Minutes:
A question had been submitted prior to the meeting by Mags Godderidge, as follows:
“[Following the recent summit hosted by the Deputy Mayor regarding VAWG], I would be keen to know where the Deputy Mayor has got to with getting NHS and local authorities to the table in terms of their involvement / commitment / and funding of VAWG, given what was presented at the recent VAWG summit”.
The Deputy Mayor’s written response was provided prior to the meeting as follows:
· Under the Addressing VAWG Strategy myself and my team meet and continue to engage regularly with both City of York Council (“CYC”) and North Yorkshire Council (“NYC”), this includes Public Health, Community Safety, Housing and Safeguarding teams.
· We already jointly commission/fund a number of VAWG related support services with Local Authority and NHS England including:
o Community-based Support for Victims & Survivors of Domestic Abuse jointly commissioned with CYC and NYC
o Support for Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse to change their behaviour jointly commissioned with CYC and NYC
o CYC and NYC contribute funding towards the Counselling Talking Therapy Services for Children and Young People affected by domestic abuse
o Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (“ISVA”) Services jointly commissioned with CYC and NYC
o Sexual Assault Referral Centre (“SARC”) jointly commissioned with NHS England (Lead Commissioner) South and West Combined Authorities and Humberside PCC
o Child Sexual Assault Assessment Service (“CSAAS”) jointly commissioned with NHS England (Lead Commissioner) and West Yorkshire Combined Authority
· We have also held recent meetings with representatives of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and NHS England; these relationships extend beyond VAWG and encompass other aspects of policing, fire and crime which will be reflected in my Police and Crime Plan, to be published in April this year.
· My team are also preparing for the new Duty to Collaborate, under the Victims and Prisoners Act (2024) which will require local policing bodies, local authorities and ICBs to collaborate to commission community support services for victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and serious violence (excluding accommodation-based support). The new Duty is expected to go live in 2026, following which a joint needs assessment will be developed to inform a strategy which will set out how we will collaborate to improve relevant victim support services.
In the meeting, the Deputy Mayor added that there will be a refresh of the VAWG Strategy in the coming weeks and that when looking at budgets and commissioning, resources need to be shifted to where they will have most impact.
The Deputy Mayor was also asked about the police policy on attendance at residential burglaries and whether 100% of these are attended. It was agreed that this would be obtained before the next meeting.
A Member also asked whether any pressure can be brought to bear nationally on ensuring that the fire and rescue service’s response to flooding is a statutory funding obligation. The Deputy Mayor reflected on the need to make sure the service is resourced and able to respond and that colleagues in other OPFCC areas are making similar representations to government as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Resolved
That the Panel notes the responses provided to questions by the Deputy Mayor and receives further information as agreed on these.