The People Overview & Scrutiny Committee of Oxfordshire Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday, 19 March 2026. The meeting's agenda includes a discussion on domestic abuse safe accommodation provision in Oxfordshire, as well as the committee's forward work plan.

Domestic Abuse - Safe Accommodation Provision in Oxfordshire

A significant item on the agenda is the provision of safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse in Oxfordshire. The committee is scheduled to consider a report on this topic, which will be presented by Councillor Kate Gregory, Cabinet member for Public Health & Inequalities, Ansaf Azhar, Director of Public Health and Communities, Serna Abel, Interim Head of Public Health Programmes & Public Health Principal (Domestic Abuse), and Shajaat Hussain, Service Manager for Oxfordshire Domestic Abuse Service. The report is expected to detail Oxfordshire County Council's statutory responsibilities under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which mandates the provision of safe accommodation for victim-survivors of domestic abuse.

The report will also outline the role of the commissioned Oxfordshire Domestic Abuse Service (ODAS) in meeting these duties and supporting the delivery of the Oxfordshire Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Strategy 2025–28. Current provision includes refuge accommodation and Places of Safety (POS) delivered by A2Dominion, with specialist therapeutic support for children provided by SAFE!. The report is expected to highlight that demand for safe accommodation continues to rise, with increasing complexity of need, and that service utilisation is impacted by effective housing move-on pathways. The Safe Accommodation Working Group (SAWG) maintains oversight of the system, reporting to the Oxfordshire Domestic Abuse Strategic Board (ODASB).

The committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to agree any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet.

Committee Forward Work Plan

The committee is also scheduled to review its forward work programme for forthcoming meetings. This will involve considering any changes from previous iterations and taking into account the Cabinet Forward Plan and the Budget Management Monitoring Report.

Committee Action and Recommendation Tracker

Finally, the committee is expected to note the progress of previous recommendations and actions arising from earlier meetings.