The Home Office and The Ministry of Justice are reaffirming their commitment to supporting the victims of domestic abuse, by commissioning 3.5 full time equivalent Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA) to Bradford based charities namely, Staying Put and Domestic Violence Services Keighley (DVSK).

Staying Put and DVSK are established charities covering Bradford Metropolitan district; their mission is to protect women and their children experiencing domestic abuse. Both organisations have grown substantially and earned a reputation for developing ground-breaking and innovative services in this field. The services focus on increasing the safety and protection of women and their children in their own homes.

On average, two women a week are killed by a male partner, or former partner, constituting approximately one-third of all female homicide victims.

The primary purpose of an IDVA is to act as a victim's primary point of contact working to assess the level of risk, discuss the range of options open to them and develop coordinated safety plans.  These plans include actions from the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC) run by the Police as well as sanctions and remedies available through the criminal and civil courts and services available through other voluntary and statutory organisations.

The IDVA service has continued to play a vital role in the MARAC, and the Specialist Domestic Violence Courts (SDVC) providing a coordinated service to women who are at high risk of serious harm and domestic homicide. The IDVA service focuses on reducing risk and safety management for women and their dependants.

Bradford council as well as other key stakeholders in the domestic abuse sector supports this initiative. This development will strengthen and streamline our existing IDVA services funded by Bradford Metropolitan Council, so that women who are vulnerable and finding the process of dealing with the difficulties of ending an abusive relationship overwhelming, can gain a service from one point of contact.

This service is an initiative set up as part of the national Domestic Abuse Strategy and local Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy which sets out clear aims and objectives in order to protect victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

A few words from Shelley Black – Chair of Staying Put and Margaret York Chair of DVSK

"Once again Bradford services are at the forefront of delivering support to women and girls experiencing domestic abuse. We are delighted that we have received funding to do this extremely important work. Staying Put and DVSK provide a vital range of innovative domestic violence services and the new Independent Domestic Violence Advisers will add to an extensive range of district-wide services nationally recognised as some of the best in the country.

We are committed to doing everything we can to protect the most vulnerable people within our communities. By working closely in partnership we will continue to strive towards making our district as safe as possible for all our residents."

To receive further information on the IDVA Service for Staying Put contact a duty worker on: 01274 667104 for DVS: 01535 210999