Ealing Council denied a pregnant woman housing support because it used an outdated definition of domestic abuse, an ombudsman has found.
The woman had suffered domestic abuse and harassment at the hands of her former partner, and was sofa-surfing with family in Ealing when she approached the London borough council for help.
Although the police, her midwife and a domestic violence advisor raised concerns that she would be unsafe if she returned to her tenancy in another area, the local authority decided there were ‘no special circumstances’ to enable her to join its housing register.
An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found the council had based its decision on an outdated definition of domestic abuse limited to physical attacks, contrary to the legal definition, which includes psychological abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour – and came into force in 2021.
Ombudsman Amerdeep Somal said the council's lack of knowledge could have affected other vulnerable people in Ealing.
‘This woman had the additional distress and indignity of giving birth not knowing where she and her baby would live,’ she said.
A council spokesperson said: 'We are sorry for the procedural errors we made in this case around the statutory rules on domestic abuse, and for the impact the errors have had on this person.
'We have amended our internal procedures to be more proactive and are providing additional guidance to our officers on the statutory rules on domestic abuse.'
