Immediate Actions

Responsibility

Establishment of initial structure

• The development of a national group.

Scot Exec.

Adoption of strategy/approach to domestic abuse

• The development of consistent Ministerial direction, adopting the strategy and definition of domestic abuse contained within this document;

Ministers; Parliament.

• The adoption by organisations of the definition of domestic abuse and Scot Exec/Nat orgs;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;

policy statement contained within this document;

Local orgs.

• The adoption by Ministers and organisations of a primary prevention approach to policy development in recognition of the need to address the root causes of violence against women.

National group;
Working groups
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs

Year 1 Actions

Further development of the structure

• The development of issue-based working groups at a national level (identified by the national group) to explore particular issues, undertake consultation with local experts and report back to the national group

National group;
Working groups;
Local auths/orgs.

Development of networks, links and procedures

• The development of a network of local multi-agency groups, to provide integrated services, each with a local strategy consistent with the national strategy and based on an audit of local services and needs;

Local auths/orgs.

• The development of links between local groups and the national group through information sharing and dissemination of good practice.

National group;
Local auths/orgs.

Specific initiatives

• The review of all current legislative provision relating to domestic abuse;

National group;
Working group.

• The development and circulation of good practice guidelines and service standards and their adoption by public, private and voluntary sector organisations across the country.

National group;
Working group;
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

Ongoing and Subsequent Actions (Years 1-3)

Development of links to other areas of work

• The national group to continue to provide a means of consideration of the development of further relevant policy and legislation relating to domestic abuse in the future, and the continuing involvement of the national group in making recommendations in relation to work with women who have experienced domestic abuse and work with perpetrators of abuse;

National group.

• The consideration of domestic abuse in relation to new central and local policies as these develop, with expert comment sought and provided in relation to other relevant service reviews (such as, for example, mental health, child protection, lifelong learning, substance use, homelessness, criminal justice services, health etc) and a commitment to the incorporation of domestic abuse to these strategies;

National group;
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The consideration of domestic abuse in service planning, ongoing community planning, best value and other public performance monitoring and the development of work which is consistent with the focus of this strategy;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The development of links to work to enable women to seek employment.

National group;
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

Development of specific initiatives

• The development and implementation of coherent policies to tackle domestic abuse which are consistent with the focus of this strategy;

National group;
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The promotion and enforcement of an effective legislative framework concerning violence against women;

National group
Working groups;
Scot Exec/Nat org
Local auths/orgs.

• The consideration of the resource implications of new legislation and the implications for other aspects of policy/legislation;

Working group;
Scot Exec; Ministers

• The provision of information in relation to the implications of legislation/ policy developments to the statutory, voluntary and private sectors;

National group.

• The development and dissemination of service-specific guidance relating to domestic abuse.

National group;
Working group.

• The identification, by key organisations, of resources to allow service developments

Year 1 Actions

Analysis of need/provision

• Review of the COSLA recommendations for refuge spaces and how far they have been met, analysis and revision if required;

National group;
Working group.

• Review of the recommendations for Rape Crisis provision and how far they have been met, analysis and revision if required;

National group;
Working group.

• The development of a clear understanding of the needs of specific groups (children and young people, disabled women/children, women/children in black and minority ethnic groups and women/children in rural areas).

National group;
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

Priority service developments

• The development of transit accommodation for women/children who leave in an emergency and who require short term support;

Local auths/orgs.

• The development of immediate and appropriate housing to women/ children who are homeless because of domestic abuse or threat of violence;

Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of the required level of refuge spaces to meet the needs of the population, recognising the diversity of needs and meeting the needs of disabled women/children and women/children from black and minority ethnic groups;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of adequate outreach and children's support services;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of refuge and other services to meet the needs of women who may not currently have access to provision, including women using drugs or alcohol, lesbian women, women from travelling communities, women with learning disabilities, older women, women working as prostitutes and women with mental health problems;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs

• The provision of mainstream housing, as required, to meet the needs of women/children experiencing domestic abuse, and the provision of a range of housing to meet the needs of women at various stages, including provision to allow them to remain in their homes;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of services which enable women/children to disclose that they have experienced domestic abuse, recognising the constraints for some groups in seeking help;

Local auths/orgs.

• The endorsement, through the Scottish Forum of Public Sector Interpreting and Translation services, of the need for development of a network of community interpreting and translation facilities at a local level throughout Scotland and the provision of resources to allow organisations to use these facilities.

National group;
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

Development of information to service users

• The development of specific information to women/children experiencing domestic abuse in relation to the services which are available to them;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of the information produced in a range of formats and languages, at a range of venues, and the availability of interpreters, as required.

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

Development of understanding / good practice

The dissemination and adoption of good practice guidelines and service standards

National group.

Ongoing and Subsequent Actions (Years 1-3)

Continuing service developments

• The identification of local needs and services to meet these needs;

Local auths/orgs.

• The identification of the needs of specific groups and consideration of these needs in the development of strategies and services, policy, legislation and practice;

Ministers/Parlt;
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of support for the development of outreach and follow-on work and specialist services to meet the needs of particular groups;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of a range of emotional and practical services to women/ children by the service providers detailed on page 4 (e.g. counselling services, crèche services, children's workers and the organisations' main provision);

Nat orgs/local
auths/ local orgs

• The provision of support to women whose partners are participating in programmes for abusive men;

Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs

• The provision of support to women who stay with abusive partners;

Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of support to employees experiencing domestic abuse within service providers;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of support to vulnerable witnesses, where women or children who experience abuse are involved in the justice system;

Nat orgs/
Local orgs.

• The development of improvements to the speed of the justice process.

Nat orgs.

Provision of information to service users

• The promotion of the Domestic Abuse Helpline to all areas, with the involvement of local groups;

Scot Exec;
National group.

• The dissemination of information to women/children experiencing domestic abuse who need information on access to support services;

Scot Exec;
National group

Monitoring of access to services / impact of initiatives

• The monitoring of the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund, and assessment of the impact upon improving local provision;

Scot Exec;
Working group;
National group.

• The monitoring and review of the Domestic Abuse Helpline as an initial source of information and advice for women or children experiencing domestic abuse (taking account of the fact that not all callers have English as their first language, assessing the accessibility of the helpline to disabled women/children and assessing the ability of the helpline to support children and young people).

Scot Exec;
Working group;
National group.

Development of good practice / understanding

• The provision of support/advice to service providers to identify domestic abuse with women seeking their provision;

National group;
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of support and advice to specific services to enable them to meet the needs of women or children using their provision(e.g. women in prison, Scottish Children's Reporter Administration);

National group.

• The development of links between services with a remit for domestic abuse, other services (e.g. transport) and specialist services with particular expertise in this area;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of support and advice to local multi-agency groups and the collation and dissemination of information from, and to, these groups.

National group.

Immediate Actions

Responsibility

Strategic development

• The development of a national prevention strategy rooted in primary prevention and making links between different forms of violence against women/children

Scot Exec;
Working group.

Year 1 Actions

Campaigning/awareness raising

• The development of general public awareness-raising through a widespread media campaign and the recognition of the role of the media in the prevention of domestic abuse;

Scot Exec;
National group;
Working group;
Nat/local auths/orgs.

• The development of local awareness work consistent with the national focus.

Local auths/orgs.

Training initiatives

• The provision of training to policy makers and senior practitioners at a national level, recognising the need to consider and address attitudes to domestic abuse.

Scot Exec/Nat orgs.

Work in schools/work with young people

• The encouragement and development of domestic abuse work with pre and primary school children;

Scot Exec;
National group;
Local auths/orgs.

• The involvement of specialist organisations in training of teachers and work with children and young people in schools;

Local auths/orgs.

• The development of curriculum materials relating to domestic abuse for all sectors of pre-school and formal education and of training materials for use with all staff in pre-school and school provision;

Scot Exec;
National group;
Working group;
Local auths.

• The development of teaching programmes in relation to domestic abuse as an integral part of Personal and Social Development programmes in pre-school provision and schools, linked to current teaching themes relating to personal safety programmes, gender and equality issues, Respect for others and violence is preventable programmes;

Local auths/orgs.

• The development of resources for work with young people excluded from mainstream education which is deliverable in a range of settings, and the development of such work;

Scot Exec;
National group;
Working group;
Local auths.

• The development of preventive work with young men and young women.

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

Ongoing and Subsequent Actions (Years 1-3)

Development of training

• The provision of in-service training for staff, including multi-agency and service-specific training recognising the need to consider and address attitudes to domestic abuse;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The development of local multi agency training strategies which reflect the range of staff and their differing roles and responsibilities;

Local auths/orgs.

• The involvement of specialist organisations such as Women's Aid in training wherever possible;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of advice in relation to the identification of training providers and awareness raising materials, building on previous successes through contact with organisations such as Zero Tolerance to ensure the use of appropriately designed and tested materials;

Working group;
National group.

• The inclusion of training relating to domestic abuse within professional qualifications and the recognition of domestic abuse in other forms of training, including equalities training;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs

• The provision of support and advice to service providers (including the public, private and voluntary sectors and particularly those detailed in the strategy) to develop training for staff at all levels, including frontline staff, in accordance with the good practice guidelines and including awareness of legislation, the needs of specific groups, support to women/children and the role of other agencies;

Working group;
National group.

• The development of specific guidance and training for workers in the criminal justice system, including Advocates Depute, Procurators Fiscal, the judiciary and those involved with the children's hearing system;

Working group;
National group;
(Recognising judicial independence).

• The analysis of ongoing training needs and provision of continuing training.

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

Work with men

• The development of preventive work with all men;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The development of preventive and crisis work with abusive men, reflecting the overall perspective of the strategy that domestic abuse is viewed as criminal behaviour, whether or not it is reported, and is not an illness requiring therapeutic intervention;

Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The continued development of mandatory programmes dealing with men who commit violent offences against their partners, in line with best practice, recognising that by so doing the needs of both women and children are taken as paramount;

Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The further development of voluntary programmes for those abusive men who are not dealt with through mandatory supervision under criminal justice processes, in line with best practice, recognising that by so doing the needs of both women and children are taken as paramount;

Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The recognition, in the development of work with abusive men, of the severity and nature of the crime and the fact that not all abuse is reported as a crime;

Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The recognition, in the development of work with abusive men, of the cultural and religious needs of men of black and minority ethnic origin, whilst holding to the principle that domestic abuse is never acceptable;

Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of support and advice to local areas in relation to the development of work with perpetrators of abuse at all stages, and the dissemination of good practice information in relation to work with abusive men which recognises that responsibility for violence against women rests with the perpetrators who have the capacity to change.

National group.

Immediate Actions

Responsibility

Establishment of structure

• The identification of an appropriate structure for data collection;

National group.

• The adoption, at a local level, of the national definition of domestic abuse.

Local auths/orgs.

Year 1 Actions

Identification of mechanisms

• The development of an overall national framework and national guidance for the collection, analysis and dissemination of meaningful data, which ensures maximum relevance to the users;

National group;
Working group;
Local auths/orgs.

• The development of mechanisms for feedback of information from local areas in relation to the development of new initiatives;

National group;
Working group;
Local auths/orgs.

• The development of a means of feedback from, and participation of, women/children in Scotland at a national level.

National group;
Working group.

Development of good practice

• The inclusion, where possible, of the views of both women and children in data collection;

National group;
Working group;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of support and advice to local areas in terms of the development of consultation with, and participation of, women/children;

National group.

• The dissemination of guidance to local areas in relation to the statistical information which should be gathered in relation to domestic abuse and the development of appropriate data collection tools.

National group;
Working group.

Ongoing and Subsequent Actions (Years 1-3)  

Development of data collection practice

• The identification of feedback from, and participation of, women/children at a local level, and the development of consultation with specific groups;

Local auths/orgs.

• The collection and collation of information from local areas by gender, ethnic group and disability;

Local auths/orgs.

• The collection of data which is consistent with other data collection relating to violence against women;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of suggestions to others involved in other forms of data collection, in relation to types of data which may inform domestic abuse work (e.g. child protection data; education data relating to abuse such as the gender of known/suspected abusers and whether domestic abuse featured in "category of abuse").

National group;
Working group.

Research/evaluation

• Evaluation of the means of service provision and the quality of services provided to those experiencing domestic abuse;

Working group;
National group;
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The evaluation of domestic abuse training which has been undertaken;

Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.

• The provision of advice and collection of information required for the review of the strategy;
• The identification of further research priorities and the dissemination of the findings;

Working group;
Scot Exec/Nat orgs;
Local auths/orgs.
National group.

• The completion of research initiatives and national surveys.

National group;
Scot Exec.

Analysis and dissemination of information

• The collection and collation of information from local areas in relation to the level of use of services as a requirement of service provision;

Local auths/orgs.

• The dissemination of statistical information/data relating to the use of services, which is freely available to national and local organisations and those with an interest in this area;

National group.

• The consideration of the findings from all of the data sources, and the use of these to inform the development of further services/recommendations.

National group.