Cllr Kathy Williams, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Delivery, sought Cabinet approval for investment of the unallocated Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) Domestic Abuse section 31 grant funding for the Financial Years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 to enable the council to meet its statutory duties under part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
Having considered all of the information, Cabinet noted the report and
RESOLVED to:
1. Approve the following variations to the council’s call-off contract with Stroud Beresford Limited for the Provision of Support in Refuge Accommodation under Lot 2 of the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Framework Agreement (entered into on 9th August 2022):
a. A variation under which the provider shall provide, with effect from 1st April 2023 until the expiry of such contract on 31st March 2025, a Flexible Funding Pot from which refuge support workers will be able to make payments or issue vouchers towards housing related costs for goods and services in order to support women to move on from refuge by removing funding barriers to them accessing accommodation (see paragraph 7 in the background for further details)
b. A variation under which the charges payable thereunder shall be increased in accordance with the mechanism set out in the call-off contract in order to meet inflationary increases to staffing and other costs directly associated with the delivery of support.
2. Approve the following variations to the council’s call-off contract with GreenSquareAccord Limited for the provision of Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service (GDASS) under Lot 1 of the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Framework Agreement (entered into on 1st August 2018):
a. A variation under which the provider shall provide, with effect from 1st July 2023 until 30th June 2025, the services of additional specialist domestic abuse workers who shall work closely with victims of domestic abuse and professionals within the Registered Housing Provider sector; and
b. A variation under which the provider shall provide, with effect from 1st July 2023 until 30th June 2025, additional management and administration support services in relation to all DLUHC funded activity.
3. Delegate authority to the Director of Public Health in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Delivery to:
a. Conduct a competitive procurement process in respect of a new trauma recovery/counselling support services contract for adult victims of domestic abuse who access domestic abuse safe accommodation. The proposed contract shall continue for an initial period of two years and include an option to extend its term for a further period of up to one year;
b. Award such contract to the preferred tenderer; and
c. Determine whether to exercise the option to extend the term of such contract for a further period of up to one year on the expiry of the initial two year term.
4. Delegate authority to the Director of Public Health to allocate 10% of the DLUHC section 31 grant funding (described in the Resource Implications section below) to pay for the Council’s administrative costs arising from meeting its statutory duties under part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 in the Financial Year 2024/25.