Purpose

To uplift and
extend the current contract for provision of support to high risk
victims of domestic abuse.

Decision

That the Cabinet Member for Health &
Communities:

 

a)                
Approves the amendment of the CST039 Independent Domestic
Violence Advisor (IDVA) contract to extend the contract value by a
total of £0.435m for 12 months from 3 April 2026 to 2 April
2027 in order that more IDVAs can be recruited to meet increased
service demand. This is in accordance with the with the Public
Contracts Regulations 2015 and will be subject to the approval of a
Business Case in accordance with Protocol 10 of the Council’s
Financial Regulations prior to implementation of the
modification.
 

b)                
Notes that The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
(OPCC) will co-fund the amendment by contributing
£90,240.
   

Reasons for the decision

To close the capacity gap in the current service, better
support the MARAC process and ensure that high risk support
continues to be available in Derbyshire to meet the needs of
victims and survivors.

Alternative options considered

Alternative Option 1 – Do nothing.  This option would
potentially leave high risk victims without the support they need
to stay safe with gaps in provision resulting in some victims not
receiving appropriate support or support being for a shorter period
of time than required. Given the levels of demand on the service
and the sustained number of high risk cases this is not a preferred
option and is not recommended. 

 

Alternative Option 2 – Further remodel the service.
Without additional funding this option would likely result in a
reduction in provision as to remain within the existing budget it
is highly probable the staff head count and/or access to services
would need to be reduced. With such a deficit having been
identified in the commissioned service’s staff numbers, and
the option already having been tried, this option is not
recommended.  

 

Alternative Option 3 – Provide limited additional
investment to bridge some of the capacity gap by utilising the
grant funded IDVA’s to supplement the contracted service.
With five one-year, grant-funded IDVA supporting Derbyshire, this
option would require an additional 4.63 IDVA’s at a cost of
£0.209m per annum. This option would allow for some
additional IDVA staff to support the contract but as these posts
work flexibly across City and County and across risk levels, they
are unlikely to fully meet the level of need identified requiring
some system remodelling to ensure these staff are only supporting
high risk cases. This option presents a risk if the grant funded
posts are not sustained and does not close the capacity gap
identified. This option is not recommended.

 

Option 4 (recommended) – Provide the required
investment to meet the sustained level of demand at a cost of
£0.435m for 12 months. This option would allow for an
additional 9.63 FTE IDVA staff, with appropriate management and
supervisory support, to be added into the current model to safely
support high risk cases. This would mitigate the risk of relying on
short term, grant funded posts and provide the level of support
required to meet the needs of high risk victims in the County and
allow for more manageable IDVA caseloads increasing staff wellbeing
and retention.