Domestic Abuse Policy

Every year, almost two million people in the UK experience domestic abuse (SafeLives 2023). Domestic abuse is widespread in Gateshead with a significantly higher number of incidents and crimes reported in our area than the national average.

Domestic abuse can have a negative impact on victims' and survivors' health with the potential to cause further cycles of abuse. In extreme cases it can result in death by homicide or suicide.

Home is often the most dangerous place for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and housing is often a barrier for people leaving the abuse. As highlighted in the domestic abuse needs assessment, domestic abuse has been the biggest cause of homelessness in Gateshead over the last three years.

We want to make Gateshead a place where everyone thrives. Our Corporate Plan 2025-30 outlines the priority areas for the council. The plan will guide the work of the Gateshead Council and set out our response to what we believe will deliver good outcomes for the people of Gateshead.

The Community Safety Board is required to produce a Partnership Plan identifying the areas that we intend to improve. Domestic abuse has been identified as one of the priorities. We believe that everybody in Gateshead, both adults and children, should be able to live free from violence, abuse and oppression, especially in their own homes.

Gateshead's Domestic Abuse Strategy 2025 to 2028 focuses on moving towards a prevention model of domestic abuse, placing an added emphasis on early intervention, preventing harm to children and young people, and tackling perpetrators to prevent further harm to victims and survivors of domestic abuse. To achieve the aims of the strategy, the Domestic Abuse Partnership is working towards to domestic abuse. All agencies across the Domestic Abuse Partnership must work effectively within their agency and with all other agencies, to secure the safety of the survivor and their children and hold perpetrators to account.

Housing providers and local authorities play a vital role. They are equipped to spot domestic abuse early and provide an effective response to both victims and survivors and perpetrators, as part of the wider Coordinated Community Response to domestic abuse.

Gateshead Council has zero tolerance for violence and abuse and tackling domestic abuse is a corporate priority. This policy will set out how the Housing department will tackle domestic abuse, support victims and survivors and hold perpetrators to account. Identifying domestic abuse early and providing an effective response to victims and survivors and perpetrators will support us to prevent homelessness and improve the safety of and wellbeing of our residents.

The aims of the policy are:

• Protect victims and survivors of domestic abuse and prevent homelessness by providing safe and secure accommodation to Gateshead residents and those who approach the borough for housing assistance
• Recognise and respond to tackle domestic abuse as early as possible, preventing further abuse and facilitate the necessary help and support for victims and survivors and their children
• Hold perpetrators to account for their actions in a way that is prompt, decisive and proportionate, with a focus on rehabilitation and maintaining the safety of the victim and survivor and their children
• Support the delivery of Gateshead's Domestic Abuse Strategy

Who this policy is for

This policy is for tenants, non-tenants and residents of Gateshead (or outside of Gateshead), who are victims and survivors or perpetrators of domestic abuse.

This policy is also for the council's Housing service, other frontline council staff and partners who may manage cases of domestic abuse or respond to disclosures.

Regulatory standards

We must ensure we comply with the Regulator of Social Housing's regulatory framework and consumer standards for social housing in England. The new consumer standards were introduced on 01 April 2024 and detail the four consumer standards which landlords are required to comply with, including:

• The Safety and Quality Standard - which requires landlords to provide safe and good quality homes and landlord services to tenants. This includes stock quality; decency; health and safety; repairs, maintenance, and planned improvements; and adaptations.
• The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard - which requires landlords to be open with tenants and treat them with fairness and respect so that tenants can access services, raise complaints when necessary, influence decision-making and hold their landlord to account. This standard incorporates Tenant Satisfaction Measure requirements.
• The Neighbourhood and Community Standard - which requires landlords to engage with other relevant parties so that tenants can live in safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods and feel safe in their homes.
• The Tenancy Standard - which sets requirements for the fair allocation and letting of homes and for how those tenancies are managed and ended by landlords.

Registered providers must have a policy for how they recognise and effectively respond to cases of domestic abuse. The framework also advises that the local authority needs to work alongside registered providers in order to meet its duty to develop a strategy and commission services for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and their children within safe accommodation.

Any changes to The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 may result in future changes to this policy.

Legislation

The principal legislation applicable to this policy is The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and The Housing Act 2004.

Approved codes of practice

Complaints about service delivery will be addressed using the Housing Ombudsman's Code of Practice which sets out best practice for landlords to effectively handle complaints, including:

• the stages a process should have 
• the timescales to provide a response 
• what information must be provided in a complaint response 

Compliance with the code is most effective when landlords operate within established dispute resolution principles: to be fair, put things right, and learn from outcomes. 

This code aims to support the earliest resolution of complaints while the matters are still within the landlord's own procedure. This can avoid issues escalating with further detriment to the resident, requiring more time and resource by the landlord to remedy. 

The code also acts as a guide to residents of what to expect if they make a complaint and improve access and awareness of the procedure when they need it. 

In developing this policy, we have had regard to spotlight reports provided by the Housing Ombudsman.

Victims' and survivors' voice

A client engagement exercise has been undertaken in partnership with Community Safety and the Domestic Abuse team to capture the views of clients who have accessed support from local domestic abuse services, including Gateshead's Domestic Abuse Housing Outreach team.

A survey was developed and undertaken with individual clients on a one-to-one basis. Feedback from these surveys (views on what went well and areas that needed improvement), has been used to inform the development of this policy.

The policy has also been consulted on more widely through the council's online portal consultation tool.

The Government statutory definition of domestic abuse is:

Behaviour of a person ('A') towards another person ('B') is 'domestic abuse' if - (a) A and B are each aged 16 or over and are 'personally connected' to each other, and (b) the behaviour is abusive.

Behaviour that is considered abusive

Behaviour is 'abusive' if it consists of any of the following:

(a) physical or sexual abuse

(b) violent or threatening behaviour

(c) controlling or coercive behaviour

(d) economic or financial abuse

(e) psychological, emotional or other abuse; and it does not matter whether the behaviour consists of a single incident or a course of conduct

(GOV.UK, 2021)

The statutory definition within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 was created to provide clear information on what domestic abuse is and how to identify it, which can be used across a multi-agency approach to tackle domestic abuse at all levels (GOV.UK, 2021).

Under the same definition, also included is so called 'honour'-based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage and stalking and harassment (GOV.UK, 2021).

Honour-based violence

Honour-based violence is a crime or incident committed to protect or defend the 'honour' of a family or community. There is not one specific crime of honour-based abuse, instead it can involve a range of crimes and behaviours, such as forced marriage, sexual violence, pressure to go or move abroad, being kept at home with no freedom, not allowed to use the telephone, internet, or have access to important documents like your passport or birth certificate and isolation from friends and members of your own family (Met Police, 2024).

Female genital mutilation

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), also called 'female cutting' or 'female circumcision', is when a female's genitals are deliberately altered or removed for non-medical reasons.

This happens because of various cultural, religious and social reasons. Some communities think that FGM will help the girl in some way, such as preparing her for marriage or childbirth. FGM can cause severe psychological, emotional and medical problems. It can include extreme pain, shock, infection and many other long-term serious medical issues (GOV.UK, 2003).

Coercive control

Also included under this definition and now a criminal offence following the Serious Crime Act (2015) is coercive control.

The Government defines controlling behaviour as, 'A range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour (GOV.UK, 2013).' The UK Government also defines coercive behaviour as 'An act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victims and survivors' (GOV.UK, 2013).

Stalking

Stalking is a specific form of harassment, introduced in Section 2A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012).

It includes harassment, plus behaviours such as:

• following a person
• repeatedly contacting or attempting to contact them
• watching or spying on them
• monitoring their internet or social media use
• loitering near their home or workplace

To qualify as stalking, the behaviour must be repeated, unwanted, and cause the victim to feel fear, alarm, or distress.

Harassment

Under Section 1 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, harassment is defined as:

A person must not pursue a course of conduct which:

• amounts to harassment of another

and

• they know or ought to know amounts to harassment

A 'course of conduct' typically means at least two incidents.

Harassment can include:

• unwanted phone calls, texts, emails, or letters
• verbal abuse or threats
• damaging property
• following someone or loitering near their home or workplace

The behaviour must cause the victim to feel distressed, humiliated, threatened, or fearful.

Online and digital abuse

Many relationships that begin romantically can quickly become controlling, with partners reading emails, checking texts and locations of social media posts. Research conducted by Refuge in 2021 found that 1 in 3 women in the UK have experienced online abuse (perpetrated on social media or other online platform) at some point in their lives.

Online platforms are increasingly used to perpetrate domestic abuse.

Online abuse can happen over long periods and escalates over time. It can include behaviours such as monitoring of social media profiles or emails, abuse over social media such as Facebook or Twitter, sharing intimate photos or videos without your consent, using GPS locators or spyware. Research by the Victim's Commissioner (2022) found that 40% of victims of cyber stalking reported that they experienced this for more than 2 years.

Conviction data for image-based sexual abuse (commonly referred to as 'revenge pornography') show that out of the 376 prosecutions for this offence recorded in the year ending March 2019, 83% (313) were flagged as being domestic-abuse related. (ONS, 2019)

Women's Aid - What is domestic abuse?

There are many ways that domestic abuse may come to our attention. This could be in direct disclosures from victims and survivors, antisocial behaviour cases, repairs being reported, victims and survivors presenting as homeless, or information from a partner agency.

Where domestic abuse is linked to a Gateshead Council tenancy, we will respond to any reports or information linked to this as a priority, putting the needs of the victims and survivors first.

We will undertake a risk assessment and tailor actions and support to the client's individual circumstances.

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone regardless of their background; however, it can be more prevalent in people who have experienced trauma or face multiple disadvantage. We recognise that victims and survivors of domestic abuse may have multiple unmet needs, such as mental health, substance use, and/or child removal. We will work to provide support where possible and signpost to relevant services if we are unable to offer direct assistance ourselves.

It will remain our priority to support victims and survivors to remain in their homes where possible and safe to do.

We will support victims and survivors to make an informed choice and help with making an appropriate risk assessment or making onward referrals to other agencies for additional support.

We can also offer support by utilising our ASB legal tools and powers if appropriate. This could include, for example, civil orders or using enforcement to assist in maintaining a tenancy for the victims and survivors. The safety of the victims and survivors will be the main priority when this is being considered.

Security measures are available for victims and survivors of domestic abuse who hold a tenancy or own their own property in Gateshead. If the perpetrator does not live at the property, security measures can support the victims and survivors to remain in their own home.

Where the victim or survivor is a Gateshead Council tenant, our Neighbourhood Relations team will assess and offer security measures. Where the victim or survivor does not hold a Gateshead Council tenancy (if they are a private tenant, owner-occupier, or registered provider tenant), agencies can make a referral to the Sanctuary Scheme. The Sanctuary Scheme is administered by the Neighbourhood Relation team and currently funded by the Homeless Prevention Grant.

Security measures include:

• alarms to doors and windows
• replacement door locks
• window locks
• video doorbells
• personal alarms
• door braces
• letter box restrictors
• dummy CCTV
• recordable CCTV and cameras

If you feel that you or someone you are working with may require and benefit from one of the available security measures, please contact the Neighbourhood Relations team at [email protected].

We recognise that risk can be higher when the perpetrator lives with the victims and survivors. As such, when a perpetrator is working with us to positively change their behaviour, we will offer assistance with alternative accommodation in line with our allocations policy. Where appropriate we will work to rehouse the alleged perpetrator rather than expecting the victims and survivors to move if parties are in agreement. This will help improve the situation, reducing the risks of further harm.

Joint tenancy

When a victim or survivor wishes to end their joint tenancy with the perpetrator, but would like to remain in their home, we will provide advice and support around this. In accordance with the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, where a new council tenancy is granted to someone whose former secure tenancy ended for reasons connected with domestic abuse, this new tenancy will be a secure tenancy. A joint tenancy may also be ended by a court order; and in some cases, no notice is needed where we already have a court order in place.

When a Gateshead Council tenant is identified as a perpetrator of domestic abuse, we will look to hold them to account for their behaviour.

Domestic abuse is a breach of the council's tenancy agreement which clearly states:

'You, or anyone living with you or visiting your home must not threaten violence, domestic violence or be violent towards anyone living in or visiting your home. This includes employees of the council or their partners, agents or councillors.'

Such breaches of the tenancy agreement will be classified as high priority and immediately referred to our Neighbourhood Relations team.

As a social landlord Gateshead Council is committed to tackling these issues through supporting victims and survivors but also taking appropriate action against perpetrators. In these cases, the views of the victims and survivors must always be considered prior to pursuing any legal action to ensure that they are not put at further risk. We will discuss approaching the perpetrator with the victims and survivors at the earliest opportunity. We recognise that this may also be distressing for neighbours who witness or observe domestic abuse, and will provide appropriate support.

On some occasions, legal action may be taken against the perpetrator and/or their tenancy. These tools and powers could include, but are not limited to:

• tenancy warnings
• community protection warnings or notices
• civil injunctions
• full and partial closure orders
• possession proceedings being initiated

Further information and the circumstances that these may be used can be found in the ASB and Hate Policy.

In addition to this, we will seek to assist perpetrators who may want to positively change their behaviour by helping them access support and making appropriate referrals.

Where perpetrators accept their behaviour is wrong and they are remorseful, they may be suitable candidates for the Behaviour Change Programme. This programme, coordinated by Gateshead Council, gives perpetrators of abuse the opportunity to tackle the root causes of their behaviour through a range of training sessions and workshops and helps them to understand the impact of their behaviour on their victims and survivors.

Regardless of tenure, if a victim or survivor of domestic abuse feels that they are unsafe in their home due to domestic abuse, our Housing Solutions team can help discuss their options and carry out a homelessness assessment.

People can self-refer or can be referred by agencies who may already be working with them.

Housing Solutions will undertake a homeless assessment and will advise if a homeless duty is owed to them. A personal housing plan will be developed.

Gateshead Council has a duty to work with clients to effectively prevent homelessness in line with the Homeless Reduction Act (2017). The Housing Solutions service may provide support to access safe interim accommodation where needed.

For victims and survivors of domestic abuse, where a duty is accepted, no local connection is needed; victims and survivors can approach any council for help in this situation, and don't need a local connection to the area they make their homelessness application in.

Duty to refer

Certain public bodies are required to notify a housing authority of service users they consider may be homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days. Before making a referral, the referrer must:

• have consent from their service user to make the referral and for their contact details to be supplied so the housing authority can contact them
• allow the service user to identify the housing authority in England that they would like to be referred to

The public authorities that are subject to the Duty to Refer are specified in The Homelessness (Review Procedure etc.) Regulations 2018. They are:

• prisons
• youth offending institutions
• secure training centres
• secure colleges
• youth offending teams
• probation services (including community rehabilitation companies)
• Jobcentre Plus
• social service authorities
• emergency departments
• urgent treatment centres
• hospitals in their function of providing inpatient care
• The Secretary of State for Defence is also subject to the duty to refer for members of the regular forces (Royal Navy, Royal Marines, regular army and Royal Air Force)

List correct at time of publication. For an up-to-date list, please check at The Homelessness (Review Procedure etc.) Regulations 2018

Housing Solutions can be contacted on the following details:

Email - [email protected]
Telephone - 0191 433 3174 (office hours)
24-hour freephone number - 0800 953 7112

Shelter England - Local authority homelessness duties

Council tenants

If you are a council tenant and you are experiencing domestic abuse, we will support you, give advice on your options and make a referral to our Housing Solutions service for a homeless assessment if required. The Neighbourhood Relations team can be contacted on the following details:

Email - [email protected]
Telephone - 0191 433 3174

If a council tenant is rehoused into another council tenancy as a result of fleeing domestic abuse, they will keep the security of their tenancy (if they were a secure tenant in their previous home).

The Housing Support Service has a team of Domestic Abuse Housing Outreach Workers who provide tailored advice and support to clients experiencing domestic abuse, to help break down housing barriers experienced by victims and survivors which can prevent them from leaving an abusive or violent relationship.

The team endeavour to work with clients who are deemed to be at high risk, repeat victims and survivors, or clients who may require additional support to engage with services.

Workers in this team are trained to respond to difficult disclosures and have a lower caseload to allow them extra time to work with their clients and assist with whatever they may need.

Gateshead's Domestic Abuse Strategy includes our Safe Accommodation Strategy, which outlines the steps needed to ensure that victims and survivors of domestic abuse and their children can access the right support, within refuge and other types of domestic abuse safe accommodation, when they need it. This is a statutory duty under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. 

Domestic abuse affects the whole family, and it can have a serious impact on children. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises children as victims and survivors in their own right. As a housing provider we have a duty of care to any children we identify as being at risk of harm from Domestic Abuse and will make the necessary referrals for support for the children as well as their parents.

We will record the voice of the child where possible and feed this into our casework and partnership arrangements.

. 

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and we all have a duty to prevent abuse or neglect in both children and adults, reporting any concerns.

As part of our investigations we will consider if a person has care and support needs, is experiencing or is at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect, and is unable to protect themselves from the risk.

If we feel that a child or adult requires safeguarding, we will raise a concern and take a multi-agency approach to address the concerns.

We will work in collaboration with external agencies to ensure the safety of our residents. This includes working directly with external agencies supporting residents, and participating in Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC), including Police, Probation, Mental Health Services, Gateshead Domestic Abuse Team, Adult Social Care and Children's Services.

All agencies in attendance at MARAC are required to share information which is relevant to the meeting. Information may be shared with other agencies, with the permission of the chair. We will work with agencies from the private and public sector where appropriate to ensure that all victims and survivors of domestic violence and abuse are fully supported and protected.

Examples of this partnership working includes:

Domestic Abuse Team

The Domestic Abuse Team (DAT) based in Gateshead Civic Centre provide free and confidential advice linked to medium and high-risk victims and survivors. We will work closely with the specialist domestic abuse worker and children's worker if appropriate.

Examples of support:

• short-term safety planning (crisis intervention)
• longer-term safety planning
• access to target hardening (security measures)
• facilitating access to housing
• support during criminal proceedings
• facilitating access to legal advice regarding civil remedies
• referral to other agencies dependent on individual needs
• attendance at relevant meetings including MARAC
• enhancing victim knowledge of domestic abuse dynamics and tactics
• empowering victims to make informed choices that enhance their safety
• working within a wider training pool to deliver domestic abuse training courses
• direct work with children
• facilitating Lighthouse programme to raise awareness and education

We refer victims and survivors into the service with their consent.

A MARAC is a meeting where information is shared about the highest risk domestic abuse cases between representatives of local police, probation, health, child protection,  housing practitioners, Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) and other specialists from the statutory and voluntary sectors. After sharing all relevant information they have about a victims and survivors, the representatives discuss options for increasing the safety of the victims and survivors and turn these into a co-ordinated action plan.

The primary focus of the MARAC is to safeguard the adult victims and survivors. At the heart of a MARAC is the working assumption that no single agency or individual can see the complete picture of the life of a victim or survivor, but all may have insights that are crucial to their safety. The victim or survivor does not attend the meeting but is normally represented by an IDVA who speaks on their behalf. MARAC is attended weekly by the Partnership and Inclusion Coordinator based within our Neighbourhood Relations Team. Actions are then fed back to officers within the service and actioned appropriately.

MATAC - Multi-agency Tasking and Coordination

MATAC is a meeting, led by the police, along with key partners, which shares information about perpetrators of domestic abuse and plans a bespoke set of interventions to target and disrupt serial perpetrators and/or support them to address their behaviour. The core objective of MATAC is to ensure that agencies work in partnership to engage serial domestic abuse perpetrators in support, take enforcement action where required, and protect vulnerable and intimidated victims and survivors (College of Policing, 2024).

A multi-agency process that will potentially reduce the risk of harm and/or re-offending, ensure the safety of those who are at risk or suffer abuse in their daily lives, and respond to perpetrators in a way that minimises such risks, while also ensuring choice, dignity, and the rights of all are preserved. MATAC is attended monthly by a single point of contact (SPOC) in the Neighbourhood Relations team within housing. Actions are again fed back to officers to action within the neighbourhood relations team.

ASSET - Adult Service Support and Engagement Team

The ASSET team focus their attention on proactively promoting wellbeing and independence, helping individuals take greater control over their lives, by championing an early intervention model which allows them to access other agencies and provides them with the tools to be both physically and mentally healthy (gateshead.gov.uk, 2024). ASSET combines direct resources from Northumbria Police and Adult Social Care, facilitating a multi-agency approach to improving the response to adult concerns relating to vulnerable adults, including where they do not meet the safeguarding threshold under the Care Act 2014. ASSET brings together key partners, including housing, to help forge stronger links with other agencies, facilitating sharing quickly and effectively and enabling better informed decisions to be made by social care and partner agencies to act to protect vulnerable adults.

We recognise that domestic abuse disproportionately affects women and girls and is mostly perpetrated by men. However, anyone of any gender, sexuality or age can experience or perpetrate domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse can be associated with additional needs, such as diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health conditions and use of drugs and/or alcohol. While higher levels of reported domestic abuse may be associated with areas experiencing deprivation, it is important to recognise that domestic abuse can occur within any household or community, and these factors may not be present in every case.

Migrant women are more vulnerable to domestic abuse. Some migrant women will be dependent on their abuser for their immigration status - for example if they are on a spousal or partner visa. Research shows that having insecure immigration status is used as a tool of domestic abuse. 

Because of the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition on most visas in the UK, people experiencing domestic abuse have limited options in accessing support. The NRPF condition makes people more vulnerable to domestic abuse. 

People who have no recourse to public funds cannot access homelessness assistance and will not be able to access a refuge which requires income from housing benefit.

Specialist options are available for migrant victims of domestic violence. The Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) provides a route for some victims to access financial support, a safe refuge and a route to resolving their immigration status. Social Services can provide interim accommodation to victims with children under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, and to adults with care needs under the Care Act 2014. However, a referral to social services for assessment will be required.

Those who are ineligible for Local Authority support and MVDAC can access support from the VCSE, including the No Recourse Fund from Southall Black Sisters.

Service standards

Our service standards have been developed and informed by victims and survivors, ensuring that these focus on the areas that are important to them. The service standards are referred to throughout this policy.

We believe that everyone has a right to live a life free from domestic abuse. We are committed to working with residents and other agencies to support victims and survivors and hold perpetrators accountable for their behaviour.

What you can expect from us:

• following a report of domestic abuse in council tenancies we will contact victims and survivors within 24 hours
• we will take all incidents of domestic abuse seriously and listen to you
• we will carry out a risk assessment to determine the level of support needed
• we will discuss working with other support services and submit referrals with your consent, for example with the Domestic Abuse team, police, social care
• victims and survivors will be offered a range of security measures to help them feel safe in their home
• we will treat any information shared by victims and survivors confidentially unless there is requirement to share information to protect others

Training linked to the subject of domestic abuse is mandatory for all housing employees of Gateshead Council. This training will be completed on a yearly basis.

Following the approval of this policy we will review and update domestic abuse related procedures and staff guidance. The implementation work will include the rollout of specific training on the policy for all frontline housing staff, which will focus on how we support victims and survivors.

Housing staff and other internal partners were consulted with the development of this policy. This will continue throughout the training and implementation period.

This policy will be reviewed every 3 years, or earlier, in line with government guidance, best practice and legislative changes. As part of the review, we will consult with stakeholders on the contents and effectiveness of the policy.

Approval

Strategic lead:    Strategic Director
Name:    
Signed:    
Date approved:    

Strategic lead:    Service Director
Name:    
Signed:    
Date approved:    

This glossary defines key terms used throughout this policy:

• domestic abuse - a pattern of abusive behaviour toward an intimate partner or family member, where the abuser exerts power and control over the victim
• perpetrator - person responsible for causing the harm, whether alleged or proven
• victims and survivors - person experiencing the harm
• MARAC - Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference
• trauma - a deeply distressing or overwhelming event, or a series of events, that exceeds a person's ability to cope, leading to lasting negative effects on their mental and physical well-being
• safe accommodation - safe temporary accommodation for women and children escaping domestic abuse
• risk assessment - making a judgement about the risk factors that are present to determine the likelihood of future violence, and the potential for harm
• local connection - a local connection means that you have links to the council area What is a local connection? Shelter England
• NRPF - no recourse to public funds
• MVDAC - Migrant victims of domestic abuse concession (MVDAC) introduced in February 2024 provides victims of domestic abuse with a three-month, non-repayable, and renewable grant of leave to remain in the UK with access to public funds. It allows individuals on spousal or partner visas to leave abusive relationships
• VCSE - VCSE stands for Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise sector, often called the 'third sector' or civil society. It includes charities, community groups, social enterprises, and co-operatives

Supporting information

Corporate Plan 2025-30

Safer Gateshead Partnership Plan Sept 2024 (PDF, 813 KB)

Antisocial Behaviour and Hate Policy

Forewords

Allocations Policy

Data Protection

Additional legislation

Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

Housing Act 2004

Domestic Abuse Act 2021

Homelessness Reduction Act 2017