Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions the Department has had with Birmingham City Council on safeguarding requirements for supported exempt accommodation, including (a) individual needs and risk assessments, (b) the suitability of shared placements for survivors of domestic abuse and (c) arrangements for reporting safeguarding concerns.

This government is implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, which will introduce licensing and national supported housing standards across England. The standards include the requirement for a needs assessment to be completed for each resident, for all staff to be trained in safeguarding including on domestic abuse, and for providers to have a clear and simple complaints procedure in place. Further information on the standards, which can be found here. My officials continue to work closely with Birmingham City Council to address concerns about supported exempt accommodation in the city.

Under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Tier 1 local authorities in England are required to assess local need and commission safe accommodation support for victims of domestic abuse and their children. To support delivery of this duty, the Department has provided £499 million over 2026-27 to 2028-29. Birmingham City Council has been allocated £4,251,985 in 2026-27 to support the provision of domestic abuse safe accommodation services.

Statutory guidance to local authorities is available here, providing further details on how the duty should be delivered. This makes clear that support in shared domestic abuse safe accommodation should be delivered in single-sex settings, with support tailored to victims’ safety and support needs.

Local authorities have statutory safeguarding duties, providers and residents can raise concerns with the relevant local authority for appropriate action.