Agenda item

1.    The Commissioner provided a detailed overview of the Victim Services paper, explaining that the various elements were all too important to be summarised.

2.    The Commissioner explained that presently, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) commissions a 'one-size-fits all' service from the national charity Victim Support.  As of October 2014, funding and the responsibility for commissioning victim services will be devolved to Police and Crime Commissioners though the current contract with Victim Support does not expire until March 31st 2015.

3.    In August 2014, the Commissioner decided to utilise the Old Court Building in Ashford for the Victims’ Centre, with this decision based on a scoping of the options. The concept of a Victims’ Centre had been developed by partner agencies through a multi-agency design event which was sponsored by the Commissioner. This work was also   importantly, influenced by discussions with victims to ensure that their views and experiences could be kept at the heart of developments.

4.    Some important gaps in the victim support processes that were identified through this event included lack of focus on the victim as an individual, no shared standards across agencies, poor data sharing, too much emphasis on the offender for managing trigger points, no central point of contact for victims and no efficient database or management system.

5.    This process has been guided by a needs assessment provided by Portsmouth University which closely examined victim experiences and current service provision.

6.    The Commissioner stated that she welcomed the devolution of commissioning victim services to PCC’s as it presented a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' for better local control and tailoring of services.

7.    Some key issues raised by the report included the need for SPOCs as victims did not want to have to speak to numerous agencies and people.

8.    The Commissioner stressed that it was understood that the needs of the victim must always come before the needs of service.

9.    The Commissioner explained that the programme for developing the new model is taking place in two phases.  Phase one is the transition of control from the MoJ to the Commissioner and will include initial commissioning of Victim Support, the current contract holder, for a further year starting in April 2015.  This will allow continuity of service as well as the opportunity to adapt their existing services to more appropriate locally tailored delivery.  A key improvement early on will be the co-locating of victim services with Kent Police's own Witness Care unit in the new Ashford site.

10. While the existing provider will continue to provide services, this allows enough time for all the relevant partner agencies to work together to agree the best system for long term victim care in Kent, identifying appropriate specialist services for commissioning and to understand the complexities of how the various agencies interact and where this may create gaps.

11. The refurbishment of the Ashford site will be funded by through the funds provided by the Ministry of Justice. This refurbishment will ensure the building it is fit for purpose and in a high quality state for the commencement of service while still reducing overall expenses by using existing police estate.

12. The Commissioner explained that while a lot of attention had been paid to getting the Kent Victim Centre in Ashford right, it was important to note that this would serve as a co-ordination centre and that outreach work and engagement with other local services around the county was expected in the future.

13. Phase 2 will focus on bringing all the appropriate Criminal Justice Sector Agencies and support providers together to design and agree the best possible model.  So far there has been good partnership working and buy in from the relevant agencies and Kent's Chief Constable if fully supportive of the project.

14. The Commissioner commented that this has all been achieved against a background of extreme financial challenge which makes the successes so far, that much more worth emphasising.  The Commissioner concluded her overview by reiterating that all the current evidence indicates that this new model of local control of victim services is an excellent opportunity to improve the experiences of victims in Kent.

15. The Chairman thanked the Commissioner for her overview, commenting that it was positive to hear that consideration had been given to outreach work and satellite provision.  He requested clarification on whether these would be managed by Victim Support or if the Victim Centre would engage with existing support networks such as the District based One Stop Shops which provide multi-agency support particularly in the area of Domestic Abuse.  The Commissioner explained that the Victim Centre, in its capacity as a base for victim support services, would signpost and refer appropriate individuals to the most suitable service which in many cases could include their local one stop shop.

16. Several Members questioned the Commissioner on the issue of centralisation versus local control and that while the benefits of a centralised unit were recognised, information sharing and joint best practice, it was stressed that victims should not be expected to travel to access these services.  Concerns were raised that the Ashford location would be designed to suit the needs of professionals rather than victims.

17. The Commissioner challenged these assertions, explaining that the Victim Centre would have excellent facilities for those victims able to access them on site but would maintain a flexible approach to referring and engaging with victims to more local services to minimise travel and disruption, effectively fulfilling the role of a co-ordination Centre.

18. Mr Stepney added that the current strategy is designed to result in the best possible ‘middle way’ between centralised but high quality services and disparate, accessible services that have historically suffered from lack of corporate support.  This approach would require extensive partnership working and inter-agency co-operation through operating agreements and formal commitments.  The co-designing of the service was important as none of the agencies have the power to dictate to the others about how to deliver their services but discussion and pre-implementation agreements are resulting in a best compromise outcome.

19. The Vice-chair suggested that the Victim Centre’s project board could benefit from Police and Crime Panel Member involvement and the Commissioner agreed that this would be explored.

20. Members sought clarification on the lack of specific mention in the reports of supporting victims that were children and young people.  The Commissioner responded by explaining that this gap had been identified and was being addressed in the new plan.

21. Members stated that they believed this was a good opportunity to examine the current contract held with Victim Support and to consider whether it achieves the following key outcome; will the first referral result in the victim being advised appropriately about which services they can access and that they are directed to the most suitable one?  The Commissioner explained that the Portsmouth research has provided a map of service provision that will be used both to assist with referrals in the first instance but also help identify gaps that will be addressed through commissioning further services, potentially with our partner agencies.

22. The Commissioner agreed to share the service map provided by the Portsmouth Research with the Members.

23. The Commissioner advised the Panel that she was aware of an increase in demand for victim services of the following types; sexual abuse of men, support for children and young people and hate crime.  These increase areas have been noted and will be addressed as the plan continues to evolve.

24. The Commissioner could give no assurances that the new system would prevent all serious issues (references made to the Rotherham Child abuse issue) but stated that she was confident that the Victim Centre was a positive piece of work that would improve the support for all victims of crime.

RESOLVED that the Panel thank the Commissioner for her report; that the report be noted and that the Panel note the Commissioner’s offer to consider Panel membership of the Victim Centre Project Board and to share the Portsmouth research with the Panel.