National Support Framework. Reducing Reoffending, cutting crime, changing lives (11th March 2010)
The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice have published guidance on the new duty for Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) across England and Wales to reduce reoffending. From 1 April 2010 CSPs will have a new duty to formulate and implement a strategy to reduce reoffending by adults and young offenders and probation will become the sixth statutory partner of CSPs.
Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England and Local Health Boards (LHBs) in Wales are statutory partners on CSPs
and can play a critical role in helping to reduce reoffending by targeting health resources at those individuals in local
communities who need them most. This may or may not include individuals already in contact with the criminal
justice system. Areas where health services have a role in community safety include:
- tackling the misuse of alcohol, drugs and other substances (see section 6, Pathways out of offending), specifically through commissioning and providing appropriate health services
- identifying and providing advice and support for victims of domestic or sexual abuse
- providing health advice or treatment for people who put themselves or others at risk (for example, through their use of drugs or alcohol)
- working with other local partners to help prevent problems occurring in the first place.
Guidance
Sexuality - the new agenda (2nd February 2010)“Sexuality – the new agenda” emphasises the need for a corporate approach to promoting equality. Once seen as a fringe issue of little relevance to the core business of local authorities, sexuality has been brought centre stage by recent legislative developments.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual equality is coming of age and can no longer be seen as an optional extra. Many successful initiatives have been undertaken by local authorities throughout England and Wales.
This publication aims to cover:
- service delivery and customer care
- community development and involvement
- local authority employees
- monitoring and evaluation.
Publication Tackling Domestic Violence (28th January 2010)About one in four women can become victims of domestic abuse. For many, the crime will go unreported and unnoticed. Three years ago Oxfordshire County Council and local partners decided more needed to be done to support women and their children. Their answer to the problem was the Domestic Abuse Champions Network.The scheme has created specialists in domestic abuse, in public and voluntary-sector organisations throughout the county.
There are now 250 trained champions from 35 different agencies. The champions include:
- police officers
- social workers
- housing staff
- midwives
- health visitors
Information
Together we can end violence against women and girls: a strategy (25th November 2009)This cross-government strategy sets out a range of actions for the police, councils, the NHS and other government departments across three key areas: prevention, provision and protection.
StrategyIt only takes a minute girl - women's perceptions of cervical screening in Blackpool (26th November 2009)This report is the first part of a larger project to increase coverage of cervical cancer screening in Blackpool. Approximately 32% of eligible women between the ages of 25-34 years, living in Blackpool have never attended for cervical smear test. The project aimed to find out what young women aged 25-34 years in Blackpool value and want. Some of the recommendations arising from the focus groups are:
- Display messages through a wide range of media
- Create a website to provide more information
- Set up "Facebook" group
- Open up well woman clinics/sexual health services as drop-in for smears
- Consider the possibility of making the walk-in centre more flexible
- Attempt to overcome perceptions of poor treatment by reviewing the whole service experience
- Reflect on how best to create a positive service experience
Summary
Improving safety, Reducing harm: Children, young people and domestic violence (18th November 2009)This toolkit provides specific information about children, domestic violence and related issues; an overview of Every Child Matters and the tiers of intervention; principles of commissioning services; risk assessment and safety planning information; guidance for schools; clear explanations of key standards and policies; sample forms and key fact sheets.
Toolkit
Children and families experiencing domestic violence: police and children's social services' responses (September 2009)In England and Wales, the Adoption and Children Act 2002 amended the definition of significant harm provided by the Children Act 1989, adding a new category of “impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another”. Since domestic violence and children’s exposure to it represent a widespread social problem, this amendment has acted to draw a potentially large group of families within the remit of children’s social services. The growing mountain of police notifications to children’s social services of domestic violence incidents where children are involved and the pressures that this has created have been noted by a range of commentators in the UK, North America and Australia.
The notification system has emerged against what is acknowledged to be a background of fragmented services for children and families experiencing domestic violence, and represents an attempt to improve communication and coordination between universal and highly targeted services. This research, from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, examined both the notification process itself and the subsequent service pathways followed by families brought to the attention of children’s social services in
this way. It also explored which other agencies contributed to services for families experiencing domestic violence and captured young people’s, survivors’ and perpetrators’ views of services.
Executive summary
Health and public sector professionals to help improve health services for victims of domestic violence (11th September 2009)Health and public sector professionals are being asked for their views on how the NHS can improve its services for women and girls who have been victims of violence and sexual assault.
Health and public sector professionals will be asked for their views on areas including:
- Service delivery - early identification, access to healthcare services, staff awareness and attitudes maximising NHS resources
- Service commissioning – needs assessment, NHS commissioning, joint commissioning, commissioning from non-NHS providers
- Partnership working – information sharing, service level agreements and protocols, collaborative service delivery
Press Release
Taskforce page
National Domestic Violence Delivery Plan. Annual Progress Report 2008-09 (21st August 2009)This report covers progress on early identification of domestic violence, capacity building to improve support for victims and improvements to the way the criminal justice system deals with domestic violence.
Report
Violence against women opinion polling - February 2009 (6th March 2009)Results from the Ipsos Mori poll of telephone interviews with people in England and Wales regarding their opinions on violence against women.
Results
How to be a lifeline for a friend experiencing domestic abuse (9th February 2009)The Home Secretary launched a new leaflet with information on how to support a friend or relative who is in a violent relationship. Practical tips in the leaflet include:- finding out about the services available so that the person affected can make informed choices
- agreeing a code word or action so they can let you know if they are in danger
- making sure you also have the support you need in order to support them.
Leaflet
Making sense of: domestic violence (December 2008)
This case study looks at the approaches to the issue of domestic violence that are proven to work, including: The Coordinated Community Response model; Prevention and early intervention; Key role for health services; The WORTH (Ways of Responding through Health) Project, West Sussex; Local and national publicity campaigns; Education in schools and colleges for young people. It also looks at the support available to victims and outlines why these approaches work.
Case Study
