Award of Domestic Abuse Advice and Wellbeing Hub Service to Birmingham and Solihull Women's Aid

About

Birmingham City Council awarded a contract to Birmingham and Solihull Women's Aid for the provision of a local Domestic Abuse Advice and Wellbeing Hub service as part of the Vulnerable Adults Housing and Wellbeing Support Service.

The service aimed to support victims by providing early and targeted support to aid recovery and resilience, with objectives including meeting needs before escalation, avoiding or reducing statutory or higher-cost intervention, improving individual outcomes, and achieving improved demand management.

The service provided ongoing person-centered and practical advice and support to assist households in sustaining accommodation, becoming and remaining safe, improving health and wellbeing outcomes, and where necessary, assisting clients with identifying clear achievable housing goals to prevent the need to access crisis provision.

The Hub offered a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency service.

There was potential for the contract to include some aspects of statutory work within the remit of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and Homelessness legislation for people experiencing domestic violence, subject to agreement with the successful bidder and relevant legal requirements.

The service delivered a citywide service accessible to a diverse range of victims, including those with protected characteristics.

The contract lasted for 4 years and was awarded to a single provider.