VAWG Support Service for Southwark

Reducing Domestic Abuse (DA) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a key priority for the Council and the statutory Community Safety Partnership. In 2015, Southwark developed a five year Domestic Abuse Strategy highlighting a plan to reduce DA in the borough. In 2019, this was replaced with a five year VAWG Strategy in recognition of the need to deliver a partnership response to all areas of gender based violence, not only DA.

In 2022, recognising the need for a transformative step change in the way that services were brought together under these aims, the Council made a commitment in its delivery plan to “establish a ground-breaking Women’s Safety Centre, so women and girls experiencing violence or abuse can access all the support they need in one place.”

Building on the evidence base that informed the 2019 strategy, over 2023 and early 2024 the Council completed an in-depth review of DA and VAWG services in Southwark. The service review included a review of current domestic abuse service provision with stakeholders, statutory and voluntary sector organisations, and service users, to understand what is working well, what needs to be improved, and where there are gaps in the current service.

The review was informed by a statistical review of VAWG crime data, supported with data from housing and children’s services, and existing service providers, to shape an up to date needs assessment.

This process has fed into the development of a detailed Strategic Needs Assessment and Equalities Impact and Needs Assessment outlining the case for a transformed service.

Drawing on the extensive contributions from survivors, services and the voluntary and community sector, the key headline areas identified in relation to the development of a new service can be summarised under the headings listed below:

a. Range and scope of services
b. How services are organised
c. Skills, awareness and capacity
d. Communications and public perception

The Council is looking to now procure the services following a competitive dialogue process adapted to the Council’s needs under the Public Contract Regulation’s light touch regime (LTR).