1. Does your organisation’s Case Management and Recording system facilitate tagging case files where honour based abuse has been identified?
Any concerns relating to honour based abuse would be recorded in free text fields. We would therefore need to review every case manually to complete this question. The number of assessments in the year 2019 – 2020, for example, was approximately 3,800. We estimate that it would take at least two minutes to check each file, which would be well in excess of the appropriate costs limit under section 12 of the Freedom of information Act 2000.
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2. the number of initial assessments carried out for children because they were identified as at risk of honour-based abuse?
Any concerns relating to honour-based abuse would be recorded in a free text field on the Devon County Council system, we would therefore need to manually review each case in order to respond to this question.
From our preliminary assessment, we estimate that compliance with this request would exceed the appropriate costs limit under section 12 of the Freedom of information Act 2000. This is currently £450 or 18 hours of officer time.
3. the number of initial assessments carried out for vulnerable adults because they were identified as at risk of honour-based abuse?
Our initial assessments do not provide detail of if they are honour based violence, as this is only part of the adult safeguarding referral, therefore Devon County Council (DCC) does not hold this information.
4. how many MARAC referrals have been received for victims experiencing honour based abuse?
Devon County Council is not responsible for MARAC referrals and so this information is not held by Devon County Council. Please contact Devon and Cornwall Police for this information.
5. the number of assessments of entitlement to housing for people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness identified as experiencing honour-based-abuse?
Devon County Council is not responsible for dealing with homelessness; this is the responsibility of the District and Unitary authorities in Devon, therefore this information is not held.
6. how many domestic homicide reviews were undertaken during the period 2017 – 2020?
Between 2017 and 2020 there were six domestic homicide reviews.
7. From 2017 – 2020, how many of the domestic homicide reviews related to victims impacted by Honour Based Abuse? Of these, how many victims were female? How many were male? How many were under the age of 18?
Between 2017 – 2020 none of the domestic homicide reviews related to victims impacted by honour based abuse.
8. Is training provided to staff about honour based abuse?
Yes, within the context of our safeguarding training. It is not a separate learning and development offer.
This subject matter is fully covered within the Level 1 E Learning Awareness of Safeguarding Adults training package. This is an E-learning package – there is no external provider delivering this content. This E-learning package is provided and funded by the Torbay and Devon Safeguarding Adult Partnership, not Devon County Council Adult Social Care. DCC Adult Social Care employees are required to attend to this E-learning package.
Then there is the Level 2 – Responding to Safeguarding Adult Concerns. This if for Adult Social Care Employees only. Devon County Council fund this training package, and Spectrum is the external provider that delivers this training course for DCC. There is reference again within this training to Honour Based abuse and forced marriage as recap to what employees should have learnt having attended to the E-learning course as detailed above
9. If training is delivered, which staff receive or are eligible to receive this training? Is training compulsory and how is attendance / completion measured?
Please the intercollegiate document which shows how we structure our training. This is the Safeguarding Board approved training. Item 4.8 references honour based violence. All workers in adult social care are expected to undertake this training up to level 2. This is mandatory training and we have a mechanism to track and report issues around non-completion of the training.
10. What format does this training take place (e.g. e-learning, face to face? How long does this training take to complete? How frequently is the training completed?
The training is via Microsoft teams as we are not undertaking face to face training at this time. All workers undertake an eLearning course and one day of safeguarding training at Level 2. Qualified professionals and managers undertake additional training in addition to this. We offer additional courses in a range of topics over and above this including domestic abuse for example. This training is completed every five years.
11. If training is provided, pleased provide a copy of the course objectives.
Please see the intercollegiate document for the course objectives.
12. Is honour-based abuse and forced marriage included within your safeguarding training framework?
Please see the response to question 8.
13. Who delivers your honour-based abuse and forced marriage training? For example, external provider, in house/internally? If this is provided by an external provider, please state who this is.
Please see the response to question 8.
14. How is the local authority assured that the honour-based abuse and forced marriage training provider is suitably qualified to deliver the training?
A robust tendering process was undertaken early in 2021 for a safeguarding and Mental Capacity Act learning and development provider.
15. How many times has honour-based abuse and forced marriage training been provided between 01.04.2018 – 31.03.19, 01.04.19 – 31.03.20, & 01.04.2020 31.03.2021?
Please see the response to question 8. As this is an E-learning package, it is available at all times.
16. How many people have attended/completed training between 01.04.2018 – 31.03.19, 01.04.19 – 31.03.20, & 01.04.2020 31.03.2021?
Please see the response to question 8. As this is an E-learning package, it is available at all times.
Level 1 E-Learning Awareness of Safeguarding Adults:
1st April 2019 – 31st March 2020: 215 delegates completed this.
1st April 2020 – 31st March 2021: 82 delegates completed this
From the 1st April 2018 to 31st March 2019 we did have a course named Level 2 Raising Safeguarding Adult Concerns E-Learning : 86 delegates completed this one, however, it did not cover the issues of Honour Based Abuse or Force Marriage.
Level 2 – Responding to Safeguarding Adult Concerns
Honour based abuse and forced marriage are only touched on within this training course as a recap. The main education in this area is within the Level 1 E-learning mentioned above.
17. Which types of professionals have attended honour-based abuse and forced marriage training between 01.04.2018 – 31.03.19, 01.04.19 – 31.03.20, & 01.04.2020 31.03.2021? For example, social workers, police officers, voluntary sector.
All workers in adult social care are expected to undertake the TDSAP Level 1 Elearning Awareness of Safeguarding Adults Training course. This course covers different types of abuse within which honour based abuse and force marriage is covered. This is mandatory training and we have a mechanism to track and report issues around non-completion of the training.
18. Please provide a copy of the training material.
This material is copyrighted to the external provider.