Effective work in helping victims of domestic abuse and holding abusers to account has led to national recognition for a council team.
Peterborough City Council’s housing needs team has achieved Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) Bronze Accreditation, for its work on helping guide staff to address the needs of survivors.
The accreditation framework measures eight priority areas when considering an organisation's operations, checking that it delivers safe and effective interventions in domestic abuse.
These include publicity and awareness setting, partnerships and collaboration, survivor-led support, perpetrator accountability, and staff development.
DAHA is the only project in the UK offering a domestic abuse accreditation for the housing sector. By becoming DAHA accredited, housing providers and services are taking a stand to ensure they deliver safe and effective responses to domestic abuse.
The accreditation was gained over a two-year period and Peterborough City Council Housing Needs Service Manager Sarah Scase said that she was incredibly proud of the achievement for the team.
She said: “I especially want to recognise the extraordinary contribution from Housing Advice and Outreach Manager Ria Demirsoy, who has led this work over several years with real determination and resilience.
“Despite a number of challenges along the way she has remained focused on improving our service and making it more accessible for those fleeing domestic abuse.
“I have to also extend my sincere thanks to (Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence Partnership Manager) Vickie Crompton for her ongoing support, encouragement and advocacy, which have been instrumental in helping us reach this milestone.”
Cabinet Member for Public Health, Homelessness and Poverty Cllr Ann Shaheed said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the team and shows the depth of knowledge, ability and emotional skill in following the processes to help victims.
“The team is always striving to push further and I’m sure they will now aim to progress towards silver and gold accreditation.”