BCP launches five-year strategy to tackle domestic abuse with focus on prevention and survivor support
BCP Council promises to place greater emphasis on prevention, improved support for survivors and stronger action against perpetrators in it's five-year domestic abuse strategy
BCP Council has unveiled its Domestic Abuse Strategy for 2026–2031, bringing together three linked plans covering prevention, safe accommodation and the management of perpetrators.
The strategy comes against a backdrop of persistent levels of domestic abuse across the conurbation.
Council figures show that 5,467 domestic abuse crimes were recorded during 2023/24, including 734 high-risk cases referred to Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC) and 898 repeat suspects.
Rather than focusing solely on responding to incidents, the new approach aims to intervene earlier by raising public awareness, improving professional training and educating children and young people about healthy relationships in an effort to prevent abuse before it begins.
Support for victims will also be expanded through the introduction of a new integrated domestic abuse service, scheduled to launch in August 2027.
The service will bring together community-based support with a strengthened network of safe accommodation, enabling survivors to access help through a more coordinated system.
As part of the housing element of the strategy, the council plans to provide an 18-unit refuge alongside a new 10-unit accommodation block and 15 dispersed properties across the BCP area.
The accommodation has been designed to better meet the needs of groups who can face additional barriers to accessing support, including male victims, larger families and people with protected characteristics or more complex needs.
The package of measures is expected to receive annual funding of between £1.4 million and £1.5 million, with much of the investment coming from the Government's Safe Accommodation Grant, supplemented by council funding.