Council Housing Domestic Abuse Policy

When you first present to us

When you first present to us, you can expect the following approach.

Dignity and respect

You can report domestic abuse through any interaction with our service. We will treat victims with respect and dignity. We will take all reports of domestic abuse seriously. We will handle any disclosures in a way that is non-judgmental and does not place the victim at greater risk.

Carrying out a risk assessment

We will carry out a risk assessment using a Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based Abuse Risk Identification Checklist (DASH). This is a UK wide accredited form used by us and partner organisations to plan how we will support the victim and any children. It helps us to understand the levels of risk you may be experiencing.

Safety planning

Your safety is of paramount importance to us. We will always check with you if the ways to communicate with you are safe. We will stick to an agreed method of contact. This includes talking to us over the phone, at our offices or another safe venue. We will work with you and services such as IDAS (Independent Domestic Abuse Services). Together we'll help you plan how to keep safe if you’re preparing to leave your home or in your new property.

Signposting to support

We will refer or signpost you to specialist domestic abuse agencies who will be able to support you.

Support to stay in your home (if you wish to stay)

We can help you to access target hardening tools (for example window and door locks, CCTV) via the Sanctuary Scheme. 

We can signpost you to specialist organisations. They can help you to explore your legal options. This includes occupation orders and non-molestation orders to help keep the perpetrator away from your home. You can read more about legal options at GOV.UK: Get an injunction if you've been the victim of domestic abuse.

Leaving your home in an emergency

If you’re in immediate danger, call the police on 999.

Housing Solutions support

If you need to leave your home immediately, you can contact Housing Solutions through Help if you're homeless or at risk of homelessness to make a homeless application. This applies to everyone including Council tenants. From here, you can reach a number of different options including commissioned supported housing, temporary or emergency accommodation, applying to join the Housing Register. 

Safe accommodation

We also have ‘safe accommodation’ options in Sheffield for those that have had to flee and are homeless. These consist of refuges and dispersed accommodation across the city. Get in touch with Housing Solutions to access this.

Support with longer term rehousing options 

If you're a Council tenant

If you’re a Council tenant, you can speak to your Neighbourhood Officer about rehousing options. This might include accessing our mutual exchange programme, or being supported to move, for instance.

If you're not a Council tenant

If you’re not a Council tenant, you can apply to join the Housing Register if you are eligible – learn more about eligibility. You can also get help with accessing private rented accommodation through the Find Your Let scheme. You can also access private rented accommodation through sites such as Rightmove. 

Support available if you're eligible to join the Housing Register

For those that are eligible to join the Housing Register, Sheffield Property Shop as per our Allocations Policy, but who may have had issues with rent arrears or anti-social behaviour in a property in the past, we can work with you to help resolve these issues. For instance, this might include setting up affordable payment plans with us for rent arrears over a number of weeks. Our Income Management and Financial Inclusion Team will also work with you. They will look at any financial support available.

To discuss your current or former rent details you can contact the Council Housing Service.

If you don't have a local connection with Sheffield

Victims can ask any Local Authority for help, even without a local connection. This applies if it's unsafe for them or a household member to remain in their home area. The rest of the qualification criteria in our Allocations Policy still apply.

We are committed to participating in a multi agency safeguarding response to keep all tenants and residents of Sheffield safe. This includes sharing information through the High-Risk Domestic Abuse process (MARAC). 

MARAC is a multi agency meeting where information is shared on the highest risk domestic abuse cases. They are attended by a number of different professionals including the police, health, child protection, and housing. At a MARAC, professionals will share any relevant information on a case, discuss options for the victim’s safety, and create an action plan to protect the victim. The victim doesn’t attend the meeting. The victim is represented by an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) who speaks on their behalf.

We will work in partnership with a range of specialist domestic abuse services to inform our response, guide us on safe practice, and to signpost victims/survivors for support. We also work in partnership with perpetrator programmes in Sheffield, for perpetrators who recognise their behaviour is wrong and want to change it.

We will also work with partners within the Council to share relevant information where necessary. We'll learn from and contribute to Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews in order to inform our practice.

We keep a list of local and national agencies which may be able to offer advice or support depending on the victim/survivor’s circumstances. This is available at Sheffield Directory: Domestic violence and abuse.

Action against perpetrators

We will send a clear message that perpetrators of domestic abuse are accountable for their behaviour and that victims/survivors are never to blame. If the abuse occurs in a Council tenancy, we will take action against perpetrators where tenancy conditions have been broken. This may include action to take possession of the property. The Tenancy Agreement states:

“You, your household and visitors must not do anything which is illegal, dangerous or which would cause nuisance, annoyance, harassment, alarm or distress to other people. This condition applies within the boundary of and in the locality of your property.”

Perpetrator support

We also recognise that many perpetrators may need support – they may be aware that their behaviour is harmful and might want to make positive changes. 

Perpetrators can refer themselves (or ask a professional to do so) to:

• Sheffield’s perpetrator accountability programme, Inspire to Change, to gain a better understanding of their behaviour and learn tools to make change
• Caring Dads, an initiative that aims to work with fathers to promote the safety of their children