Issue - meetings

This report presents the recommendations from the Violence Against Women and Girls Task Group scrutiny report agreed at the Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee on 1 October 2020, along with the proposed Executive response.

NOTED the comments from Councillor Donnelly-Jackson (as Chair of the Task Group) outlining the work undertaken by the Violence Against Women Scrutiny Task Group in support of the recommendations being presented for consideration and Executive response.  In thanking all those involved in the Task Group review, Councillor Donnelly-Jackson highlighted:

·                that the Task Group had made ten key recommendations, as detailed for response within Appendix 1 of the report, with specific reference made to the importance of feedback from victims and survivors being used to inform policy and service delivery and also to communication being available in accessible formats for disabled women to ensure they were able to access support;

·                the comprehensive and inclusive approach towards the scrutiny review during the pandemic;

·                the series of additional supporting actions identified by the Task Group designed to support delivery of their main recommendations.

Having noted the comments received and overall alignment of the recommendations made by the Task Group with the Council’s approach towards contextual safeguarding work, Cabinet RESOLVED to approve the Executive Response to the recommendations made by the Violence against Women and Girls Scrutiny Task Group, as detailed within Appendix 1 of the report.

Prior to considering the report, the Leader of the Council, Councillor Butt welcomed Councillor Donnelly-Jackson to the meeting who had requested to address the meeting in her role as Chair of the Violence Against Women Scrutiny Task Group.

Councillor Donnelly Jackson thanked Cabinet for the opportunity to speak, and informed them that the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee had commissioned a Task Group to investigate the issue of Violence against Women and Girls in March 2020, with the subsequent report and recommendations agreed by the committee in October. The Task Group had made ten key recommendations as detailed for response within Appendix 1 of the report.  Amongst the recommendations made Councillor Donnelly-Jackson felt it was important to highlight the importance of the lived experience from victims and survivors being used to inform policy and service delivery and also to communication being available in accessible formats for disabled women to ensure they were able to access support,.  In addition Councillor Donnelly-Jackson took the opportunity to highlight the comprehensive and inclusive approach towards the scrutiny review during the pandemic as well as the series of additional supporting actions identified by the Task Group, designed to support delivery of their main recommendations.  In summing up Councillor Donnelly-Jackson thanked Councillors Kabir, Shah and Thakkar for their work on the Task Group as well as the community partners and officers who had given evidence and supported the development of the report. She commended the report to the Cabinet and expressed her hope that the recommendations would be adopted.

Councillor Butt thanked Councillor Donnelly-Jackson for addressing the meeting and then invited Councillor Knight, as Lead Member for Community Safety and Engagement, to introduce the report.

Councillor Knight thanked the Members of the Task Group for highlighting the need to tackle the important issue of violence against women and girls, which had also been identified as an important issue during the pandemic given the increasing levels of abuse and the associated risks for those victims.  In commending the findings of the group, attention was drawn to the alignment with current safeguarding work, increased training and awareness of the issue, and the need to ensure the necessary levels of support were in place and accessible.

Members fully supported the recommendations and the proposed executive response, praising the timeliness of the work to tackle the issue in light of the increased national attention being given to safeguarding women and girls.  Having noted the comments received and overall alignment of the recommendations made by the Task Group with the Council’s approach towards contextual safeguarding work it was RESOLVED that Cabinet:

(1)      approve the Executive Response to the recommendations made by the Violence against Women and Girls Scrutiny Task Group, as detailed within Appendix 1 of the report.