1. Page 1
Adult Social Care,
Joint Commissioning
Collaborative
Lot 3-Supporting People Service –Domestic Violence Pathway
Service Specification
FOR THE PURCHASE OF

2. Page 2
Introduction
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (LBRuT) is seeking to commission a single
provider or a consortium to deliver the domestic violence accommodation and floating support
service. The primary purpose of the service is to provide emergency accommodation and
temporary refuge to women and their children who are experiencing or fleeing domestic
violence and abuse.
Supporting victims of domestic violence abuse is a priority within the community safety plan.
Providers will use the CAADA DASH risk assessment to develop a service pathway to
safeguard and meet individual needs.
Referral to the refuge can be made through the hotline service which is operated 24/7
Refuge Accommodation
 The Refuge accommodation service will run from 2 separate accommodations known
as house 1&2 total numbers of units are 15. The accommodation service will be
available for a maximum of 6-9months and on an exceptional basis this may be
extended. The accommodation is self-contained with communal shared facilities.
 The support workers will help, support and encourage women with emotional and
practical support regardless of whether she is a local resident or not as care and
support and provide support where relevant to be placed in the refuge
accommodation..
Floating support
 The floating support service in the community will be provided for women either in their
own homes, independent or private accommodation for a maximum period of 3-6
months.
The Provider will give information on how this service can be provided flexibly to be
able to respond to the diverse needs of women experiencing or fleeing from domestic
violence abuse situations.
The current data suggest
On average a victim will attempt to flee the perpetrator 32 times before they are successful.
The smallest of barriers can send them straight back to their abuser. They know that when
there is effective national coverage that for each victim from outside their area they offer
support to a victim from their own area will seek assistance elsewhere.
In Richmond:
 Currently 13/14 there were 15 women in the accommodation based service and
 14 women in receipt of floating support at any one time within this service.

3. Page 3
Overviewof
the service
and
outcomes
Domestic Violence Service
The Domestic Violence service entails two key elements which form
the pathway and this consists of the women’s refuge accommodation
and floating support service in the women’s own home. The referral
acceptance into the women’s refuge accommodation or service can
only be determined through using the CAADA DASH risk assessment
this establishes the severity of the risk e.g. high or low risk.
A support plan will be developed to support the women through the
domestic violence abuse pathway where clients will be able to and
access a range of services in the private, statutory community and
voluntary sectors.
The service will also support women fleeing domestic violence who
may often have complex needs this may include; drug or alcohol
addictions, a mental illness or a mild learning disability and not
necessarily from Richmond. Therefore the service provider should not
automatically exclude women from this service unless they pose a
threat or harm to themselves/their children, or other women and their
children or staff. Following assessment and agreement women should
be referred to relevant agencies.
Women Refuge Accommodation Service
The refuge accommodations will be used as a short term service from
6 to 9 months depending on need to ensure that women and their
children are safeguarded away from the perpetrator and away from
harm.
The Provider will support women living in the accommodation to
access various support including but not an exhaustive list, emotional
support, counselling, other therapeutic support, attend court and/or
seek legal advice.
Providers will also be liaising with various agencies such as housing,
benefit agency, education departments, legal services etc. and
supporting women to resettle in to their community following move on
is part of this service encouraging links with voluntary and statutory
agencies and peer to peer support locally.
Service Units
Refuge Accommodation House 1 8
Refuge Accommodation House 2 7
Floating support 15

4. Page 4
Floating Support Service
The floating support service will be provided to women who are living in
their own homes or in temporary accommodation in the borough with
practical help and advice to lead independent lives by gaining or
regaining skills to prevent homelessness. The floating support service
will be for 3-6 months in a planned way.
The floating support service will be flexible to meet individual need and
made available for evening and weekends.
Partnership Working
The provider will be expected to attend the: Multi-Agency Risk
Assessment Conferences (MARAC) administered by the community
safety partnership, the service should also be represented at a
Domestic Abuse Forum (DAF) and the Domestic Abuse Operations
Group (DAOG)Richmond domestic violence forum, in addition there
should be a link to the local children and adult safeguarding boards,
social services, etc.
The Provider will work in partnership with statutory, independent,
community and voluntary sectors and agencies in order to meet a
range of needs for women and their children., or have had additional
support
Service
Activity
The provider and staff employed will ensure the needs of the women at
risk and their children at risks and their children are paramount in
delivering the service.
The provider will:
Meet individual needs and establish life skills
 Following an assessment process the women at risk will work with
the provider who will develop a support plan which meets their short
and long term goals and aspirations.
 The provider will work with the women at risk to enable them to put
in place SMART actions to achieve and review these goals and
aspirations.
 The provider will manage a Key Worker system providing the
women at risk with a named Key Worker who will engage and
support the service user.
Promote and achieve wellbeing in relation to mental and physical
health
 Ensure the women at risk registers with a G.P
 Enable the women at risk to improve responsibility for physical
health
Engage in meaningful day time activities

5. Page 5
 Enable women at risk to engage in training and education
 Enable the women at risk to have improved use of their time,
including hobbies/ leisure activities
 Enable the women at risk to have improved work skills (in work-
related training – volunteer work etc.)
 Enable the women at risk to have improved employability
 Enable the women at risk to have social networks
Maintain healthy relationships
 Establish life skills
 Develop and maintain access to other community services and
actives for example, voluntary groups GPs, signposting to culture
specific services
 Establish social activities/reduce social isolation
Improve economic wellbeing
 Support the women at risk to establish/ maintain claims for housing
& other key benefits
 Support the women at risk not to have rent arrears or debts and
where applicable to engage with a plan to reduce rent arrears/ debts
 Support the women at risk to have paid employment
Planned move on and tenancy sustainment
 From initial assessment and support planning establish with the
women at risk a move on plan
 Work with the women at risk to sustain the tenancy in the service
preventing evictions and abandonment
 Within 6 months move the women at risk on in a planned way,
 Support the women at risk to access move on accommodation
 To manage expectations of women at risk in respect of them
obtaining local authority housing within Richmond
 Where women at risk has ongoing support needs to manage an
orderly transition to appropriate floating support, self-directed
support (SDS) or other support services.

6. Page 6
Service core
principles
and
standards
The service delivery must be underpinned by the following core
principles and evidence of compliance will be required.
 People must be treated as individuals and each person’s dignity,
privacy and independence will be promoted,
 Peoples uniqueness in respect of sexual ordination, age, disability,
ability, race, religion, culture and lifestyle will be acknowledged and
respected,
 People will be treated in line with theHuman Rights Act,
 Service are delivered flexibly to meet peoples changing
circumstances,
 Embedding service user/family carer consultation and engagement,
 Empowering service users to realise their full potential and
aspirations to move towards independence and community
engagement/participation
 Reducing social isolation and wider integration,
 Working with service users to achieve their goals and outcomes
The service will be based on the individuals assessed needs to:
 Access to local community organisations
 Advice, advocacy and liaison
 Enabling women at risk to keep their own rooms tidy
 Developing domestic/life skills
 Developing social skills/ behaviour management
 Emotional support, counselling and advice
 Help finding other accommodation
 Help in establishing personal safety and security
 Help in establishing social contacts and activities
 Help in gaining access to other services
 Help in maintaining the safety and security of the dwelling
 Help in managing finances and benefit claims
 Help in setting up and maintaining home or tenancy
 Liaison with Probation
 Peer support and befriending
 Risk assessment
 Signposting to culture specific health/treatment services
 Signposting to culture specific legal services
 Supervision of health and well being
Eligibility Access to the service will be for female aged 18 years and over, single
young girls aged 16 years and over and boys up to the aged of 14years
and over will be accepted if they are part of the household, and can be
placed as a family at the women’s refuge accommodation in a self-
contained unit. (It is generally inappropriate for young men over the
age of 14 to be in communal refuge accommodation, however
acceptance will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and taking into

7. Page 7
account individual circumstances). The accommodation will support
women at high risk to be safe and secure.
Referral The Provider shall develop a referral pathway for agencies to refer into
for women fleeing domestic violence and keep records of referral
routes to the service which can be:
 Housing
 Police
 Refuge
 IDVA
 Richmond Housing
 Richmond Homelessness Service
 Self-Referral
 DV Forum
 MARAC
 Children’s Centre
 Health Agencies
 Social Care
Staffing The Provider will ensure that staff has a recognised qualification either
in social work/housing/legal counselling qualification or experience of
providing direct emotional practical support. Staff must be competent
to carry out the tasks in accordance with the role and have advanced
enhanced CRB checks.
Staff will need to maintain confidentiality, professional boundaries and
security, when working with women experiencing or fleeing domestic
violence abuse, staff and external bodies.
The Provider have in place an induction and development programme
and maintain it as appropriate to meet the needs of people with whom
the provider will work with. They will provide a copy to the Council
upon request.
The Provider will be expected to have a well-trained and competent
workforce and are invited to participate in relevant Council training
programmes. The Provider will have responsibility to ensure that all its
staff are appropriately trained in Safeguarding Adults at risk, MARAC
and Domestic violence abuse and attend Council training where
appropriate.
Safeguarding The provider must have a clear written and communicated policy and
procedure on risk management. The provider will have specific
procedures
for dealing with the following:

8. Page 8
 Inability to gain access.
 Domestic emergencies.
 Service user missing, injured, ill or dead.
The Provider must follow PAN London and the London Borough of
Richmond upon Thames’ Multi Agency policy and procedures on
children’s Safeguarding and Adults at Risk. Providers will also be
responsible for adhering to the standards and regulations in respect of
Safeguarding as directed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and
specified by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities
2010).
The service provider must be aware of and follow both the
MARACprotocol and the MARAC Domestic Abuse information
sharing protocol.
The provider will have written policies and procedures in place that will
safeguard service users from any form of abuse or exploitation
including physical, financial, psychological, sexual abuse, neglect,
discriminatory abuse or self harm or inhuman or degrading treatment
through deliberate intent, negligence or ignorance. A copy of the
Providers` policy and procedures will be available and provided to the
Council upon request.
The provider will have robust policies and procedures for responding to
suspicion or evidence of abuse or neglect (including whistle blowing) to
ensure the safety and protection of service users. The procedures must
be fully compatible with the PAN London and the London Borough of
Richmond upon Thames’ Multi Agency policy and procedures on
Safeguarding Adults at risk.
The provider will ensure that its staff are appropriately trained and
apply and follow these policies and procedures at all times.
The provider will ensure that all staff are made aware of and are
familiar with these policies and procedures and that they are informed
of any changes. This will include but not be restricted to the provider’s
staff induction process and periodic refresher training.
The provider will publicise its ‘Safeguarding Adults’ policy and
procedure
to all staff, volunteers, service users and carers in ways which are
appropriate and accessible and provide a copy for the Council.
The provider will have clear, accessible and well-publicised complaints
procedures. This includes information about how to complain to the
Council
and to external bodies such as regulators and Service commissioners,
and will be cross-referenced with the Provider’s ‘Safeguarding Adults’

9. Page 9
procedures. Relevant advocacy and advisory Services are to be well-
publicised. The provider will have a procedure by which staff and/or
volunteers can raise concerns and protection for ‘whistleblowers’ in
accordance with the Public Interest.
Performance
Monitoring
Reporting
Providers will be expected to report on performance and meaningful
outcomes through the delivery of the service, to ensure the Provider is
meeting its contractual obligations and the need to have both
qualitative and quantitative data to assess the impact of the service.
Details are provided below.
Performance Measure-
Floating Support
How it will be
measured
target
KPI 6 Percentage of service users
occupying refuge hostel units
successfully closed
Council –
Performance
Indicator Workbook
65%
SPI 1 Accommodation based
Utilisation Level
Council –
Performance
Indicator Workbook
95%
SPI 2 Floating support Utilisation
Level
Council –
Performance
Indicator Workbook
95%
The detailed outcome indicators that sit under each of the outcome
domains are as follows:
Economic Wellbeing
 Maximise income, including receipt of the right benefits
 Reduce overall debt
 Obtain paid work/ Participate in paid work
Enjoy and achieve
 Participate in chosen training and/ or education, and where
applicable, achieving desired qualifications
 Participate in chosen leisure/ cultural / faith/ informal learning
activities
 Participate in chosen work like/ voluntary/ unpaid work activities
 Establish contact with external service/ family/friends
Be Healthy
 Better manage physical health
 Better manage mental health
 Better manage substance misuse
 Better manage independent living as a result of assistive
technology/ aids and adaptations

10. Page
10
Stay Safe
 Maintain accommodation and avoid eviction
 Comply with statutory orders and processes (in relation to
offending behaviour)
 Better manage self-harm, avoid causing harm to others, minimise
harm/risk of harm from others
Make a Positive Contribution
 Greater choice and/or involvement and/or control at service level
and within the wider community
Record
keeping
The Provider shall maintain records for each service user to whom the
service has been provided to and any other documents that are around
the support package or tenancy. The records shall be made available
to the Council upon request. In addition to the record keeping
requirements the following should also be recorded for each service
user:
Detailed service user contact sheets
Details of referral
Details of initial assessment
Details of support plan and support reviews
Details of service users tenancy
Any other documentation relating to the service users support
package or tenancy
Health Needs Audit