The Government has asked to hear from organisations that offer treatment services for domestic abuse perpetrators as part of a plan to address the problem.

In a recently published request for information, issued by the Ministry of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, the Government sought information about domestic abuse perpetrator services and models of intervention available on the island.

“This information will assist in the determination of preferred partnership(s) to enhance the island's domestic-abuse response and funding of the same,” the RFI stated.

Documents included with the RFI said that SafeLives, a British charity focused on ending domestic abuse, carried out a review of Bermuda’s response to abuse in 2022.

“Their review included a systems-wide assessment of the current local landscape, identifying data and ongoing monitoring opportunities, consulting with service users and providers to understand risk and protective factors,” the RFI documents said.

“The review included an assessment of the island’s service provision to ‘those who harm’ or those commonly referred to as perpetrators of domestic abuse.”

The review found that there were very limited specialist services to deal with perpetrators and a lack of knowledge about what resources were in place.

The charity recommended the commission of perpetrator services to create robust programmes, embedding perpetrator services within the criminal justice system and building links between perpetrator programmes and domestic abuse support services to make sure survivors were appropriately supported and protected.

It was announced in the Throne Speech this month that the Government intended to introduce a “more comprehensive approach” to domestic violence, including the creation of a domestic-violence court programme.

As part of the RFI, organisations were asked to provide information about their “structure and focus”, along with details about their teams, areas of expertise and services offered.

The RFI also called on agencies that intend to launch domestic abuse perpetrator services to provide details of the proposed programmes, such as the anticipated start date, the model proposed and the qualifications of the team to provide the services.

Respondents were urged to submit their information and a signed respondent submission form before 5pm on December 6.