Council Approves Domestic Abuse Support in Safe Accommodation Strategy 2025 – 2028

The City Mayor in consultation with Cabinet today (12 August) approved the 2025 – 2028 Domestic Abuse Support in Safe Accommodation Strategy to provide support for victims and their children in relevant, safe accommodation.

To help inform the new strategy, the council has worked with other agencies and partners and considering what people with lived experience have shared, to identify the priorities for supporting victims/survivors of domestic abuse in safe accommodation, in Salford.

Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) from the Office for National Statistics estimate the prevalence of domestic abuse in Salford for the next year at a total of around 10,529 people expected to experience domestic abuse and about 1,663 young people (16-24 yrs) are likely to be victims.

Priority 1 – A co-ordinated, joined up approach to the delivery of support in safe accommodation to victims of domestic abuse and their children

Objective 1. Domestic abuse victims and their children will be able to access the support in safe accommodation that they need, when they need it – with particular focus on those with the most complex/high needs, so that services are targeted to those who need them, when they need them, most.

The council and its partners will achieve this through a range of interventions, for example by developing and embedding a new multi-agency safeguarding hub within Adult Social Care Services, aligned with the Bridge, improving monitoring of outcomes, developing a domestic abuse provider forum as part of the domestic abuse housing advisory group, allocating co-location of staff for more joined up working and developing move-on pathways.

Priority 2 – A prevention focused approach to Domestic Abuse

Objective 2. Opportunities are maximised to improve early identification/ prevention / reduction in the impact of domestic abuse, where possible.

The council and its partners will achieve this by working in collaboration to drive awareness of the importance of early identification and engagement and provide information about services available to support victims and their children, review staff knowledge of domestic abuse and plan relevant training, provide easy to understand information to minority groups about domestic abuse and services available, in addition to the delivery of the new Allocations Policy criteria.

Councillor Tracy Kelly, Lead Member for Housing and Anti-Poverty said: “Domestic abuse is all too common in the UK, and its harmful effects can extend to many areas of survivors lives.

“With data from Refuge finding 40% of homeless women state domestic abuse as a contributory factor to their homelessness and 20% of children in the UK having lived with an adult perpetrating domestic abuse, as a council, we want to build on our existing work to ensure our three year strategy and support services address the right priorities, are timely and effective and are suitable for victims of all ages.

“Our vision in Salford is that domestic abuse is prevented where possible, while the impact of domestic abuse is mitigated through early identification and the provision of joined-up support to victims/survivors, when they need it.

“The ultimate goal is to try to prevent domestic abuse from occurring at all, whenever possible. Preventing domestic abuse, identifying and acting early by working together is vital to safeguard the wellbeing of our residents and their families.”

A summary of key achievements delivered by Salford City Council and its partners as part of the 2022 - 2025 strategy are included in the Report of the Statutory Deputy City Mayor, Lead Member for Housing and Anti-Poverty

Domestic abuse useful contacts are available on the council’s website.