Funding cuts to domestic abuse project ‘could put lives at risk’

Referrals to the Hull Domestic Abuse Partnership (DAP) have increased year on year since the scheme was launched in September 2005, and it currently responds to about 200 new cases each month.

But the service has been put on notice that £230,000 of funding from NHS will end in March, leading to the loss of nine jobs and forcing massive cutbacks across the service.

The Strength to Change (STC) voluntary male perpetrator programme, which is run by the partnership, is entirely funded by £130,000 from NHS Hull and will be forced to close, with its dedicated helpline being withdrawn from March 31.

However, those already engaged with the programme will be able to complete it.

Between 30 and 40 men call the STC helpline each month and there are currently 80 on its waiting list. The initiative has been so successful that it has helped cut reoffending rates by 60 per cent.

Unless alternative funding is secured, the DAP service will only be able to work with high risk cases, abandoning its successful and effective early intervention projects which have done much to improve lives and safety.

There have been no domestic homicides in Hull for nearly four years, which compares favourably with other parts of Yorkshire, but managers are now questioning whether that will continue.

Vicki Paddison, strategic domestic violence services manager at Hull Council, who formed the partnership, said: “We’ll completely have to remodel the service if we lose our funding.

“I do think if we lose the service the risk of having a homicide in Hull will increase.

“We can never guarantee we will save somebody’s life; all we can do is try our best, but it goes without saying, if you cut a service that is recognised nationally for best practice it means you are going to have to turn people away and they are going back into situations where it’s really, really risky.”

She added: “I read valuation forms from women and male victims that use the DAP and they say ‘You have changed my life, you have saved my life’, and that’s the bit for me that really hurts. We are not going to be able to reach out to victims any more.”

There has not been a domestic homicide in the Humber region for 18 months, while there have been five in West Yorkshire and two in South Yorkshire over the last year. Nationally, two women a week are killed by current or former partners.

Between April and October last year there were 1,382 referrals to the Hull DAP.

The DAP also manages and co-ordinates the monthly Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC), which discussed 198 high risk cases over the same period.

A report which will go before a key city council committee next week said: “The potential loss of NHS Hull funding will mean that the DAP service will need to be restructured and will only have the resources to provide services to high risk MARAC cases only. The needs of those assessed as low / medium will be unmet, and all preventative aspects will no longer be provided.”

A spokeswoman for NHS Hull said: “A number of organisations, including NHS Hull Public Health, fund domestic abuse support in Hull. From 1 April 2013 the responsibility for providing Public Health services will transfer to local authorities under the current reform of NHS services.

“The Hull Shadow Health and Wellbeing Board has considered a range of contracts that are transferring to Hull City Council, and at its last meeting the Board agreed that the Domestic Abuse Partnership would have their contract extended for six months until 30 September 2013 whilst a review is undertaken. The Strength to Change service will be part of the same review process.”