Children and adults affected by domestic abuse will benefit from more than £1.5m of funding for safe accommodation following the landmark passing of the Domestic Abuse Act.

A further £223,315 has been awarded to the district and borough councils to deliver their contributions to the domestic abuse duty from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The money will go towards supporting a range of existing services to help tackle domestic abuse such as safety planning for survivors and initiatives that helps to create violence-free relationships.

All councils will be working together on the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board, which will have its first meeting in the autumn of 2021.

The County Council is working with partners to develop a commissioning plan that will improve the support available for survivors and their children.  Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee will receive the first proposal of this plan for approval in July. If approved, new services will be commissioned later in the summer.

Councillor Boyd Elliott, Chairman of Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee, said: “Domestic abuse can devastate families and we know that domestic abuse services have received a high number of referrals since the start of the pandemic, so we welcome this government funding.

“We are currently assessing the needs and gaps in our current provision and are speaking with domestic abuse support services to ensure we hear from people who experience domestic abuse locally.  Working with housing leads in the districts and boroughs, our ambition is system-wide investment and change and we will work with partners to establish the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board to deliver this vital work in Nottinghamshire.”

Find out more about domestic abuse in Nottinghamshire.