Policy Team Hub 

We work closely with councillors, council leaders and police and crime commissioners to improve the commissioning landscape for the specialist domestic abuse sector. We do this via meetings, events and campaigns. Some of our current activities include: 

• The Domestic Abuse Councillor Network: The Domestic Abuse Councillor Network is a platform for us to expand our engagement with councillors. Councillors who join the network receive tailored newsletters and invitations to exclusive networking events. We hope the network will help us to increase our influence by improving councillor’s understanding of the importance of specialist domestic abuse services and creating a space for councillors who are interested in domestic abuse to come together and discuss issues in their communities.
• Councillor and Commissioner Hub: The Councillor and Commissioner Hub is a space we have created to support local decision makers to deliver their duties and provide councillors and commissioners with the knowledge and tools to tackle domestic abuse, meet the needs of survivors and protect specialist domestic abuse services. The Hub includes actions councillors can take, a commissioning library, information about The Domestic Abuse Councillor Network and bespoke Women’s Aid resources.
• Commissioning: Over the last few years, we have produced resources and ran a series of workshops on good practice commissioning. Working with public benefit lawyer Julian Blake we have produced resources on alternatives to procurement in the commissioning of domestic abuse services. We also provide support to members facing commissioning issues in their area and alert the government to commissioning trends and challenges.
• National oversight of the statutory duty: Our CEO, Farah Nazeer also sits on the National Domestic Abuse and Housing Group, which was set up to oversee the implementation of the safe accommodation duty (Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act). We use insights from our engagement with members to call for greater oversight and monitoring of the statutory duty.
• How can we support you? The Policy Team at Women’s Aid can help with a range of issues faced by members, including through the provision of resources and policy materials. If you are experiencing significant issues in your local area please use this form to submit a request for support from the Policy Team. Please note: for queries or concerns in relation to your membership, please contact the Membership team. 
• Help us to influence: The Policy Team is keen to gather insights on an ongoing basis from our members about the implementation of policy and practice on the ground, to help build our evidence base and strengthen our influencing work. If you wish to update us on any commissioning or strategic changes in your area, both positive and negative, please submit an update on your local context here.