THERE has been an increase in the number of referrals for migrant victims of domestic abuse and honour-based violence during the Covid-19 crisis, a Bradford Council report says.

Councillors on Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee are due to meet next Tuesday to discuss the Councils response in helping vulnerable people during the pandemic.

A report to the committee outlines the work of the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) team.

This is a condition applied to people in the country with a temporary immigration status to protect public funds.

Amnesty International says this applies to people who are undocumented, but also to people who have the right to live and work in the UK, and who may have been living and working in the UK for many years.

In looking at the work of the team, the report says: Since the beginning of the pandemic the NRPF Team has seen the number of referrals per week increase by 100 per cent.

The service has seen cases that would not normally be referred to them such as individuals and families with NRPF who have lost their jobs due to non-essential businesses closing.

Most single adults with no recourse to public funds presenting as destitute are not in need of care and support, so the Care Act powers and duty will not usually apply.

It says the team has provided support with accommodation and subsistence to all individuals who have become destitute as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

It adds: The team has also seen an increase in the number of referrals for victims of domestic abuse and honour-based violence.

The report also gives an update on care homes.

It says that of June 26, four care homes were reporting either a confirmed or suspected outbreak of Covid-19 - down from 32 homes on May 14.

The report says: A rolling programme of re-testing of all staff within care homes regardless of whether they display symptoms or not is now offered to all care homes across the district and is being actively accessed. Since the establishment of local testing arrangements, over 6,000 tests have been undertaken via this arrangement with 95 per cent being within adult and learning disability care homes and an average of 200 swabs per day are now being routinely performed.

It also says: A number of measures were put in place to support providers on financial challenges arising from Covid-19, which ranged from rising costs, around PPE and staffing, to managing the reductions in placements, also known as voids, as a result of reductions in placements and mortality.

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Bradford sees rise in referrals for migrant victims of domestic abuse and honour-based violence - Bradford Telegraph and Argus