1. Future Commissioning of Services for Victims
VCS Market Engagement Event
March 2019

2. Purpose of Today
Following on from the market engagement event held on 29th November to consult Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) on next round of PCC Victims Services Commissioning, particularly to better meet the needs of victims that are not being well met at present.
This includes victims with complex/multiple needs or crime types not included under current arrangements:
Stalking/harassment, cyber blackmail, ASB, whole-family
support (aggravated burglaries), domestic abuse (inter-
familial, historic), sexual violence (males);
When many issues are compounded by mental health problems too.

3. Key issues from 29 Nov Broad agreement but with some challenges:
Scope to bridge gap with statutory services,
Opportunity to reduce bureaucracy often involved in multi-agency working,
Reduce silo working (but must not create another silo) – links with wider non-PCC services vital,
County Co-ordinators managers have vital role (but how to avoid 3 different services emerging)
Key workers must maintain core specialisms
Data management!

4. Current thinking
1. By Autumn 2019 to commission a single lead agency to set up the service in 3 county areas for victims currently supported by:
The Willow Project – Exploitation & Complex Needs
Independent Sexual Violence Advisory (ISVA) service
Restorative Justice provision
2. To commission a Thames Valley Young Victims service as a separate contract but aligned with the complex needs service areas (age-groups supported?)
3. Until Mar 2021, separate arrangements to be maintained for counselling, some Domestic Violence and lower level support (but all to be reviewed).
4. Future commissioning will involve service users throughout the development, evaluation and future monitoring of services.

5. Principles
Social value requirements to be clearly articulated in the next generation contracts (including but not limited to delivery by the voluntary sector),
A system-wide approach fitting services to victims and not fitting the victim into services (good leadership and clear governance to actively co-ordinate the range of services and provision),
Role of key workers/navigators to design a supportive, coordinated response and help to navigate a complex system, including a multi-disciplinary approach to case-management,
Co-location of staff with different professional skills must be considered to provide joined up, coordinated responses and reduce bureaucracy,
Flexibility in the application of key worker skills, not to adopt a generalist approach but utilise core skills for different and unmet need.

6. Parameters
Demand
The Victims First Hub currently receives cases a month that meet the criteria for complex needs. The planned complex needs service will support those referrals from the Victims First Hub, with additional capacity for referrals from other sources.
The majority of referrals will be for individual adults, but must include couples and whole families, particularly considering the support needs for families with very young children.
Budget
There is a Budget of circa £1.2m p.a. split across county areas.
A new service will look to include a service manager, county area co- ordinators and complex needs case workers with a mix of ISVA, IDVA,
RJ and ITA/ complex needs expertise.
Current staffing structures include 3.5 managers (fte), 20 case workers and administrators.

7. Table Discussions (1) Area-based services – how might they look?
Questions:
To make the area-based services work well what is required in terms of:
Management?
key workers?
co-location of services?
multi-agency approaches?
Other building blocks?
What are greatest risks/threats to successful service delivery using this model of delivery?

8. Table Discussions (2) Tender - write the specification Questions:
Should there be a single lead agency for all areas or a different lead by county area?
What should be in the specification for the complex needs service?
What social value elements should be included (e.g. living wage)

9. Next Steps
April to June – preparations for tender of services: complex needs; young victims
Summer – OPCC go out to tender for services
Autumn – Award contract
April 2020 – new services commence

10. Thank you www.victims-first.org.uk

11. New Service Arrangements
Illustrative example
80% do not want or need additional support
Person is a victim of crime
Case resolved if no other problems or issues
Half want information and or practical help
Quarter want someone to talk to – moral support
Quarter want safety/protection from further victimhood
Victims First Hub
Victims First Hub and/or referral
Victims First Hub and police/other agencies
Victim identifies complex and multiple needs
These may be triggered by the crime or may be pre-existing and exacerbated by the crime
Most needs met through referral to existing specialist agency
Approximately 20% needs not met and referred to Key Worker in Satellite Hub 
20% want or need additional support
May be co- located
Assessment by key worker located in Satellite Hub
Action plan to meet needs drawing on relevant skills of range of professionals
Key worker manages the case and ensures needs are met
Coordinator connects services and professionals
Specialist support/ service