Wider training is key to tackling domestic abuse in Gateshead council homes
Extra training for council staff is key to tackling domestic abuse within Gateshead, councillors have been told.
Extra training for council staff is key to tackling domestic abuse within Gateshead, councillors have been told.
Gateshead Council’s women and girls committee met yesterday to hear the progress being made on a review of the local authority’s domestic abuse policy for housing tenants.
Councillors were told that widening training to employees, like housing repair teams, helps flag potential victims and spark interventions.
Deborah Wart, head of housing support, said: “As far as our operatives we’ve done wider safeguarding awareness training, so when they are going out to homes and spotting signs and symptoms they know they can flag that up with housing management colleagues.
The officer continued: “They themselves would not necessarily pick that up and have a conversation with a client but pass it over to housing management and have that contact in a safe way.”
Previous council reports, including one from January 2025, found domestic abuse was the leading cause of homelessness presentations to the local authority. The data showed that 313 people presented to the council as homeless due to domestic violence between 2023 and 2024.
The previous leading cause was 246 cases of families no longer willing or able to accommodate a person and 255 cases of the end of a private rental tenancy.
Committee member councillor Julie Simpson said: “There has been an awful lot of working going into this and I want to thank the officers for the work. It is a very very difficult subject.
“It takes a lot for women in my experience to actually break the silence and the suffering.”
The reviewed policy is expected to be sent to the council’s cabinet for approval in Mid-March.
The council’s Domestic Abuse 24 hour helpline is 0191 433 3333.
Gateshead Council’s Domestic Abuse Team provide specialist advice, support and advocacy to adults, children and young people experiencing domestic abuse.
The team can also be contacted via email at [email protected]