Refuges providing sanctuary to victims of domestic violence are running out of space, with many full or effectively closed amid an “epidemic inside this pandemic”, the victims’ commissioner has told MPs.

A “perfect storm” of problems is in danger of overwhelming support services for those trying to escape violent and abusive partners, Dame Vera Baird QC warned members of the House of Commons justice select committee.

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A sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths from Coronavirus

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She also said on Tuesday there was evidence of a newer trend, of older children – principally teenagers – attacking their parents amid frustration about being unable to go outside.

The former solicitor general reinforced concerns about the rapid rise in domestic violence cases during lockdown. Earlier this month, she warned that domestic abuse killings were up to twice as high as normal since lockdown measures confined millions of people to their homes, although the sample size was small.

“There was always going to be an epidemic [of domestic violence] inside this pandemic,” Baird said. “It should have been flagged up a lot earlier. There have been stories from social services of people not being able to obtain admission to [family] homes [to investigate] because they have been told, inappropriately, they haven’t got personal protective equipment (PPE).

“Ministers are working very hard but they are all working in their own silos. It’s imperative that there be more accommodation made available for victims of domestic violence. Refuges are full, others are in lockdown because of coronavirus [so can’t take in new victims].”

There were 72 refuge vacancies in England on 3 April, compared to 170 on the same day last year. The Women’s Aid Annual Survey 2017, carried out on a single day, found there were 3,557 women with 3,919 children and young people staying in refuges across all services in England.

“There’s very little accommodation,” Baird said. “Universities and hotels have been offering help” but they cannot provide the specialist services required, she added.

An intergovernmental group involving both the Ministry of Justice and Home Office should be established to deal with the problem, Baird urged, with the victims’ commissioner and domestic abuse commissioner also involved.

A survey published by Women’s Aid on Tuesday found that over two-thirds of survivors contacted this month said that domestic abuse was escalating under lockdown; 72% said their abuser has more control over their life since Covid-19.

Over three-quarters (78%) of victims, the survey found, reported that Covid-19 has made it harder for them to leave their abuser. One survivor said: “I wanted to leave the relationship. However, since Covid-19 and the lockdown coming into effect, it has made it harder to leave. I am a key worker who is around Covid positive patients, so I don’t feel like I can go home and stay with my parents.”

Womens’ Aid said there was a severe shortage of refuge places even before the pandemic. There were about 300 refuges in England and Wales in 2017 but funding has been cut.

Lucy Hadley, campaigns and policy manager at Women’s Aid, said: “Demand for refuge services far outstripped supply before the Covid-19 crisis. Sixty-four per cent of refuge referrals were declined in 2018-19, and the number of refuge bed spaces in England is 30% below the number recommended by the Council of Europe. These life-saving services are now on the frontline of the response to the pandemic.

“They are now facing staff shortages, lost income, challenges in managing social distancing within communal accommodation, and restrictions on resettling women and children into long-term housing. This simply means the spaces we have are even less accessible to survivors.”

Baird also told the justice committee that there is “some suggestion of abuse by older children on parents” during the coronavirus lockdown. “This is a newer kind of domestic abuse which is probably suggestive of kids wanting to go out and not being allowed to. We are talking teenagers.”

Calls to domestic violence helplines have rocketed, she said, although complaints to the police have not gone up commensurately. “There are real worries about access to any help if you are locked down with the perpetrator in the next room.”

Labour’s shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, has criticised the government’s announcement that it is providing just over £3m in emergency aid. “That is why Labour has set out an urgent £75m plan to fund charities working to protect people suffering from domestic abuse,” he said.

In the Commons, the new attorney general, Suella Braverman, said the extra funds being made available would help frontline services. She reminded those in danger that “they will not be breaking the law if they flee their home [during the lockdown] and seek help outside”.

