Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the civil service has implemented a policy of paid leave for staff who have experienced domestic abuse.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Civil Service is committed to raising awareness of domestic abuse and providing guidance and support to managers and employees in tackling its occurrence and effects. It is for departments to decide their domestic abuse policy and the provision of paid special leave to victims of domestic abuse.
Model policy guidance issued to departments by the Cabinet Office sets out a framework of advice and support for managers and their team members experiencing domestic abuse.
The model guidance advises managers to consider using special leave to support domestic abuse victims. Other forms of special leave may also be relevant such as emergency leave for dependants and leave for court attendances.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the civil service has implemented a domestic abuse policy for employees.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Civil Service is committed to raising awareness of domestic abuse and providing guidance and support to managers and employees in tackling its occurrence and effects. It is for departments to decide their domestic abuse policy and the provision of paid special leave to victims of domestic abuse.
Model policy guidance issued to departments by the Cabinet Office sets out a framework of advice and support for managers and their team members experiencing domestic abuse.
The model guidance advises managers to consider using special leave to support domestic abuse victims. Other forms of special leave may also be relevant such as emergency leave for dependants and leave for court attendances.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled Abuse of women runners: implications for the violence against women and girls policy agenda, published by the University of Manchester in November 2024, whether she plans to recognise women runners as a distinct group for purposes of the forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government has been clear that the level of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in our country is intolerable, and we are treating it as the national emergency that it is. Everyone should both be and feel safe whilst going about their day-to-day lives - and we recognise the particular vulnerability that women runners may feel.
We will go further than before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halve VAWG in a decade, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy, which we are aiming to publish in September.
We are working across Government to use every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence to keep all women safe.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's policy paper Giving every child the best start in life strategy, published on 7 July 2025, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that parenting support delivered as part of the strategy is evidence-based.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
As part of the ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ strategy, the department is investing in evidence-based parenting and home learning environment (HLE) interventions delivered through Best Start Family Hubs. These programmes are designed to support children’s early development across key domains, including communication and language, early literacy, cognitive skills, and social, emotional and behavioural wellbeing.
To support local authorities in commissioning high quality provision, the department will provide guidance on the commissioning of parenting and HLE interventions with a strong evidence base and proven impact. We are working in partnership with the National Centre for Family Hubs, the Foundations What Works Centre for Children & Families, and Nesta to help local areas identify and implement the most effective programmes. This will ensure greater consistency and quality across the country and support our ambition for 75% of children to achieve a good level of development by 2028.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with Homes England on the (a) design and (b) delivery of the 10-year Affordable Homes Programme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department is working closely with both Homes England and the Greater London Authority to finalise the design of the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme. We will publish a full prospectus in Autumn 2025 and open for bids in the winter.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) current waiting times and (b) levels of access to specialist counselling support for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence for people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that too many people, including survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence, are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are too long. We are determined to change that, which is why we have chosen to prioritise funding to expand NHS Talking Therapies. This means that the number of people completing a course of treatment is expected to increase by 384,000 by 2028/29. Latest data from NHS England for June 2025 shows that 89.1% of people completing Talking Therapies treatment waited less than six weeks for their first appointment, against a target of 75%. 98.6% of people completing treatment waited less than 18 weeks, against a target of 95%.
Protecting and supporting child and adult victims and survivors of sexual abuse is a core priority for NHS England, delivered through a network of 48 specialist sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) across the country. NHS England commissions SARCs through a distinct national service specification including working with specialist support services, ensuring that children and young people aged up to 18 years old receive trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate care and safeguarding support, and that adults receive tailored care that reflects their needs and rights, with clear referral pathways to health, justice, and specialist support services. NHS England does not hold national information on current waiting times and access for people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds to specialist counselling support for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
This is in addition to the support services commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has provided guidance for health and care staff on non-intimate partner coercive and controlling behaviour of older victims.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All National Health Service staff are required to complete mandatory safeguarding training which includes a focus on violence and abuse. The training reflects the definitions in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and accompanying statutory guidance which includes coercive and controlling behaviour.
NHS Safeguarding regularly shares awareness and learning for staff via national, regional, and local safeguarding networks through collaboration with peer advocacy and lived-experience services for victims. Learning materials include information on non-intimate partner coercive and controlling behaviour towards older victims.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department requires health and social care staff in multi-agency safeguarding hubs to receive safeguarding training on the risks of non-intimate partner coercive and controlling behaviour of older victims.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All National Health Service staff are required to complete mandatory safeguarding training which includes a focus on domestic abuse. Coercive and controlling behaviour is included within the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act’s definition of Domestic Abuse. Staff will undertake further safeguarding training relevant to their role.
NHS Safeguarding regularly shares awareness and learning for staff via national, regional, and local safeguarding networks through collaboration with peer advocacy and lived-experience services for victims. Learning materials include information on non-intimate partner coercive and controlling behaviour of older victims.
For non-NHS staff working in multi-agency safeguarding hubs, local authorities have a statutory duty to make enquiries about safeguarding concerns under the Care Act 2014.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department requires mandatory training in coercive and controlling behaviour for health and social care staff in multi-agency safeguarding hubs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All National Health Service staff are required to complete mandatory safeguarding training which includes a focus on domestic abuse. Coercive and controlling behaviour is included within the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act’s definition of Domestic Abuse. Staff will undertake further safeguarding training relevant to their role.
NHS Safeguarding regularly shares awareness and learning for staff via national, regional, and local safeguarding networks through collaboration with peer advocacy and lived-experience services for victims. Learning materials include information on non-intimate partner coercive and controlling behaviour of older victims.
For non-NHS staff working in multi-agency safeguarding hubs, local authorities have a statutory duty to make enquiries about safeguarding concerns under the Care Act 2014.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department requires staff in multi-agency safeguarding hubs to receive safeguarding training on the risks of non-intimate partner coercive and controlling behaviour of older victims.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Coercive and controlling behaviour (CCB) is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse and I recognise the long-term emotional and psychological distress it can cause victims, including older people.
Statutory guidance on CCB has been issued to the police and other agencies, which can be found here [Controlling or coercive behaviour statutory guidance]. In addition, the Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance is clear that older victims may face additional challenges and barriers in accessing support and that it is crucial that they get the support they need.
Multi-agency safeguarding hubs have a crucial role to play in the safeguarding system by keeping vulnerable adults, including vulnerable people, safe. Multi-agency safeguarding hubs are non-statutory, and models and ways of working vary between areas. As these are local initiatives, local authorities are best placed to make decisions on the training and guidance required for staff.
The Government is committed to tackling the abuse of older people. We are providing the specialist organisation Hourglass with £532,121 this year. This funding will provide enhanced helpline support with a focus on reaching marginalised communities across England and Wales by providing more training to staff in their organisation and external agencies.