Swindon Borough Council has issued a statement regarding its decision to hand key domestic abuse support contracts to Hampshire-based charity The You Trust.
Yesterday Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service, which has worked in the town for 50 years, said a borough council decision would mean the loss of the current integrated service supporting victims and preventing offending.
SDASS issued a statement saying, in part: "The charity, which was set up in Old Town in 1974 by Jenni Manners, has managed the refuge and community support on behalf of Swindon Borough Council since 2012.
"Just last month, it achieved the highest possible accreditation of the quality of service they provide to victims of domestic abuse from national organisation Women’s Aid.
"In January of this year, Queen Camilla visited the charity to mark its anniversary year and found out first-hand how the innovative programmes were helping change the future of domestic abuse."
A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: "During the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of our contracts with voluntary sector service providers were extended to focus the effort of council staff and service providers on supporting the community.
“The Swindon Women’s Aid contract had been in place for the maximum period possible, before we were legally required to run a competitive procurement exercise.
“This process gave other organisations the opportunity to bid for the new contract, ensuring that future service provision represents the best quality and value to residents and tax payers.
“The outcome of the procurement is that a new provider, The You Trust, will be providing domestic abuse support in Swindon from 01 October 2024. Having reviewed the process back in July, we are satisfied that the process was robust and fair to all bidders. Swindon Women’s Aid also reviewed this process in July.
“We recognise that this is a disappointing outcome for Swindon Women’s Aid which currently holds the contract, but we’d like to thank them for their hard work and dedication to Swindon and welcome its intention to maintain a role in supporting victims of domestic abuse in the Borough.”
New contractor The You Trust's website - https://theyoutrust.org.uk/ - lists a registered address in Fareham, Hampshire, lists service ranging from domestic abuse support to care homes and supported living.
The council's decision, along with a procurement announcement which left the future of Swindon Carers Centre uncertain earlier this week, prompted a furious response from the Conservative opposition.
Cllr Lawrence Elliott, Shadow Cabinet member for Adult Services, said: “I am absolutely appalled at the Council’s decision to award the contract for the management of the town’s refuge and support for victims of domestic abuse within Swindon’s local community, away from Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service (SDASS).
"This award winning specialist charity based in the heart of our town has been managing these vital services for the past 50 years with great success.
"To lose this important contract a month after achieving the highest possible accreditation of the quality of service they provide to victims of domestic abuse from national organisation ‘Women’s Aid’, must be a real kick in the teeth.
"The fault clearly lies with the administration’s handling of this procurement process and not the charity. I’d like to know what help the council gave SDASS in preparing the tender! Smaller charities can be disadvantaged by a process that fails to appreciate social value in considerations and doesn’t fully comprehend the economic and added value of delivering services locally with local suppliers.
"Shame on the Council and we can now only hope that the upheaval caused by this will not result in the loss of the support to victims of domestic abuse and those perpetrators who are undergoing prevention training and who are being helped to stop reoffending.”
Conservative Group Leader Cllr Gary Sumner said: “It is becoming a worrying trend – yesterday we heard that Swindon Carers Centre who provide vital services and support to over 5,700 carers in the town, had lost their contract after 27 years and now this!
"I would like to see SBC talking to these small charities and really listen to the advantages and connections that they bring to highly vulnerable people. As a council, we should be looking to smaller local organisations with a wealth of local experience and knowledge and who bring added value to what provisions are out there across the town.
"Let’s accept that they may need a little more support and let’s help them to retain these essential contracts after delivering them successfully for so long.”
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