6. Will the Deputy Minister make a statement on the training available to recognise and tackle coercive control? OAQ54086

We continue to support the public sector workforce to be able to identify coercive control through our national training framework. I also launched the ‘This is Not Love. This is Control’ campaign in January, which focuses on raising awareness of coercive control, domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Thank you for your answer. I was very involved in work that resulted in the introduction of the coercive control law when I was in Westminster so this is an area very close to my heart, but legislation is only as good as its implementation, and there remain concerns about the take-up of training in this area. Until all public services receive training of the highest standard, we are unlikely to see a change in attitudes towards this pernicious crime. Now, whilst I appreciate that some of the picture, including policing, will be a reserved matter for Westminster, can I ask what steps Welsh Government are taking to ensure that all relevant public service providers are receiving training in not just the realities of coercive control but the need to signpost survivors to help? Until all survivors get that, we're going to see a system where some people are going to be punished by a system where some providers realise what the horrors are that they're going through whilst others don't.

Well, I thank Delyth Jewell for this really important question, particularly given the fact that we have that recent case, the Sally Challen case, bringing this insidious topic of coercive control to the forefront of national news.

I think, as you say, training is key. It's part of our national strategy. Through the national training framework, we have trained over 142,000 professionals in the public sector workforce in Wales, and it is at different levels. We've got over 3,000 professionals being trained in our early intervention and prevention training, 'Ask and Act', where identifying coercive control is a key aspect, but the national training framework has six different groups to ensure that we reach out to those who are nearest to women particularly who are at risk, catching the widest audience in terms of group 1, raising awareness of the violence against women and domestic abuse legislation, and moving to those professionals with frequent contact with potential victims to those whose specialism is tackling violence against women, and also to leaders as well. We are currently planning regional workshops for public sector leaders—those with commissioning and planning responsibilities—and we also have a strength in leadership series of films, which has been viewed over 7,800 times. So, training-the-trainer training has been completed by 20 professionals in mid and West Wales.

I appreciate that this is about reaching out to the professionals who are at the forefront and the sharp end of being able to address this issue, and I'm very glad that you brought this to our attention to show what is being done in terms of the national strategy delivering on our pioneering legislation.

Thank you, Deputy Minister.