26th Report - Tackling Violence against Women and Girls

Select Committee

Public Accounts Committee HC 644 16 May 2025

Report Status Response document linked Recorded deadline: 16 Jul 2025

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Conclusions & Recommendations 33 items (18 recs)

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Government response

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-sixth report from Session 2024-26 · published 18 Sep 2025

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Recommendations & Conclusions

33 results

2 Recommendation

Improve government departments' understanding of domestic abuse survivors' experiences and local service demands.

Recommendation

Government departments do not have a realistic understanding of the experiences of survivors seeking support, nor the demands faced by local services on the ground. Government departments appear to have a starkly different understanding of the support provided to survivors … Read more Government departments do not have a realistic understanding of the experiences of survivors seeking support, nor the demands faced by local services on the ground. Government departments appear to have a starkly different understanding of the support provided to survivors of domestic abuse who seek support in their local communities compared with the reality. We were particularly concerned to hear that the Ministry 3 for Housing, Communities and Local Government believes that in the majority of cases domestic abuse survivors are met with adequate support from their local authority, as this does not align with what we have learnt from our constituents. It is also clear that this disjointed understanding extends to departments’ understanding of the demands being felt by support services locally. The Chief Executive of Women’s Aid told the Committee that the demands being faced by charities are increasing both in volume and complexity. For example, an increased demand for specialist mental health support for victims and survivors of violence against women and girls following the COVID–19 pandemic. Developing technology is also contributing to changes in the nature of abuse and the methods used by perpetrators. Wider pressures on services are exacerbating these demands, for example the housing crisis is making it even harder for local authorities to provide survivors with safe accommodation and, in turn, increasing the demand for temporary refuges. Wider demands on the justice system also mean that the criminal justice process is taking longer, with family courts processes becoming harder to navigate, thus increasing the demand on independent advocacy services (IDVAs). We are particularly concerned to hear that it is common for survivors to find going through the family courts processes to be almost more abusive than having experienced abuse by the perpetrator, seeing the courts as harmful, misogynistic spaces. recommendation As part of its Treasury Minute response, th Show less

HM Treasury

26th Report - Tackling Violence against Women and Girls

Recommendations & Conclusions

Improve government departments' understanding of domestic abuse survivors' experiences and local service demands.

Mandate Home Office to outline coordinated cross-government VAWG spending and long-term funding stability.

Require Home Office to capture and share evidence of successful local VAWG initiatives.

Require Home Office to outline VAWG halving progress measurement and ensure departmental intelligence sharing.

Mandate Home Office to outline greater emphasis on preventative VAWG measures and inter-departmental collaboration.

Require DSIT to outline Online Safety Act's impact on children's safety and VAWG prevention.

Committee reviewed evidence from key organisations on tackling violence against women and girls.

Home Office expresses confidence in 'Safer Streets' mission collaboration and accountability structures.

Home Office failed to sufficiently embed specialist VAWG sector expertise in strategy development.

VAWG charities face overwhelming, complex demands, exceeding capacity due to external factors.

Specialist VAWG services inadequately equipped to support all survivors with diverse needs.

Domestic abuse survivors frequently lack adequate accommodation support despite statutory local authority duties.

Home Office lacks comprehensive understanding and central coordination of cross-government VAWG spending.

Home Office acknowledges current lack of comprehensive VAWG spending data, promising future improvements.

Short-term funding settlements critically undermine VAWG services' ability to recruit and retain specialist staff.

Financial uncertainty significantly harms smaller 'by-and-for' VAWG services crucial for diverse survivor needs.

Government lacks comprehensive understanding of effective VAWG interventions and mechanisms to share good practice.

Home Office seeks to encourage local VAWG innovation by funding evaluations and test-and-learn initiatives.

Home Office plans to nationally disseminate effective VAWG approaches through the College of Policing centre.

Home Office evidence review highlights effective VAWG interventions but reveals data gaps.

Home Office VAWG prevalence measurement strategy uses limited data and undefined headline metrics.

Inadequate data recording obscures the full extent of VAWG, particularly for minoritised groups.

Inconsistent VAWG definitions across government impede consistent progress monitoring and accurate measurement.

Lack of clear definitions for specific VAWG crime types hinders effective strategy and response.

Home Office makes little progress on VAWG prevention, straining criminal justice system capacity.

High prevalence of sexual violence and controlling behaviour affects young people aged 11-20.

DfE conducts extensive early intervention and increases funding for family domestic abuse support.

DfE's updated RSE curriculum shows potential, but lacks sufficient data on under-16s.

Operation Encompass, statutorily mandated, remains uncommenced with no clear start date.

VAWG Strategy lacks specific provisions to address harmful attitudes among boys beyond RSE.

Tech-enabled violence against women and girls represents a rapidly evolving and increasing threat.

Developing technology significantly changes abuse methods, integrating into most domestic abuse cases.

Online Safety Act contains loophole failing to legislate against non-consensual intimate imagery possession.