Bassetlaw District Council has become the second Council in Nottinghamshire to achieve Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) accreditation, a status awarded to housing providers that deliver effective support to domestic abuse survivors.
DAHA accreditation is the UK benchmark for how housing providers should respond to domestic abuse in the UK. This now ensures that tenants and residents in Bassetlaw who are experiencing domestic abuse have a safe place to discuss concerns, and access to people who can provide appropriate assistance.
In addition, the DAHA assessment panel awarded Bassetlaw the Gold Standard accreditation after considering evidence submitted by the Council, carrying out case audits and conducting interviews with staff.
Christie Conroy, DAHA Co-ordinator said: “Achieving Gold Standard DAHA is an exceptional achievement and has only been possible through the hard work, dedication and commitment of all employees at Bassetlaw District Council.
“The partnership with Nottinghamshire Women’s Aid has ensured the DAHA process is embedded into culture, language, and frontline practice so that supporting survivors becomes instinctive across every team - creating culture change, not just compliance.
“This process will ensure survivors receive the right response, the first time and every time. The DAHA has enabled Bassetlaw District Council to ensure survivors are seen, heard and believed and perpetrators are held to account for their behaviour.”
The DAHA accreditation process included a review of the Council’s policies, procedures, and practices across all departments to ensure that they are survivor-led. Training was also delivered organisation-wide to raise awareness of the signs of domestic abuse and how to respond appropriately.
Cllr Lynne Schuller, Cabinet Member for Housing and Estates, said: “I was delighted to receive the news that we achieved Gold Accreditation, testament to the hard work and dedication to our staff and trainers. In undertaking DAHA we shared that we gave weight to the need to protect survivors of domestic abuse.
“The training undertaken by our staff has equipped them to be advocates, respond appropriately, feel safe in their knowledge and to commence the conversation. We take the safety and wellbeing of our tenants and residents very seriously, the change in culture underpinned by knowledge has empowered our staff who in turn seek to empower survivors.”
As part of achieving the accreditation, the Council worked closely with Nottinghamshire Women’s Aid to prepare for evaluation against DAHA’s 8 principle areas:
- Policies and procedures
- Publicity and awareness raising
- Partnerships and collaboration
- Safety-led case management
- Survivor-led support
- Intersectional and anti-racist practice
- Perpetrator accountability
- Staff development and support
Maja Rojsza, Regional Lead at DAHA added: “Congratulations to Bassetlaw District Council on achieving DAHA accreditation! It is commendable how much work went into delivering all training sessions, reviewing policies and processes, streamlining case management practices and publicity and awareness raising about domestic abuse.
“Council colleagues have demonstrated a caring, survivor centred approach as well as reflectiveness and openness to learning. The Council has a strong framework of policies and case management procedures as well as a strong sustainability plan, alongside a genuine care for survivors which makes us confident that they will continue to strive for best practices in responding to domestic abuse.”.
You can find out more about the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance online at: www.dahalliance.org.uk/
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or you are concerned about the way someone is treating you, you’re not alone and help is available. Bassetlaw District Council staff with teal ribbons on their lanyards have undertaken the domestic abuse awareness training and can help with signposting or referring you to local support services such as Nottinghamshire Women’s Aid (for women and children), Equation (for men and LGBTQ+) and more.
Pictured: Christie Conroy, Councillor Lynne Schuller and Alison Craig.
Last Updated on Thursday, July 10, 2025