DV FLAG East Presentation to Community Safety A new project funded - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

DV FLAG East

Presentation to Community Safety Partnership December 2019 by: Pip Salvador-Jones

• Chief officer at Citizens Advice Barking

& Dagenham

• Vice Chair of FLAG Steering Group

A new project funded by

Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 - LASPO

• Massive reductions in legal aid eligibility from 1 April 2013

Family law was the hardest hit under LASPO

• £160M - Largest area of savings targeted at Family Law Legal Aid

services

• 99% of private family law areas – all divorce, financial and children

arrangements were taken out of legal aid scope

• Domestic abuse remains in scope but…..

Domestic ic Abuse & im impact of Legal l Aid id reductions sin ince April 2013

• ….40% of victims of domestic abuse unable to access legal aid

solicitor support ring-fenced for them to secure representation (Rights

• f Women February 2016)
• Rise in litigants in person, Court system in chaos, Advice and front line

agencies & statutory agencies struggling to cope (Law Society Review ACCESS

DENIED? LASPO four years on June 2017)

Domestic ic Abuse

• Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) – 2 Million adults aged

16 – 50 years experienced domestic abuse in 2017/18 (1.3M women, 695,000 men)

• High prevalence of domestic abuse within Barking & Dagenham –
• ver 2500 offences recorded in 2015/16
• High linkage between Domestic Abuse & LA Statutory Care duties –

690 children in UK per day affected by Domestic Abuse (Action on Children Nov 2019)

• Forthcoming Domestic Abuse Bill has now fallen Nov 2019 due to

General Election

Family Law Accessibility Steering Group formed in M March 2019 – responsible to the Community Safety Partnership

➢Chaired by Borough Solicitor - LBBD legal services provided project funding ➢Steering group members - a cross section of professionals with different skills and perspectives including:-

• District Judge Anne Sawetz from East London Family Court
• Refuge – commissioned Domestic Abuse service
• LBBD Deputy Head of Legal services & Domestic Abuse commissioners
• LBBD Community Solutions Triage manager
• Citizens Advice Barking & Dagenham
• 2 local family law solicitors:

Shazia Khan - Alexander Rose solicitors Matthew Miklaucich – Milner Elledge solicitors

FLAG Steering Group - responsible to the Community Safety Partnership

Steering Group aims include:

• Deliver a more joined up approach to legal advice for domestic abuse

clients, working local services meeting local demand.

• The creation of a best practice pro bono service
• People caught up in domestic abuse can access timely, good quality

family law legal aid and pro bono support and are more empowered to make informed choices and have improved confidence in the legal system

The Steerin ing Group la launched DV FLAG East servic ice on 31 May 2019

4 x solicitor firms & CAB family solicitor volunteer to provide family law advice via a rota coordinated by the CAB All Solicitor firm volunteers are local

• Know our residents
• Know our local areas
• Know our local court systems

All solicitors are Law Society Family Panel members, family legal aid practitioners & follow the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Protocol

Displaces the National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) which many agencies inc. Police are still referring to but:-

• Solicitor firms are not local
• Many concerns across the sector locally and

nationally that this is the main often only choice for victims

• Met Police senior officers aware of the difficulties

LBBD Legal Department Social Responsibility Pilot funding to Citizens Advice Barking & Dagenham for delivery & development

Join ined up approach to legal advice for domestic abuse clients, working towards lo local l servic ices meetin ing lo local l demand DV FLAG East Free legal advice service

• for anyone caught up in Domestic

abuse - victims and alleged perpetrators - who live in Barking & Dagenham or surrounding areas

• Single point of access - Direct

access & By Referral

• t: 020 8507 5992
• e: Dvflageast@bdcab.org.uk
• 09.30am to 5.00pm every weekday
• www.dvflageast.org.uk
• CAB responds to referrals within 24 hours
• Coordinates the FLAG solicitor rota
• Triages & refers client to a solicitor on the rota
• FLAG Solicitor contacts the client within 24

hours

Provides free legal advice on legal options

• if legal aid offers to take the client’s case
• If not legal aid gives one off pro bono advice
• Reports back to CAB for any additional

services needed

• CAB will then:
• offer housing, debt or welfare benefits advice
• liaises with other support agencies for client
• eg. Refuge, witness service
• Is working with LBBD Legal to develop a best

practice pro bono advice offer

DV Flag East Referral Data - 1 June to 31 Oct

DV F Fla lag East Client Profile Data - 1 June to 31 Oct

DV F Fla lag East Client Profile Data - 1 June to 31 Oct

Case Study

• Mrs F a victim of domestic abuse, married to her husband in 2014, entering the UK in 2016 on a spousal visa

granted for 3 years. There is one child of the marriage who is 2 years old. Mrs F reports a history of emotional and psychological abuse and financial deprivation. Mrs F has reported incidents to the police a number of times but feels that little action has been taken.

• A DV Flag East Solicitor applied ex-parte for a non molestation order on 2nd August 2019. This was served on her

respondent husband on 5th August. That same evening Mr F attended Mrs F’s property and harassed her.

• The return hearing took place on 13th August 2019. Mr F attended the hearing and contested the application

denying all the allegations. An interim non molestation order was made.

• Social services have assessed Mrs F and provided her and her son with temporary accommodation. Mr F has

ascertained Mrs F’s whereabouts and has taken to parking his car outside the temporary home ‘blowing’ his car horn continuously and playing loud music. Mr F has made various threats to remove her from the country, he uses different vehicles to park outside as well as standing outside her main door entrance to intimidate her.

• Mrs F reports these matters to the police who are still investigating the incidents but meanwhile Mrs F has been so

fearful she has been unable to sleep and she cannot take her son out for fear that Mr F is outside.

• Mr F has filed witness statements with fabricated allegations against Mrs F. She believes he has coerced the witnesses to

support him against her. Disclosure has occurred, the response statement, witnesses’ statements and Scott schedule were served on the Respondent on 3rd September 2019 and to the court and to the Respondent’s solicitor on 9th September 2019. Outcome:

• Judge ordered a renewal of the existing non molestation order. All parties have agreed to this.
• Private law matters are ongoing
• Mrs F remains fearful and the harassment continues.

Current Priorities & Next xt steps

▪ Work to raise awareness & increase Public Sector referrals to service continues

• Health eg. GPs, Hospitals, LBBD eg. Community Solutions

lifecycles

• Police eg. Romford Police Station

▪ Neighbouring Local Authority awareness & buy in ▪ Showcase work at LBBD’s DV Relaunch 22 January 2020 – Care City 10-1pm ▪ Pro Bono best practice development

• LBBD Legal Services lawyers and para-legals committed to becoming Citizens

Advice Barking & Dagenham volunteers

• The first such project in the UK (LawWorks 2019)

▪ Holistic Advice & Support eg: specialist housing & debt advice, witness service ▪ Streamlined Pathways & referrals with Refuge ▪ Evidence to LBBD’s Domestic Abuse Commission

www.dvflageast.org.uk

Direct access & By Agency Referral

• 020 8507 5992
• Dvflageast@bdcab.org.uk
• free independent confidential advice
• n legal options
• to anyone experiencing domestic

abuse in Barking & Dagenham and surrounding areas

• informing choices, creating options &

building confidence

ANY QUESTIONS?

Thank you

Pip Salvador-Jones Vice Chair of FLAG Steering Group Cab.director@bdcab.org.uk

www.dvflageast.org.uk

Direct access & By Referral

• t: 020 8507 5992
• e: Dvflageast@bdcab.org.uk

Open - 09.30am to 5.00pm every weekday

• free independent confidential advice
• n legal options to anyone experiencing

domestic abuse in Barking & Dagenham and surrounding areas

• informing choices, creating options &

building confidence