I would like to make some points about the decision to cease funding the Women’s Refuge in Weymouth, and clear up some of the misconceptions which have appeared in the pages of the Echo.

Firstly, no one questions the important role refuges can play in providing sanctuary for victims of domestic violence.

However, times change, as do ways of tackling domestic violence, and it is no longer the case that the only way to support victims is by placing them in a refuge.

Each individual’s needs will depend on their own unique experience and the level of risk they face, and it is vital support services respond to this.

There is a desperate need for an effective outreach service across Dorset, which can provide support for victims who wish to remain in their own homes – and which can also help prevent abuse from taking place or escalating.

This is not an assumption; extensive research and consultation has been carried out with domestic violence professionals and voluntary groups, and this approach is also in line with national guidance for commissioning domestic violence services.

The new outreach service will support hundreds of victims for only a little more money currently spent on one refuge, as well as increase choice and fill a gap in existing provision.

Unfortunately, we cannot afford to operate both.

The fact is, Government funding for the supporting people programme in Dorset has fallen by £1 million in recent years.

But it is also a fact that there has been considerable improvement in the response of all agencies in addressing domestic violence in Dorset.

In the rare circumstance where a woman urgently needs to leave her home in the middle of the night, the police and other agencies will still work together to protect her.

And there will remain places at refuges in west and north Dorset, plus ones in Poole, Bournemouth and Yeovil.

This decision was recommended by the Dorset Supporting People Commissioning Group, which includes elected representatives from the county council and all six of the county’s borough/district councils, and was later approved by the county council’s cabinet.

It was not a decision taken lightly, and we understand the misgivings some people have about it.

But we firmly believe it is the right way forward to enable us to provide the best possible service to help all victims of domestic violence across the whole of Dorset.

Coun Andrew Cattaway, Cabinet member for adult social care, Dorset County Council.