Agenda and minutes

The evacuation procedure was noted.

There were no interests declared.

To approve the minutes of the last meeting held on 27 November 2025.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the Community Safety Select Committee meeting which was held on 27 November 2025 for approval and signature.

AGREED that the minutes of the Committee meeting held on 27 November 2025 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To consider information in relation to this scrutiny topic from:

·       Cleveland Police

·       Early Years Providers – Survey Feedback (verbal)

The fifth evidence-gathering session for the Committee’s review of Children affected by Domestic Abuse focused on a submission from Cleveland Police and an update on the survey recently issued to the Borough’s early years providers.

CLEVELAND POLICE

As a key partner in relation to this scrutiny topic, Cleveland Police was approached for a contribution to this review.  The force had provided a response to the Committee’s lines of enquiry, and this was presented by the Stockton District Commander as follows:

·       What are Cleveland Police’s main roles / responsibilities around domestic abuse (specifically cases involving children)?: The force’s core responsibilities were protecting life and wellbeing, investigating all reports, holding offenders accountable, and adopting a multi-agency approach.  Safeguarding was child-centred (via a ‘through the eyes of a child’ principle and a specific Child Strategy commitment), with specialist measures and support in place around early intervention and referral, protective orders (Cleveland Police was one of a few forces using Domestic Abuse Protection Notices (DAPNs) and Orders (DAPOs) for longer-term safeguarding), and training and awareness.  This was all within the context of a national legal framework (Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Children Act 2004, Working Together 2023), including emergency powers where officers could enter premises and remove children to safety if they believed a child was suffering, or was likely to suffer, significant harm.

In summary, Cleveland Police’s responsibilities combined protection, investigation and prevention, underpinned by a child-first approach and strong multi-agency collaboration.  Children were treated as victims, not bystanders, and safeguarding measures extended beyond immediate response to include school notifications, protective orders, and trauma-informed practices.

·       How do force personnel identify at-risk individuals / families? How confident do they feel about spotting signs of domestic abuse?: Cleveland Police used a multi-layered approach, combining structured tools (officers applied the DASH (Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour-Based Violence) framework during initial contact, with risk graded as standard, medium or high (though officers were trained not to rely solely on tick-box scoring)), professional judgement and contextual indicators (looking beyond physical injuries and considering behavioural cues, emotional state, and environmental factors), and information-sharing with other agencies (e.g. Operation Encompass, where schools were notified when children were present at domestic incidents).

Skills in relation to this issue were enhanced by the roll-out of Domestic Abuse Matters (DA Matters) training to all officers and staff.  Developed with SafeLives and the College of Policing, this programme focused on recognising coercive / controlling behaviour and improving cultural attitudes.  Over 1,500 personnel had completed the training thus far which aimed to give staff the confidence to recognise domestic abuse and respond compassionately (though it was acknowledged that challenges remained in consistently identifying subtle signs like psychological abuse).

·       Are force staff aware of how to report domestic abuse? How does the Trust promote reporting routes and local support services?: Significant force-wide emphasis was placed on domestic abuse training so that staff knew how to address incidents (bearing in mind the majority of incidents were reported to Cleveland Police as opposed to  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS/40/25

Consideration was given to the minutes of the Safer Stockton Partnership (SSP) meeting which took place in October 2025.  Attention was drawn to the following:

·       Recorded Crime & Disorder Report: Whilst some of the recorded crime and disorder statistics had risen over the August 2024 to August 2025 period, the Committee was encouraged by the stated increase in active policing and the sense of greater trust between victims and the force which had resulted in more cases being reported.

Members also highlighted the attendance of some police cadets at recent Councillor ward surgeries and praised them for being a credit to the force.  The Committee asked if they were recognised by Cleveland Police and heard that the force internally acknowledged the work they undertook within the community.  In addition, although the cadets were not usually involved at the SSP, they could be invited to the public element of a future meeting to have the opportunity to be part of discussions.

AGREED that the minutes of the Safer Stockton Partnership (SSP) meeting which took place in October 2025 be noted.

CHAIR’S UPDATE

The Chair had no further updates.

WORK PROGRAMME 2025-2026

Consideration was given to the Committee’s current work programme.  The next meeting was due to take place on 22 January 2026 and would involve the sixth evidence-gathering session for the ongoing Scrutiny Review of Children affected by Domestic Abuse featuring contributions from housing services (Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and Thirteen Housing Group) and the Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership.

AGREED that the Chair’s Update and Community Safety Select Committee Work Programme 2025-2026 be noted.