New Funding
Safer Roads Grant Round
The PCC has funded £150,000 towards an open grant round for ‘Safer Roads’ initiatives which closes 3rd November 2023. The grant objectives include reducing collisions, fatalities, and casualties on West Mercia roads in conjunction with improving road safety whilst identifying and responding to the number of traffic offences and road crimes. Additionally, the grant round seeks to fund projects outlining partnership work and embedding a whole-system approach tackling road safety issues. It is worth noting that VAS, TruCam and ANPR cameras will not be funded through this grant round as the PCC has funded provision for these through other routes.
Evaluations will be conducted upon round closure, with successful applications being awarded by end of November 2023.
Safer Streets 5 Fund
As part of the fifth round of the Government’s Safer Streets initiative, the PCC bid successfully for a further £999,025 to fund a range of projects designed to tackle VAWG, ASB and Neighbourhood Crime. The funding, in partnership with West Mercia Police, will deliver 14 initiatives focused on reducing three of the public’s key priorities as outlined below:
- Violence against Women and Girls: ‘Healthy Masculinity’ programme, a school-based approach supporting wider prevention within an educational framework. There will also be bespoke training for police officers to identify predatory behaviour when on patrol, and additional street lighting in Leominster and Ross-on-Wye.
- Anti-social Behaviour: Launch of targeted work with teenagers, installation of new CCTV cameras in Telford and Oswestry and intensive engagement work in Leominster, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Evesham.
- Neighbourhood Crime: The Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in Worcestershire will be extended to cover more locations with investment to join up schemes, as well as building on the successful rollout of SmartWater to deter burglary.
Procurement for delivery providers is ongoing following a bidding process which closed October 2023.
Home Office Serious Violence Duty Fund
In October 2023, a further £25,000 was awarded to each of the 5 Community Safety Partnerships from the Home Office Serious Violence Duty Funding 23/24 to be used for non-labour costs (i.e., interventions). A working group led by the Serious Violence Partnership Manager and supported by the Commissioning Team meets regularly to offer support to CSP’s around the duty and to share information around what works.
Putting Victims and Survivors First
Multi-Crime Services
The Victims Advice Line (VAL) received 3996 referrals during Q2 an increase of 4% on previous year averaging 44 new referrals (with needs) each day. 2669 of those referrals were contacted with 773 dealt with solely by the VAL and 1064 were triaged out for longer term or specialist support, totalling 1837 supported (needs met) during Q2.
The average days for allocation reduced from 8 whole days to 5 this quarter, with the highest number of quality referrals coming from Telford & Wrekin with 90% quality of 128 referred. (Hereford were highest referrers but lowest quality)
A Victim’s Working Group has been established with Senior Leaders of West Mercia Police to work through the outcomes of the Assurance and Accountability process. We await a proposal of what the VAL can deliver for the annual value which will be drafted into a Memorandum of Understanding
“It is so good to know that there is someone at the end of a ‘phone line who can give you the confidence you need to talk about your fears and who really listen. I would certainly recommend the Victim Advice Line Service.”
A Victims’ Services Options Paper is being generated with Policy and Commissioning working conjointly and due by end of November 2023 which will support and inform the Commissioners’ future recommissioning and direction for multi-crime victims’ services.
Victim Support received 447 x valid referrals in Q2, with self-referrals following the increasing trajectory at x 150 in Q2. They saw an increase in referrals from the VAL in Q2, (151) but report of those referred from the VAL they have seen a drop in engagement which usually tracks at over 80% and has seen a notable reduction to 70%, with observations being around difficulty making successful contact with those referred. This has been highlighted to VAL to ensure quality assurance is conducted of those assessed / triaged, and VS will review and observe also.
Notably ‘other crime’ continues to be the highest category for referrals due in part to the lack of alignment between the recording of crime from VAL systems to the VS method, who align to the MoJ crime recording types. Often high-volume crime such as ASB or assaults can wind up in ‘other crime’ as can domestic abuse (9.7% of all other crime carried a DA flag) making it difficult to obtain data accuracy unless a manual keyword extraction method is applied.
VS feedback in Q2 had a focus on the appreciation of the service from its partner agencies and included positive testimony from Witness Care and a PSCO, and short extract of which follows:
Road Traffic CJS case:
‘J was a pillar of support to the victim, and I know the victim relied on J heavily. Had it not been for J I know the victim would not have seen this case through and certainly would not have attended court. There were many times where she was just going to throw in the towel. Having the victim turn up at court on the day of trial was a mammoth achievement for them, J and myself as there were times where we thought she would never see it through.
Without J’s support the victim would have given up months before
J and the service of Victim Support played such an important role in this case not only for the outcome but for the welling being of the victim’.
Modern Slavery Human Trafficking
During Q2 the newly revised IMSA (Independent Modern Slavery Advocate) programme has been switching focus from solely service delivery to awareness raising, community development, and training. This will complement direct service provision by increasing awareness about the nature and scope of MSHT across West Mercia, ensuring people are aware of support available, and by increasing referrals to the VS IMSA program. Key activity in Q2 to introduce this new focus included:
- 5 x Information and Awareness Raising sessions developed to be delivered to accommodation centres housing refugees and asylum seekers across West Mercia. To be delivered in partnership with West Mercia Police’s Exploitation and Vulnerability Trainer
- Outreach services being explored and developed with Woodside Community Centre, Telford, The Hub on the Hill, Telford and Worcester Food Bank
Harm caused by roads
RoadPeace have already exceeded their annual target of 60 referrals with a total of 67 in Q1 and Q2 of 2023-24. The West Mercia support group for those bereaved continues to meet online monthly, however the first West Mercia face-to-face meeting was held on 19th August, with a picnic at Worcester Woods Country Park. This was attended by 19 victims in total. The day was extremely successful, and the group have requested this now become an annual activity. The Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Marc Bayliss, attended the September meeting of the West Mercia group.
The RoadPeace Care Co-ordinator has helped improve and refine RoadPeace processes by reviewing befriender documentation and helping develop an online referral form. This will allow victims to self-refer to their services both within West Mercia and nationally. It will also enable professionals, including Police Officers in West Mercia, to use a web form to refer victims to the service. These referral methods will launch in October 23.
‘My FLO introduced me to RoadPeace as she knew how much I was struggling. With the NHS waitlist for counselling and help currently sat at between 12-18 months this was lifesaver for me. For the first time as a victim, I felt someone was hearing and understanding what I was going through. The support calls I received were something to focus on every week in what was a very dark time. RoadPeace have not only provided emotional support but their assistance and involvement in communicating with the police helped to ease the frustration with the justice system’
Sexual Violence
The Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) waiting list has reduced significantly showing an average 20-day wait period for adult ISVA referrals. The ChISVA waiting list also has an average wait time of 20 days, and the FISVA waiting list has an average wait time of 23 days. Referrals are slightly down from Q1, but this is consistent with previous years.
This quarter we wanted to highlight some of the roles generated from additional funding attracted that have uplifted the original contract:
Additional Needs ISVAs support clients with a variety of different additional needs and/or disabilities. In Q2 this has included clients with hearing impairments, learning disability, physical disability, long-term chronic health conditions, neurodiversity etc. ISVA’s have been able to advocate for clients to ensure that services are able to respond to their unique needs i.e., ensuring that interpreters are available when required.
‘My ISVA is the soul of tact…I could speak of things I never could in seventy years.’ (Feedback from an 84yr old, a victim of childhood sexual abuse)
Culturally Responsive ISVAs have been raising awareness of the ISVA service with seldom heard groups building relationships with organisations such as Age Concern, Gypsy and Romany Traveller Groups, Refugee Support Groups as well as other Religious and Cultural Groups. Feedback from one client identified the importance of the role of her ISVA worker understanding the cultural barriers that she faced.
‘My ISVA has played a large part in my life and has supported me mentally, the most amazing part of working with ISVA is that has a lot of experience with the Asian community and understands far better than any other agency I have ever worked with. In my situation the ISVA understands it’s not as simple as just reporting an abusive partner as you have the rest of the Asian community to contend with which is very stressful. My ISVA has empowered and supported me so I don’t feel alone, without her support I don’t know where I would be today.’
Sexual Violence Complex Care Pathfinder – for adult survivors of sexual assault and abuse with complex care mental health needs. The aim of the project is to deliver a single, integrated service that meets the needs of eligible victims by putting the victim/survivors needs at the heart of their treatment and recovery plan.
From November 6th the two West Mercia Hubs will be up and running each Hub will have team made up of a Service Managers, Counsellors, Trainers, Group Facilitators, Stabilisation & Support Workers (or similar). Clinical Psychologists will also be part of these teams, but these are taking a little longer to recruit and should be on board by January 2024.
It is anticipated that the Hubs will be in a position to start receiving referrals for the Pathfinder in January.
Child/Adult Sexual Exploitation
The Branch Service (available currently in Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire) received consistent numbers of referrals in Q2, remain consistent, with a slight increase from Worcestershire. There were fewer referrals during the latter part of July and throughout August due to schools and colleges being on summer holidays.
The Branch waiting list and average number of days waiting for service has reduced during Q2 due to the successfully recruiting and inducting a part time Branch worker for Shropshire.
The no. of children/young people who are better supported through the criminal justice processes is below 60%, not all Branch clients require support through the criminal justice process (CJS) However, all clients who engage with the Branch Project are provided with information about the CJS and how to access ISVA support if required.
Branch Plus (Adult Sexual Exploitation) continues to develop good working relationships with external agencies, working closely with Mental Health teams, Sexual Health, and the Police, in and out of county.
As a result of an identified need Branch Plus are working with supported housing providers. This is because it has been identified that some vulnerable residents are at risk of ASE or are being sexually exploited. Branch Plus are discussing the possibility of training housing officers to assist them in recognising risk factors in adult sexual exploitation and pathways for support.
Purple Leaf Early Intervention and Prevention CSE Service delivered 112 sessions to 137 children and young people in Q2. With the summer holidays, this period is a typically quieter time for group and one to one work. The holiday period is opportunity for the service to concentrate on developing and preparing for future bookings given that the focus is changing to smaller targeted groups. A review of group delivery and resources has been undertaken and resulted in a lead position to oversee enquiries and bookings to ensure processes are clear and procedures run smoothly.
100% of the young people leave the service with at least one positive outcome. 96% report an increased understanding of the need to always gain consent before engaging in any sexual activity, and 99% of CYP report that they know that they have a right to feel safe and say no to anything that makes them feel uncomfortable with a 96% increase in confidence to safely intervene if they witness inappropriate behaviours.
Common themes from queries for both areas of work are misogyny and inappropriate sexual language. Members of the Purple Leaf team have been exploring new resources to ensure that the subject areas are up to date and relevant for the young people being worked with. Within Quarter 2, a pilot small boy’s group was carried out that had a focus on masculinity, healthy relationships and consent. This stemmed from communication with a school around behaviour and concerns relating to Andrew Tate and how their beliefs could influence the young people’s behaviour towards women and girls. Positive feedback was given from the participants who requested more sessions.
An evidence base is still being built and understood to look at the CYP who require more than the 8 core sessions. Some CYP exhibiting harmful sexual behaviour can access the dual programme but others who do not qualify for the survivor element cannot, and so only the 8 core sessions can be provided where more work might be required. This is now being reflected in the dashboard and work will continue to monitor.
“[she’s] happier when participating in the sessions and looked forward to going to school on appointment days” (Parent of CYP participating in the core sessions)
When finishing the final session, one of the boys’ feed back “I wish there could be more sessions” and another shared “I am going to miss these sessions”.
Adult SARCs
The Forensic Science Regulation Code is now Mandatory. This means that all SARCs requires UKAS accreditation for their Forensic Science activities (FSA) by 2ND October 2025.
Once the October deadline has passed, any SARC who undertake FSO-BIO-100 in England and Wales, those SARCs who are not accredited to SIO 15189 and the FSR Code:
- Must declare compliance or non-compliance in reports and statements for the criminal justice system.
- May be subject to FSR compliance notices or enforcement action.
West Mercia SARCs continue to work towards meeting the ISO Forensic Accreditation for SARC’s.
The adults SARC contract procurement has ended with NHS England informing the successful applicant in October. The existing contract is due to end in March 2024 with the successful provider due to take over in April 2024 the new contract will be for 5 years with an option to extend. The provider will be delivering Adult SARC provision across the West Midlands Region.
Domestic Abuse
West Mercia Women’s Aid (WMWA) IDVA Service received 41 referrals were without consent for contact from partner agencies which is an increase from Q1 where this figure was 27. Some of these referrals were received from probation who are working with the perpetrator and have identified risks posed to their partner or family member which is a real positive. Engagement remains positive regardless of client’s not being aware of what the IDVA Service can offer.
Civil and Criminal Orders have increased this quarter, with 24 orders being granted which is positive that protective orders are in place for victim/survivors and their children.
In Q2 we want to highlight positive partnership working by the service with the uplifted / additional funded roles and some of the groundbreaking work they have begun:
Inclusion IDVA has made some impressive progress in Q2, and evident through the work with AGE UK, more older victim/survivors have accessed the IDVA service, and they expect this trajectory to increase, as they raise further awareness about the service and explain the intricacies of abuse and what this means for the victim/survivors.
A monthly support group will be hosted by Inclusion IDVA and Age UK. The Inclusion IDVA attended Living Well Roadshows with agencies such as AGE UK, Severn Wye Energy Advocacy Scheme, Dementia Maters Here, and social prescribers. The events target rural areas in Hereford and agencies who attended in September passed on information to survivors who approached the vans to talk about DA they were suffering from.
Inclusion IDVA attended Ludlow Pride on 27th August for the first time and continued to work with Shropshire Support Refugees (SSR) providing drop-in clinics every 6 weeks in partnership with AXIS.
VAWG officers are working with Inclusion IDVA to work with Marks and Spencer in Telford with their bra fitting service. Staff have disclosed that women use the service more during pregnancy and they have seen bruising on customers. They feel they need more information on how to deal with this and how to signpost.
The Young Person’s IDVAs (YPIDVA) received 19 referrals in Q2. Most referrals continue to come from the Police and Children Services. Worcestershire continues to have the highest demand for young people needing support, predominantly from females aged 17 years, who have suffered physical and emotional abuse. 16 young people have engaged, and 9 young people have completed their programme of support.
The YPIDVA’s have worked on raising awareness this quarter by attending freshers’ weeks at colleges across West Mercia, where there was keen interest from the staff and pupils.
The HIDVA service received 55 appropriate referrals in Q2, 42 are engaging with support. Redditch Alexandra Hospital has seen a referral decline in Q2 due to staff sickness and annual leave. A new HIDVA started working at Hereford County Hospital in September and has started working on site with the newly appointed Domestic Abuse Safeguarding Lead. They are expecting an increase in referrals moving forward due to the new working partnership.
The HIDVA’s across all areas, are promoting the HIDVA service and routes to WMWA support to several of the outpatient departments. To name a few – X-ray, Audiology, Ophthalmology, Fracture and Dentistry. HIDVAs are working hard to ensure as many hospital staff are informed of the different services WMWA offer.
The DRIVE IDVA provision received 55 referrals in Q2. 8 people declined support in Q2, the IDVA and DRIVE Service Manager will meet to discuss the rationale for the number of victim/survivors where they are declining the service to see whether there is a theme, and whether the allocation process is robust enough.
West Mercia Women’s Aid Children and Young People’s Project: the CYP Project received 106 referrals in Q2. 48 CYP’s received one to one support this quarter, 15 CYP’s left support, and out of those 15 that left, 13 completed their programme of support. 65 young people have been supported through Helping Hands Programme and 10 young people were supported through the CRUSH programme this quarter. 74% of children and young people reported that their confidence had grown, 87% that they understood what a positive and heathy relationship looked like, 100% felt their voice had been heard and 100% felt better educated about healthy relationships.
“C really likes you and her mood has been better especially on days she sees you. Thank you so much for helping, I know she still struggles but I think if she uses the coping mechanisms that you have given her, they will really help”.
Domestic Abuse Prevention
The Young Person’s Domestic Abuse Prevention Worker (YPDAPW) is as always in high demand, there is a growing number of young people that are showing negative behaviours. To help meet this demand, the prevention worker as started to provide support to groups at Pupil Referral Units in Herefordshire. This is a positive and we plan to do more of this across West Mercia in education settings where there is a need.
Although demand is high across the CYP Team, the staff team are working together to help support the young people that they work with to the highest standard, and to reach out to young people that may find it difficult to access our support. The team are working with Local Authorities and partners, to improve multi-agency and collaborative working.
This data supports/ builds a sound evidence base for rolling out the service West Mercia wide and will be subject to a Grant Round which will launch in the New Year 2024.
Substance Misuse Early Intervention
DIVERT received 158 referrals this quarter with 136 people attending initial interventions and 101 participating in groups. Engagement levels remain high with 86.1% of referrals attending an initial assessment and 74.3% of those attending a group session. Cannabis remains the dominant substance for referral, with 62 adults and 11 young people stated usage with Cocaine being the second highest in adults (11). For young people 8 people had ‘not recorded’ this was discussed within the contract monitoring meeting and Cranstoun are reviewing this within the team.
Child Criminal Exploitation
The Climb Service has seen a decrease in referrals for Q2 with 56 appropriate referrals. Comparatively to the previous year this is however an increase. Worcestershire remains the highest referring area. The percentage of leavers with a primary or secondary positive outcome remains consistently high at 100%, a 3% increase on the previous quarter.
The quality of work undertaken by Climb staff is high. Young people sustained within the service remains much higher than the target due to complex needs and stabilisation. This work is essential when providing an opportunity for diversionary activity and for the impact to be long lasting. 350 starters and 250 leavers highlight this issue and work is ongoing to streamline the transition to other services, however, there are still obvious gaps in provision which are being picked up by Climb. For output targets to be improved, some of the groundwork for young people to be appropriate for diversionary activity might need to be adjusted or lost with the service model and KPIs adjusted. This is being continually monitored and assessed.
Currently the role of volunteers within the service is being reviewed to best attain value for money with the volunteer coordinator role. The pandemic has resulted in volunteers being harder to recruit and thus, in conjunction with the volunteer coordinator leaving Climb, consideration to adapting this role is being given.
“I received some lovely feedback from a YP during our final session. I asked him what was different about this support, compared to other support he has had before: That he was ‘not treated like a ‘special child’ that needs help’. His responses were genuinely heartfelt, it was so nice to hear” Young Person Feedback.
“Found CLIMB through local media, it was celebrating the success of being provided with some free cycles for the young people. I done a referral for my son; it sounded perfect for the issues I was concerned about. I think CLIMB is completely unique in its approach and what it covers. There was no judgement, just an understanding of my concerns as a mother. Meetings are flexible and work with the YP. They are frequent and done with sensitivity. I would have liked to see more organised activities if funding allowed. There is certainly a place and a need in our society for CLIMB, helping to guide our children towards better choices and covering challenges and thoughts that no other organisation deals with or acknowledges.” Parent / Guardian Feedback.
CLIMB expansion for Under 10’s / Whole Family Approach
Climb have noted a busy period over Q2 with the mobilisation of the expanded under 10’s service and creating new relationships with providers, community hubs and schools to aid in breaking down barriers for parents that need support.
7 of the 8 new 0.5 FTE roles are now filled. Leaflets have been shared alongside a PCC press release. Work has been carried out to refine the referral forms for both the expanded and core Climb service. Introductions have been made to schools and referrals have and will continue to be discussed with an anticipated influx over the coming months. Currently, within Shropshire, the service is working with 3 young people through the part time practitioner in place with 10 referrals lined up. The performance is being monitored separately to the core Climb contract through an extra section to the current dashboard which should be fully developed by Q3.
Serious Violence Duty
Steer Clear – West Mercia (SV CYP Diversionary Service)
- The newly commissioned, PCC funded West Mercia Steer Clear Children and Young People (CYP) Diversionary service (£538,496) was launched on 18th October. Anyone can now refer a 10–18-year-old believed to be at risk of involvement in knife related crime to the service provided by The Children’s Society (TCS). An academic partner is to be commissioned to evaluate the pilot.
The online launch was attended by over 70 people from relevant partner agencies. Mobilisation has faced some challenges with recruitment to the four LPA practitioner roles with only two out of the four posts being filled at launch. The perception around why this might have been regards the high level of risk associated with the role and visiting the families of individuals involved in knife crime.
Despite recruitment challenges, the framework for regular triage panels that manage referrals to the service has been agreed. Worcestershire panels could see some adaptation to compliment the Get Safe model that already assesses safeguarding referrals and could serve as an opportunity for a panel to obtain referrals from or signpost them to. Workshops are already being organised within each LPA which referrals will be invited to if appropriate. Herefordshire will be the first LPA to put this in place with the workshop scheduled to happen during the police led Op Sceptre knife crime awareness raising week in November. New referrals have already been made to the service.
A Steer Clear West Mercia performance dashboard is being developed with KPIs and Outcomes being built around risk reduction, increased awareness, diversion into positive activity and an improved intelligence framework for partners. Aiming for an 80% positive outcome for all referrals. More information around this should be available in Q3.
Building a More Secure West Mercia
Improving Responses to Domestic Abuse
The Men and Masculinities Programme is mobilising well with Cranstoun concluding their recruitment process, and now fully staffed across all areas. They have re-established connections with agencies across Herefordshire and Worcestershire and are now accepting men directly into the program again. Hereford and Worcester received 42 referrals in Q2 with 21 of those new referrals engaging with the service. 5 cases were closed in Q2 with all services reporting their needs had been met by the service and the following outcomes had met:
- Perpetrator reports increased understanding on the impacts of Domestic Abuse
- Perpetrator reports improved relationships with children (if applicable)
- Perpetrator reports increased understanding on how to manage their emotions and anger.
In Telford & Wrekin, Cranstoun and WMWA held a live launch event that was well attended by partners, giving the opportunity to promote M&M and the partner support worker. Cranstoun have been in discussions with Local Authority Domestic Abuse (DA) commissioning teams and DA forums across the county and made them aware of M&M program and the referral process. Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire have sufficient referrals to run the first group, which will commence on Nov 1st.
The PCC Commissioning Team have been working with the Home Office’ commissioned evaluation team and may be one of the selected sites to evaluate, we will be notified in Dec 2023.
“I found the course has helped me see that threats are not the way to deal with a problem. I want to co-parent instead of demand, I was not quite ready to leave the course, but I feel I have a clearer mind now”.
Telford and Shropshire DRIVE mobilisation continues to make positive progress. Cranstoun have attended MARAC in Shropshire and Telford, this process is to select cases to take to the Domestic Abuse Perpetrators Panels (DAPP). 1 DAPP was held in each area and 4 cases were taken from each area for selection onto DRIVE. DRIVE Central offered positive feedback from the Telford DAPP, the Shropshire chair is going to shadow the Telford meeting to ensure best practice.
Recruitment for the case manager posts is a concern for Cranstoun and increased training has taken place within the current staff team to manage higher caseloads. The recruitment process is ongoing after receiving a low response rate to external advertising. Recruitment of the force DASO roles are also ongoing with interim staff managing the roles until vetting has concluded for Telford and contracts are received for ½ a post in Shropshire with the other ½ post still being advertised.
Worcestershire and Herefordshire’s DRIVE programmeworked with 43 high risk perpetrators in Q2, with 43 associated victims/survivors and 113 associated children and young people. Of note, those with closed contact cases reported a 92% reduction in high-risk physical abuse, 86% reduction in jealous, controlling and coercive behaviours, 100% reduction in high-risk sexual abuse, 85% reduction in harassment and stalking.
“I wouldn’t change a thing about Drive and how it helped me”.
“It helped me to be more involved with my children”.
Reducing crime and reoffending
Remember Veterans YSS have already exceeded their annual target of referrals (42) with 56 referrals received in Q1 and Q2. RV continue to work closely with other stakeholders to ensure a wraparound support is provided to the service user through a holistic approach. Relationships continue to grow and expand with the promotion of the service and have received several requests from other agencies for advice and guidance.
Remember Veterans met with the Hindlip Training Officer and provided information, advice and guidance to support the custody refresher training which took place during September. These included copies of case studies to show how RV follows up on referrals made by custody and the support offered once the veteran engages in order to show the positive outcomes of their intervention.
Willowdene Female Offending Project
The PCC was previously successful for a funding bid to create a diversionary pathway for female offenders, to be used as part of an Out of Court Disposal (OOCD). The service went live in June 2023 but referrals from West Mercia Police have been lower than anticipated. The PCC has sought assurance from the Chief Constable to address concerns about low numbers and plans to increase referrals. Although referrals are low, there is evidence that OOCD is making a difference by avoiding criminalisation of females referred and more importantly, addressing the root causes of why the crime was committed in the first instance.
One recent success story is that of a woman who was alcohol dependent and had 54 investigations to her name. By working with and referring the individual to Willowdene, the woman was provided with 12 weeks one-to-one support, that included finding, referring and supporting her with activities to relieve the boredom she said encouraged her desire for alcohol. She also revealed she had not been seen by a doctor for a while, so help was given in both accessing an appointment and with the medical questions she might want to ask in order to get help. Willowdene also discussed the effects alcohol can have on the body and mind and helped the individual link in with her Turning Point keyworker, who was unaware of her high alcohol intake.
During the programme, the woman’s alcohol consumption reduced significantly. She has since joined voluntary groups in the area and is getting out of the house more with her husband. She continues to engage and is still reducing her alcohol intake with hopes to be abstinent in the future.
Reduce the excessive harm associated with West Mercia’s roads
MORSE has continued to receive referrals from a range of stakeholders although numbers are lower than Q1. Having reviewed the data from last summer it appears to be consistent with a reduced number of referrals during the summer months. The new referrals pathway allows for additional information to be collated at point of referral to reduce the timescales that service users are waiting for support.
In addition to the Programme, service user needs are identified, and an action plan is created to support those needs through signposting, referrals to additional services through a holistic approach. The key to MORSE is that the support remains client focused, and timeframes support vary depending on the need of the service user. MORSE also provides mindfulness sessions and the ability to refer into counselling sessions.
YSS are currently in communication with, Driving Solutions around training for MORSE staff after identifying a potential need for additional awareness and education centred around older drivers. A bespoke training package has been created and discussions are currently taking place re: delivery.
‘‘I would like to thank you for all you have done for me, and it is so good to know I have your support. I am grateful that you can see that I really want to turn my life around and make a difference to others by sharing my experiences.”
Reforming West Mercia
Community Safety Partnership’s
The five CSPs of West Mercia covering the 5 different Policing areas were awarded a combined total of £636,541 for 22/23. This is split by:
| Policing Area | Total Awarded Funding | Current Allocation |
| Shropshire CSP | £98,441 | £90,746 |
| Hereford CSP | £100,666 | £73,986 |
| Telford CSP | £158,934 | £157,891 |
| South Worcester CSP | £139,250 | £77,301 |
| North Worcester CSP | £139,250 | £127,237 |
The CSPs fund a wide variety of projects that focus on community support, reducing offending, victim care and early intervention and prevention.
Other Commissioning Activities
Needs Assessment Updates:
All consultations and analysis have now taken place for the OPCC Road Safety Needs Assessment by the commissioned in-house resource with WMP SPI. With the draft now quality assured, anticipated receipt date is mid-November 2023.
The Serious Violence Needs Assessment needs to be revisited by SPI following 2 Serious Violence Data Sharing Workshop Events with partners led by the SV Partnership Manager in August, where responsibilities under the duty were relayed and buy in encouraged. The initial draft had major data omissions from Local Authority exploitation teams, which is considered essential to understand and inform the landscape review.
Summary of 2023-24 PCC Funding Initiatives
Please follow the link below to obtain more information about all of the OPCC funded projects during 2023-24:
