Council to expand domestic abuse support

A new team to tackle high rates of domestic abuse will be created in West Yorkshire.

Wakefield Council recorded more than 10,000 incidents of domestic abuse in the past year and officers said many involved repeat offenders and victims.

Councillors agreed to set up additional services including counselling for children, extra support for victims and a behaviour change programme for perpetrators, at a meeting on Tuesday.

Councillor Maureen Cummings, portfolio holder for communities and poverty, said the authority was "seeking to enhance the current service".

A council report said the new services would operate alongside its existing domestic abuse response team and the plans would cost £1m a year, with a grant of £833,000 covering some of the costs.

The additional resources are designed to reduce the caseloads of staff who dealt with 1,600 referrals in the past year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The report said: "These volumes create significant demand across the Wakefield partnership.

"Many victims and perpetrators also present with a range of complex needs including mental health, substance misuse and issues with alcohol."

The strategy includes improved emergency accommodation for victims and better support for people facing a long wait before their case is brought to court.

Cummings told the meeting domestic abuse services were an issue "very close to my heart".

"Currently we don't have any perpetrator support, other than in the voluntary sector," she said.

"We have got really high repeat rates and we need to address that."

Councillor Margaret Isherwood, cabinet member for children and young people, said families involved in domestic abuse faced a "dreadful situation".

"We just don't know what the long-term effects could be on the children involved," she said.

"Anything that we do that can help the situation, we need to support."

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