Last year, West Kent launched an ambitious project to review its domestic abuse policy and procedure and to gain accreditation with DAHA (the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance).
Today, the new policy and procedure comes into effect. The involvement of a dedicated group of residents was central to the policy review. They shared their experiences to makes sure our response to domestic abuse is effective, sensitive and is led by survivors.
There will be a social media campaign to accompany the new policy to make sure residents know that if they have
concerns around domestic abuse, we can help.
Key changes in the policy include:
- The community safety team will triage initial reports and manage cases
- Staff across the organisation, including contractors will be trained in spotting signs of domestic abuse
- If staff feel ‘something’s not right’ after an interaction with a resident, they can pass their concern on quickly
- There will be an easier way for residents to report domestic abuse concerns- they can call the usual number and press 3 if they have a DA concern so they can talk to someone quickly
Julie Terry, Head of Housing Services says,
“We want to make sure that residents know that we can help if they are being affected by domestic abuse. It may be affecting them directly, or it may be they have concerns about a neighbor. In either case, if they share their concerns with us, we will listen, we will believe them, and we will hold perpetrators to account.”
DAHA have fed back that the new policy is excellent and will be used as an example to other housing providers. 
You can find out more about West Kent’s response to domestic abuse and read the full policy and procedure here.