SNAP Cymru
10 Coopers yard
Curran Road
Cardiff CF10 5NB Denise.inger:snapcymru.org
www.snapcymru.org
01.09.14
GBV 62
Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee
Gender-based Violence, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales)
Bill : Stage 1
Response from: SNAP Cymru
SNAP Cymruis the second largest advice giver in Wales. We hold the Specialist Advice Givers’ Quality Mark, Investors in People, Investors in Volunteers and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award for Volunteering.
Our team helps families make informed decisions about educational placements and provision from Health, Education, Social Services and other agencies. Our teams of trained experienced staff and volunteers help families work in partnership and maintain good working relationships with relevant professionals. They assist families to play an active role in their child’s development and assists agencies and schools in continuing to develop good working practices with parents/carers, placing the child at the centre of all planning and decision making.
The service helps families access a range of support services, information, advice, guidance and provides practical help with letters, filling in forms and understanding professional reports: also gives support at meetings. The model of working is empowerment, facilitating partnership and solution focussed discussions to avoid or reduce conflict.
The service covers: Advice on rights and responsibilities, Additional needs (age range 0 – 25) covering education, discrimination and disability.
The service further provides: support for Parent Groups and young people, Advocacy, Disagreement Resolution, facilitates family consultation events regarding local and national policy and offers accredited training to families, carers, young people and professionals.
Given that violence against females is twice as likely to be reported as violence against males this is an issue that has to be tackled and SNAP Cymru agrees that the “do nothing” option is not any option at all.
Given the cost to the economy of gender related violence the three year cost of implementing a national strategy, backed by legislation and engaging a ministerial advisor, is reasonable.
There is a great deal of talk in the memorandum about all violence but violence against children generally, and violence against female children in particular, is not commented on in anything like the detail that statistics for violence against the population 16+ are given.
SNAP Cymru believes that children should be a particular focus of this legislation tackling any and all violence against them in all circumstances and making any form of physical chastisement against the law. This would enhance the effectiveness of meeting the aims of the bill.
SNAP Cymru believes that the guidance should encompass poverty, homelessness, disability and additional need in considering how gender related violence spawns and hides in our communities. The guidance should not shrink from condemning and making illegal violence from all groups and in all circumstances.
SNAP Cymru expects that the content of the proposed bill is rigorously tested to ensure that there is no discrimination that can arise from this, that its effect on the poverty agenda has been considered and that the needs and rights of disabled people and children have been considered and enforced.
Contact: Denise Inger
Tel: 02920348990