Having long emphasised the need for Perpetrator Programmes in Wales to increase the safety of women and children, North Wales MS and Shadow Social Justice Minister Mark Isherwood has today raised concerns with the First Minister.
In this afternoon’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood referred to his previous calls for perpetrator programmes to be included in the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence National Strategy and asked Mark Drakeford what specific action his Government has taken in this regard.
He said:
“During the passage of the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015, I moved amendments calling for the National Strategy to include provision of at least one perpetrator programme, noting that Choose2Change was the only then current Respect-accredited programme in Wales.
“Questioning your predecessor as First Minister here in 2016, I referred to this and stated that the then Minister, although not accepting the need to include reference to perpetrator programmes, committed the Welsh Government then to gathering further evidence on taking forward pre-custodial perpetrator programmes. I asked him what action his Government was taking to facilitate that. He responded, 'These are issues that are being taken forward by the Ministerial Advisory Group and, of course, via the Strategy.'
“So, what specific action has your Government therefore taken since, where your second Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence National Strategy, published last month, six years later, refers only to the Welsh Government's intention ‘to build on the work already done in this area by increasing our collective focus on these individuals’?”
The First Minister replied:
“I think the Member makes some important points, and he's right to say that the renewed strategy seeks to build on the progress that has already been made; it would not be possible to build on progress if progress had not already happened during the first five years. I referred in my answer to Joyce Watson to the six objectives of the renewed five-year national strategy. The third of those objectives deals directly with the matters that the Member has raised this afternoon. So, of course the strategy has a focus on perpetrators of domestic violence, of course the strategy intends that those people should face up to the responsibilities for their own actions, but it also sets out ways in which practical programmes can be mobilised to help people who wish to reform and to place their lives on a different and better basis.”