Haringey Council has awarded contracts worth £3,029,958 for domestic abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) support services, ensuring the continuation of vital assistance for victim/survivors in the borough.

The contracts, approved by the cabinet on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, will run for six years, from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2032. The aim is to provide community-based specialist Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy (IDVA) support for adults, children and young people, emergency refuge accommodation, and education and prevention programmes for children and young people.

The Corporate Director of Adults, Housing and Health has been delegated authority to approve inflationary increases to the contract for Years 4 to 6, capped at the annual rate of increase in the London Living Wage. Contract pricing will remain fixed for the first three years.

Notably, the provision of Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) coordination will be brought in-house, with anticipated commencement of in-house service delivery in April 2026. The Provision of DA and Violence Against Women and Girls VAWG document does not specify the anticipated cost savings or increased efficiency expected from this change.

During the meeting, it was noted that no bids were received for Lot 3, which related to the LGBTQ+ Independent Domestic Violence and Advocacy (IDVA) Service. The Provision of DA and Violence Against Women and Girls VAWG document does not specify the steps Haringey Council will take to address this lack of bids and ensure adequate support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Additionally, tenders received for Lot 4 (Generalist Refuge Accommodation) and Lot 6 (Domestic and Gender-Based Abuse Prevention and Support for Children and Young People) did not meet the published evaluation criteria and were therefore disqualified from further consideration. The Provision of DA and Violence Against Women and Girls VAWG document does not specify what alternative arrangements will be put in place.

The council considered alternative options, including delivering the services in-house. However, this was rejected because a defining characteristic of IDVA services was their independence from the police and the local authority. The council also noted that it did not have the infrastructure and expertise to deliver culturally appropriate services which met the needs of Haringey’s communities, including ethnically minoritised women and LGBTQ+ communities.

The total maximum value of the contracts over their full duration was £3,029,958 across three separate contracts, according to the Provision of DA and Violence Against Women and Girls VAWG document. However, the document does not provide information on previous funding levels for these services, so a comparison cannot be made.