Domestic abuse (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

Third sector service providers in the Borough report that levels of demand for their services which far outstrip their capacity to respond. The experience of these organisations is important as people may contact them when they do not contact statutory services. Demand for domestic abuse services in South Tyneside has been rising steadily over recent years. 

We know that different agencies are working with families and individuals where abuse is an issue, but approaches to monitoring are not consistent between agencies and we are unable to establish what the overlap in population groups is. Given the known prevalence of domestic abuse, and the resources absorbed by the range of agencies who respond, understanding the pattern and types of abuse across the Borough, is a priority. Putting in place a more holistic approach to gathering pathway information will help us map the patterns of unmet need in the Borough. 

However, we know from our analysis to date that:

• The focus of statutory services is to respond to and minimise instances of harm, and the volume of incidents is so great that professionals sometimes work in a short-term way to tackle immediate risk, rather than supporting change in the longer term.
• The cost of repeated incidents and response is significant. In direct resource terms, repeat incidents make up 40% of all incidents. But in failing to tackle entrenched behaviours and impact on children and young people leads to ongoing prevalence and will not impact the volume of demand. 
• Professionals (particularly in health and education settings) report a lack of professional confidence and skills to explore the reality of intimate relationships, which might enable intervention at an earlier stage.

These factors lead to the conclusion that investing in prevention could have a significant positive impact in tackling abusive relationships earlier, before risk escalates to the threshold for statutory intervention.

Although it is appropriate to ensure that victims of domestic abuse are protected and supported, this can marginalise the role and impact of perpetrators. We do not currently focus sufficiently on perpetrators and their behaviour. Perpetrators can move from one family to another with a repeated pattern of abuse. The cost to the criminal justice system is substantial. The long-term impact on families and children can be very significant. So investment in perpetrator services is crucial to prevent and reduce domestic abuse over time.

Cultural factors can play a significant part in how domestic abuse is perceived and reported. This is true for all cultural groups in the Borough, including the local white population. However, we are not consistently able to communicate effectively with women from some populations where sensitive, female interpreter services are needed to explore issues of cultural identity. So sensitive interpretation services are required to respond to potential unmet need.

Agencies also recognise a cohort of adolescents and young adults whose behaviour can be aggressive and physically abusive within their family.  The reasons why children and young adults behave with aggression and/or violence within their family are complex, and not all cases represent domestic abuse within the current definition. It is essential to tailor responses to this cohort in a way which appropriately challenges controlling / aggressive behaviour and supports positive change.

It should also be highlighted the lack of provision for those in same sex relationships, and those within the LGBTQ+ population. We know this is a population at increased risk of abuse, but we lack in local provision and robust intelligence to fully understand the extent. 

Finally, although male victims are not as prevalent as females, we should not dismiss this level of need. Additionally, males are predominantly the perpetrators, but we do also recognise females can also inflict abuse. Therefore, whatever provision of services and support we commission in South Tyneside should be able to provide support to both males and females safely.