The Decision Notices meeting included a notice of delegated decision regarding minor amendments to the council's Domestic Abuse (Housing) Policy. The decision to make these amendments was taken by Mike Davis, Director of Housing, Finance and Assets, and the report pack includes details of the changes and the reasoning behind them. The report also contains the updated policy as an appendix.

Minor Amendments to Domestic Abuse (Housing) Policy

The main item scheduled for discussion was the approval and adoption of minor amendments to the Domestic Abuse (Housing) Policy 2024. The original policy was approved by the cabinet on 2 September 2024.

The report pack states that the amendments were suggested by representatives from the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) as part of the council's DAHA accreditation. According to the DAHA website, DAHA provides accreditation to housing providers who are working to tackle domestic abuse. The Strategic Housing Team considered these suggestions and adopted some of them, which necessitated updating the policy.

The report pack notes that the Domestic Abuse Act 2021¹ established a statutory definition of domestic abuse, which includes children as victims/survivors if they witness or experience the effects of domestic abuse. The report pack also mentions that on 1 April 2024, the Regulator of Social Housing² published revised Consumer Standards that require registered providers to work with other agencies to tackle domestic abuse and enable residents to access appropriate support and services. The Allocation of Housing (Qualification Criteria for Victims of Domestic Abuse and Care Leavers) (England) Regulations 2025, introduced in July 2025, removed the local connection test for victims of domestic abuse who need to move, and the policy was amended to reflect this.

The report pack outlines the specific changes made to the policy:

• Paragraph 1.2 was amended to clarify that the policy sets out the council's responsibilities under legislation in the context of housing.
• Paragraph 3.4 was amended to reflect the obligation outlined in the Care Act 2014[^3]. [^3]: The Care Act 2014 outlines how local authorities and other parts of the system protect adults at risk of abuse or neglect.
• Paragraph 3.6 was added to address the introduction of the Allocation of Housing (Qualification Criteria for Victims of Domestic Abuse and Care Leavers) (England) Regulations 2025.
• Paragraph 4.1 was streamlined to clarify that the policy applies to residents as defined in section 2 of the policy.
• Paragraph 4.4 was inserted to acknowledge the gendered nature of domestic abuse.
• Paragraph 4.5 was streamlined because of the detail added in the above paragraph.
• Paragraph 7.8 was amended to reiterate children's experience of domestic abuse as victims.
• The second to last bullet point of paragraph 8.6 was reworded to broadly include property repairs/damages which may indicate abuse, not just recharges.
• Paragraph 8.8 was amended to state that relevant staff 'will' be aware of perpetrators tactics rather than 'should.' The paragraph has also been streamlined for clarity.
• Paragraph 8.9 was amended to remove references to internal processes as staff will be provided with these separately.
• Paragraph 8.10 was amended to include wording from the DAHA accreditation portfolio regarding empathy. This paragraph has also been split into two, so each has its own focus (paragraph 8.10: empathetic survivor-led support and paragraph 8.11: acting without victim/survivor consent where there is an immediate risk of harm).
• Paragraph 8.16 has been streamlined for clarity.
• Paragraph 8.18 was amended to state how Officers 'will' conduct discussions with victims/survivors rather than 'should.'
• Paragraph 8.20 was inserted to further acknowledge the support we can offer those with additional barriers which can extend beyond the protected characteristics.
• Paragraph 8.22 was removed because it is no longer accurate to reference DLUHC guidance to not apply residency tests because it is now a legislative requirement.
• Detail has been added to para 8.22 (previously para 8.23) regarding why reciprocal agreements between housing authorities and providers are still beneficial for survivors and Council departments despite the recent removal of the local connection test.
• Paragraph 8.24 has been amended to include 'confidentially' in the context of record keeping.
• Paragraph 8.25 has been amended to include that staff must use respectful language when recording information.
• Paragraph 8.30 has been amended to add 'Hourglass' to the list of signposts because specific support for older people was not previously included.
• Paragraph 8.32 has been amended to clarify that the paragraph relates to victims/survivors who are joint tenants with a perpetrator.
• Paragraph 8.34 has been moved up so that paragraphs on joint tenancy are grouped together.
• Paragraph 8.38 has been edited to include reference to the legislative change regarding local connection.
• The 'victim/survivor feedback' section has been moved underneath the 'awareness and communication of this Policy' section to show resident involvement.
• The first paragraph of the 'victim / survivor feedback' section has been removed as the second paragraph adequately addresses the Council's position and 'policy@dover.gov.uk' is not used to collect feedback on housing policy.

The report pack also included an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) ³ that was completed for the policy in accordance with the council's Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). The recommendation included in the report pack was that the latest version of the Policy is approved and adopted.