Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 44
44
Deferred
Paragraph: 103
By and for services offer tailored support for victims reluctant to engage with police.
Conclusion
When commissioning victim services, Police and Crime Commissioners should be mindful that not all victims will want to report crime or have trust and confidence in the police. By and for services may provide a more tailored approach and ensure that all victims and survivors have equitable access to crucial support.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government discusses supporting the College of Policing in improving leadership, upcoming reforms to promotions, and ensuring new officers receive adequate training, none of which relate to commissioning victim services or the role of 'by and for' services.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
103
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
59. Under the victim’s code, the right to be referred to victims’ support services (Right 4) apply to all victims, regardless of whether they have reported the crime to the police. PCCs are responsible for commissioning dedicated local victim support services which the public can access to help them recover if they become a victim of a crime. Ministry of Justice provides grant funding to PCCs to enable them to do this, and the grant agreement states that victim services must be available whether or not a crime has been reported to the police. 60. Additionally, in the Ministry of Justice’s Victim’s Funding Strategy (VFS - May 2022), it was recognised that access to support, including the ability for different victim groups to access the same level of service can be a challenge. This can be particularly difficult for those with protected characteristics, those in prison settings, and those who are more likely to access ‘by and for’ services’. The VFS sets out 5 national commissioning standards, one of which is ‘Victims receive equitable access to services’. To meet the standard, commissioners will: “Ensure funding stream applications are accessible, particularly to smaller or ‘by and for’ organisations”.
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