 and 2 Stage 3 – Soft Market Test on Specification Date – anticipated date for publication 01.03.24-01.04.24 The soft market test will be uploaded to the procurement portal as a downloadable attachment once available, to anyone who expresses an interest: www.supplyingthesouthwest.co.uk Project no. DN700460 - Community Domestic Abuse Sexual Violence Service (Safer Futures) Additional information: Please note the value of the contract is still to be confirmed and is liable to change prior to any formal procurement. This is not an invitation to tender nor does it preclude or favour eligibility to participate in the formal procurement once it starts. Details in this PIN are subject to being updated or changed in the final contract notice. The Council reserves the right to cancel, postpone, suspend or abort this procurement at any stage. The issue of this PIN in no way commits the Council to commence the procurement process. It is important to note that this PIN is not a call for competition and as such potential providers will need to express interest in any future tender opportunity once a contract notice is published on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder (approximately August 2024). It should be noted that this PIN is NOT a pre-qualification questionnaire, and is NOT part of any pre-qualification or selection process. To ensure transparency where relevant questions and responses captured at stage 1 and stage 2 pre procurement engagement sessions will be shared as part of the any final tender publication. Additional information: To secure a place at any of the pre market engagement sessions, please respond by way of raising an Expression of Interest via our procurement portal: www.supplyingthesouthwest.co.uk Project no. DN700460 - Community Domestic Abuse Sexual Violence Service (Safer Futures) Here you will be able to download a form to enable you to reserve a place at either a stage 1 or stage 2 event that you wish to attend, please note the closing dates detailed within the form. Additional information: DASV Strategy Domestic abuse and sexual violence - https://safercornwall.co.uk/domestic-abuse-sexual-violence/ VAWG Strategy Violence against women and girls - https://safercornwall.co.uk/vawg/ DASV Needs Assessment - please find this as a downloadable attachment via the procurement portal as defined above. Current Service Specification - please find this as a downloadable attachment via the procurement portal as defined above.