Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) risk assessment, (b) safeguarding and (c) support delivered by exempt accommodation providers which are housing victims of domestic abuse and their children.

We are aware of concerns about the quality of accommodation and levels of support provided in a small minority of supported exempt accommodation and are working to address this issue as a priority.

In October 2020, we published the National Statement of Expectation on accommodation standards and best practice in the sector. We also announced £3.1 million of funding to run pilots in five local authorities, to drive up the quality of accommodation, undertake enforcement action, and test interventions to improve the provision of support and safeguarding. This will inform future policy on supported exempt accommodation. My officials continue to work with local authorities and domestic abuse organisations on this issue.

MHCLG published priorities for Domestic Abuse in 2016 [updated in 2018] to support local authorities to ensure victims receive the quality of support they need when they need it.

Through the new duty in the Domestic Abuse Bill, Government will also make clear to local authorities in statutory guidance the need for all support provided in relevant safe accommodation, to meet the MHCLG Quality Standards, Women’s Aid National Quality Standards and / or Imkaan’s Accredited Quality Standards.