Lighthouse Victim & Witness Care

1. Lighthouse Victim & Witness Care Sally Fox & Jan Bebbington

2. History behind Lighthouse Strategic context • Funding for providing victims services now held by the PCC as of 2014 so that local services can be better tailored to local need. • The PCC in A&S prefers a police-led approach to the assessment of victim need. • Avon and Somerset are one of just 4 ‘early adopter’ areas who are path finders and have implemented a specialised unit for Victim & Witness Care. • From October 2014, the police are now responsible for identifying vulnerable / intimidated / persistently targeted victims at the front end, and assessing their needs in accordance with VCoP. • This will sit alongside a range of locally funded support services to meet the more specialist victim needs. We will have duty to ensure victims are referred to this service as required. Integrated Victim Care Programme RESTRICTED

3. Who we should be focusing on The victim’s code of practice (VCOP) defines 4 distinct ‘cohorts’ of victims who should qualify for an ‘enhanced service’ and referral to support Integrated Victim Care Programme RESTRICTED

4. Effect of our systems on our victims? “Seeing it all together like this makes you realise how disjointed our current process is” The ASCJB integrated victims study found that a victim may have contact with up to 30 different CJ professionals and support organisations during their journey to justice. There were vast number of roles / people involved in direct contact with victims and witnesses. All had a distinct and valid purpose, but was scope for simplifying the landscape in some areas. Integrated Victim Care Programme RESTRICTED

5. Our journey so far • Our ‘To-do’ list last year: • Take stock of what we already know • Find out what victims want • Listen to our staff • Re-consider existing processes, people, systems and culture • Re-consider responsibilities - responsible, accountable, consulted and informed • What we’ve been doing: • Detailed process mapping • Victim consultation and focus groups • Staff meetings and workshops • Rapid Action Teams (x3) • Dragons Den • FPoC Pilot Team 1 • Lighthouse DV Pilot Bristol Integrated Victim Care Programme RESTRICTED

6. Lighthouse: Structure • Fits within ‘Managing People and Places’ alongside MASH, IRIS, IMPACT • Close links with criminal justice through co-location in North and South • Mobility and scope to set up ‘spokes’ according to operational need • Service aligned with 3 main local policing areas • Integrated Restorative justice ‘hubs’ Integrated Victim Care Programme RESTRICTED

7. PROCESS Victim & Witness Care Officer: single point of contact for victim Management and support team = staff supervision, dealing with day-to-day tactical and operational issues, attending partnership meetings (case progression, MARACs, PTPM etc), development of service & building partnership arrangements, training /development of staff, complaints handling and coordination, strategic leadership, responding to national policy guidance and changes in legislation, voice to PCC and organisation, website management. Integrated Victim Care Programme RESTRICTED

8. How is it better?

9. Restorative Justice • Gives the victim a chance to meet or communicate with their offender to explain the real impact of their crime. • Empowers victims by giving them a voice. Holds offenders to account for what they have done and helps them take responsibility. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrEApuJ-DTE BRIDGWATER RJ Co-ordinator BRISTOL RJ Co-ordinator KEYNSHAM RJ Co-ordinator RJ Facilitator – Post Sentence Integrated Victim Care Programme RESTRICTED

10. Thank you for listening! Questions?