New Funding
Serious Violence Duty
The new burdens funding application, the Home Office have just confirmed the
amount for 2023-2024 for West Mercia will be £306,699.21, aligning to the
amount published in their original letter. The costs are to be split between labour
costs of £180,000, and non-labour costs £126,699.21. West Mercia’s
governance framework for responding to the duty have agreed to top slice the
funding for continuation of the following agreed roles: A Serious Violence
Partnership Manager, 1 x Analyst, 1 x Administrator, with discussions ongoing
amongst the partnership around how to attribute the 23/24 funds.
Steer Clear West Mercia (SV CYP Diversionary Service)
Following successful procurement, the PCC has awarded The Children’s Society
(TCS) a grant of £538,496.32 for a new West Mercia wide Serious Violence
CYP Diversionary Service, which will be known as ‘Steer Clear West Mercia’ for a
pilot until March 2025. The service expands upon piloted activity and learning
from former police led ‘Steer Clear’ workshops and a 1:1 worker in Telford. Each
Local Authority area will benefit from whole family group programmes along with
1:1 tailored support designed to prevent criminalisation. The primary positive
outcomes for those engaging, will include disruption and reduction of risk and
criminal activity, education, being better informed and empowered to act,
increased resilience, improved relationships, and encouragement towards
positive diversionary activity. The Steer Clear service will bring together and work
across a multi-agency framework with all relevant partners, using existing
partnership panels where appropriate or creating new. Mobilisation is currently
underway with partners to refine the framework and referral mechanisms whilst
TCS recruit to roles. A launch event will be scheduled once schools have settled
into the academic year.
CLIMB expansion for Under 10’s / Whole Family Approach
The PCC has awarded an uplift of £198,000 for a pilot expansion to the core
CLIMB service delivered by The Children’s Society to support CYP under 10,
meaning any child up to the age of 17 can now receive support, with resource
dedicated to supporting parents and carers of those in service recognising they
form a key part of success. The uplift sees the creation of 8 new 0.5 FTE roles. (4
x under 10s workers and 4 x parental workers). Each area within West Mercia will
be allocated one of each. Outcomes for U10’s will often appear ‘softer’ focused on
education, understanding risk, increased resilience, improved relations, positive
activity, and improved overall wellbeing. This expansion follows identification of
gap in provision and will test the whole family approach to delivery.
Safer Streets 5 Fund
The Home Office released Safer Streets 5 funding in July 2023, with all OPCCs
allocated £1,000,000 for interventions focusing on VAWG, ASB and
Neighbourhood Crime activities. The Home Office wanted PCCs to lead
applications and invited interventions to focus on hotspot areas. The PCC
worked closely with the force to decide what interventions to fund, receiving
many ideas for consideration, which far exceeded the funding available.
Applications were assessed against the criteria and the targeted areas of need,
requiring an evidence base.
There were numerous requests for ‘Street Guardian’ schemes, and while The
Commissioner is keen on the concept of Guardians, his preference was to
conduct a review to explore further what resource already exists that may
support this, i.e., PCSOs, SNTs, and Civil Enforcement Officers.
The following interventions were submitted for the bid:
- VAWG – CCTV, Lighting, Landscaping (Leominster and Ross on Wye), Licensing
SAVI, Behavioural Detection, Healthy Masculinity, Train the Trainer (10 LSOA’s
for VAWG) - ASB – CCTV (Telford & Oswestry,) ASB Practitioner Training (Force Wide),
Intensive Engagement (Leominster, Oswestry, Shrewsbury & Evesham) - Neighbourhood Crime – Target Hardening, Crime Prevention Vehicle Kits,
Deployable Cameras, Extension to Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (all
interventions to cover North and South Worcestershire)
Putting Victims and Survivors First
Multi-Crime Services
The Victims Advice Line (VAL) received 3,861 new referrals where needs were
identified during Q1 23-24, which accounts for 20.8% of new crime cases.
11,870 letters or emails were sent to raise awareness of the services available.
1,428 people had their support needs met in Q1, with the VAL directly
responsible for meeting 641 of those, with onwards referrals for longer term or
specialist support to other agencies for the remaining 787. VAL performance
was subject to scrutiny through the A&A process in June 2023, with a focus on
governance arrangements, service provision to victims and future public
communication and engagement activity.
Timeliness and quality of contact remain discussion points at quarterly contract
monitoring, with the VAL keen to make improvements within the technology and
systems they have. To reduce waiting times, VAL have introduced a text contact
method as recovery plan mitigation by reducing the number of call attempts,
(assessment of need and vulnerability fitting) so where appropriate victims
receive a text message after a first initial non-answered call, stipulating a
callback day/time together with VAL contact details. This will hopefully see a
reduction of non-answered calls as they currently show as unknown number. The
PCC and VAL will be reviewing a Service Level Agreement together in the
upcoming months. It is understood service development / improvement could be
made around support provision for CYP’s particularly.
Service accessibility has been highlighted for those who do not wish to report or
seldom heard communities, and the VAL are in the process of implementing a
‘Communications Campaign’ over two phases, they have also commissioned a
website designer to improve search engine optimisation for those seeking
information and guidance online.
“Instead of just asking what they could do to help, they suggested several ideas, things I
would not have thought of. I took them up on two of those.”
The Victim Support provision will be reviewed in Autumn 2023 and informed by
the OPCC Victim and Offender Needs Assessment, which was completed in
August 2023. During Q1 2023-24 the service has seen an 18% increase in the
number of people self-referring, with the majority of these referrals relating to
sexual offences. During Q1 more people self referred to VS than came via the
VAL route.
The data shows that the majority of referrals received from the VAL fall under the
category of ‘other crime’ this is not reflective of the actual crime experienced
with many of these ‘other crime’ offences relating to violence with or without
injury. Discussion with both services shows that VS align their crime types to
MOJ crime recording types which is different to the recording used by VAL.
Service impact is measured via outcome star with improvements seen across all
areas for those exiting service, but the least improvement on initial assessment –
v- final response is in ‘experience of the CJS’ this is connected to CJS outcomes
(i.e.: No Further Action, Court backlogs, etc) rather than the support received,
VS only seek responses on this outcome when a report to the police has been
made.
Victim Support have supported 36 people through Restorative Justice processes
in Q1, and those who participate in the service have reported an improved
experience of the criminal justice system.
VS report supporting the needs of 7 people this quarter who did not meet the
criteria for the National Homicide Service, for high profile cases / trials, where it
seems critical homicide witnesses have fallen through service provision offer
gaps and who would have benefited from a support offer much earlier than trial,
due to impact caused, with the referrals to VS coming from the Witness Care
Unit when contacting the witnesses for trial. This has been flagged to the policy
team and efforts were made to see if 1 of the witnesses wished to provide us with
further information for case study and subsequent profile raising at LCJB/Victims
Board but declined.
‘Without your support and reassurances over the last few months we wouldn’t be where
we are now, feeling safer, happier and confident about the future. Resolutions, pathways
and opportunities that before were so clouded by the difficulties and struggles that have
been torturous and a constant battle for us, you have helped clear, for which we are
exceedingly grateful’
Modern Slavery Human Trafficking
Victim Support’ funded Independent Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
Advocate (IMSA) will see an agreed role reprofile during Q2 after a proposal was
made during the Q1 contract monitoring meeting. The proposal, in principle is
supported, and will better respond to need, building on the learning and
feedback from partners. The focus will now be on awareness raising, community
development and training, which will complement the direct service provision, in
turn increasing referrals, creating a more seamless service and knowledge of
support available to victims, the worker also sits on National IMSA advisory /
working groups.
Case study submission this month demonstrated the impact of the training
reprofile / service development. The case involved themes of sexual exploitation /
debt bondage after a non-English speaking victim travelled to the UK with 2
children, under false pretences. The case was referred after the IMSA provided
training to Police. The officer, upon reflecting on the training, decided to re-open
the case and made the referral. The person is now being supported and
undergoing referral to NRM.
Hate Crime
The I am Me! Project has been highly visible during Q1 which involved Pride
month and attendance / stalls at events across the region. Additionally, the I am
Me Project lead delivered 6 training sessions to learning disability groups, Fire
and Rescue Service, and looked after children. Here is the team in action:
Harm caused by roads
RoadPeace continues to deliver an innovative support and information service
for victims of serious injury collisions, working closely with local police and based
within the West Mercia Victim Advice Line. In Q1 of 23-24 they received 43
referrals which far exceeded the number of referrals received in any quarter in
the previous financial year. Victims who choose 1-2-1 support will usually
receive weekly or fortnightly support calls. More victims continue to choose the
option of face-to-face virtual support via video calls. Some victims may be
attending a support group as well as 1-2-1 support. The Resilience Building
Programme, which consisted of 8 weekly trauma support sessions, delivered by
two qualified counsellors, commenced on the 30 March and a comprehensive
evaluation has been produced. A further programme will run later in the current
financial year.
‘Road peace was recommended to me quite early on by my family liaison officer and I did
not think twice about making contact. Right from the start I was surrounded by people
who understood my experience, who treated me with compassion and have given me a
voice. I no longer feel isolated, I feel safe and comfortable in openly talking about my
thoughts and feelings without being judged. I have been given new skills in being able to
cope with the pain and how to take one day at a time and this would have just not been
possible without the support I have received through Road peace’
Sexual Violence
Referrals to the Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVA) services remain
consistent, and the number of service users needing additional support outside
the criminal justice process remains high. Clients leaving the service remain low
due to the ongoing backlog of court cases, resulting in higher case numbers for
ISVAs to manage. A snapshot of the average waiting time for an ISVA is 11 days
at maximum. During the waiting period, each client receives information and
contact details for the service. If there is an immediate need for an ISVA to
support a client with an ABE interview or Court attendance, team leaders will
fast-track the requests.
In 2023/2024, West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre
(WMRSASC) and Axis were awarded £427,063 for counselling provision across
West Mercia; however, demand exceeds capacity. Unfortunately, WMRSASC
were not allocated the full funding they were anticipating through the MOJ Rape
Support Fund process. This could result in a reduction of service across
communities. The PCC is working with partners in the ICS and Public Health to
develop a commissioning strategy that ensures the provision of appropriate and
timely mental health support to victims of sexual violence.
A Complex Care Pathfinder Steering Group has been established, with
representation from Integrated Care Services in Herefordshire and
Worcestershire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, local authorities, and specialist
victim services. A Project Manager has been recruited to mobilise the project
across the West Mercia area supported by two Service Managers, one covering
Herefordshire and Worcestershire the other covering Shropshire, Telford and
Wrekin. It is anticipated that the Pathfinder will start to take referrals at the end
of the year, with the Trauma Informed Training and group work staring earlier.
Child Sexual Exploitation
The Branch Service referrals for Shropshire and Hereford remain consistent, but
there has been a slight decrease in referrals for Worcestershire. The Branch
team lead contacted Worcester Get Safe lead to explore the reduction in
referrals. The Get Safe team have more new workers who could be missing
opportunities to refer into Branch. Secondly Worcester like Shropshire are
supporting children impacted by county lines and sexual exploitation. Get Safe
shared that they have seen an increase in online sexual exploitation and county
lines and these children have ongoing criminal justice activities, due to this they
were referred for CHISVA support initially. The Branch lead shared that Branch
workers are also qualified ISVAs. As a result of this feedback the Branch Team
have undertaken to meet with various professional agencies to raise awareness
of the Branch Project
Branch Plus (Adult Sexual Exploitation) supports adults who have been sexually
exploited. Numbers accessing the services are low but are beginning to increase.
The role of the Branch Plus worker is crucial in supporting clients to safety plan
and manage risks, helping them attend sexual health clinics, and providing
advocacy, information, and support in relation to court proceedings, including
the family court.
Adult SARCs
Bransford SARC continues to work towards the preparing the service had the
building to meet the ISO Forensic Accreditation for SARC’s. The Estates Team
and West Mercia’s Forensic services have been supporting Bransford SARC to
ensure that the facility and environmental forensic testing is at the standard
required. Bransford SARC area aiming to start their own self-assessment in the
New Year with a goal of achieving accreditation by Oct 2024.
A working group is in place to look at the service user requirements for Telford
SARC, the commissioned architects are developing a plan of the site for approval.
Domestic Abuse
West Mercia Women’s Aid (WMWA) IDVA Service now enter the 2nd year of a
3+1+1 contract with the core IDVA service receiving a total of 347 appropriate
referrals during Q1. Of those, 227 who engaged with 201 victims/survivors fully
engaging, and 26 provided with information and listening support (ISSP). 80% of
those engaging received full safety planning. Timely contact with victim/survivors
was achieved with over 95% (413) of victims/survivors being contacted within 24
hours and 97% (7) contacted within 72 hours. 10 referrals were also recorded as
awaiting contact/not contacted within 5 days, this appears to be a recording error
and contact had been made, this has been addressed within the IDVA staff team.
Inclusion IDVA’s are highlighted in Q1, with evidence of their progress embedding
within communities. They attended the Hay on Wye PRIDE and Hereford PRIDE,
and the 2 workers are now regularly integrating with military families, Eastern
European organisations, Foodbanks, Age UK, Action for Deafness, Sight loss
organisations (1 in 12 of those with sight loss experience DA according to their
research) and specialist neurodivergent services. This is a positive step towards
tackling barriers experienced by our diverse communities, improved awareness
and understanding of abuse and enhancing service accessibility.
Additionally, drop-in clinics are now held in multiple rural locations to target
rurality issues and isolation. An IDVA Disability Specialist has been recruited and
will be focusing on breaking down barriers for this client group.
The Young Person’s IDVAs (YPIDVA) service received 22 referrals during Q1 with
Worcester receiving the highest proportion, with 54% engaging with support.
There have been lots of positive changes in the CYP team, and they are now fully
staffed. The new CYP Manager is focusing on the best way to meet demand across
the team, which will be focusing on providing group work to reduce the waiting list
of the referrals coming into the CYP outreach service
The overall number of referrals for the Hospital IDVAs (HIDVA) have significantly
increased this quarter to 76. The service was significantly impacted by the
pandemic and subsequent restrictions, and the increase can be attributed to the
HIDVA’s, being back on site two days a week, increasing their visibility and contact
opportunities with staff and patients. Seventy-one percent (51 clients) have
engaged with Hospital IDVAs. Seventy-three percent of victims referred have
engaged in full support, with 27.45% having ISSP support
The DRIVE IDVA victim provision received 56 referrals in Q1, which is higher than
the equivalent quarter last year by 33%. This is mainly due to Cranstoun being fully
staffed. At the end of this quarter there were 38 clients engaging with the IDVA
service, (10 uncontactable). This seemed quite high, so the Senior DRIVE IDVA
reviewed these cases. In 9 cases, creative contact had been attempted, by
approaching a minimum of three agencies and asking for their contact details to
be passed on or by requesting joint visits. On some occasions, the IDVA had
contacted agencies working with the perpetrator to let them know when their
appointments were to ensure that safe contact could be made with the client at
this time. The senior IDVA was satisfied that on each of these occasions that the
IDVAs; who had sometimes spent weeks working on trying to establish contact;
had closed the file only when all possibilities of making contact had been
exhausted.
The full time Family Court IDVA has left the organisation, but a replacement has
been agreed, therefore WMWA are hopeful that the service will see an increase in
referrals moving forwards. The Assistant Manager and the Family Court IDVA are
in the process of rolling out workshops to organisations to improve understanding
of the role and how to refer.
West Mercia Women’s Aid Children and Young People’s Project: the CYP Project
received 108 referrals in Q1. 31 children and young people have completed a
programme of support this quarter. Most referrals continue to be made internally
or from Social Care. Overall outcomes showed 100% of CYP felt the voice of the
child is heard and responded to and felt better educated around healthy
relationships.
Early Intervention and Prevention
Domestic Abuse Prevention
The Young Person’s Domestic Abuse Prevention Worker (YPDAPW) is always in
high demand. Young people that are showing risky behaviours being flagged is
increasing, and some great work is being done by this early intervention
approach to try and break the cycle of domestic abuse. The CYP Manager has
been exploring multi-agency work in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin area
recently. This has been very positive, and the hope is to work collaboratively, to
ensure that they reach as many young people affected by domestic abuse as
possible. Quarterly meetings have been set up to network with local authorities
and education and reach out to victims of domestic abuse.
Substance Misuse Early Intervention
The newly commissioned pre-arrest drug referral service DIVERT, delivered by
Cranstoun has been commissioned on a regional basis until March 2025
alongside Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands Police. West Mercia
will contribute £22,320.52 in year 1 and £25,742.25 in the following year
bringing the total investment to £48,062.77.
Within the West Mercia area, the service received a total of 175 referrals in
Quarter 1, 20 of which were under the age of 18. Residents of Worcestershire
accounted for the highest number of referrals (33%), followed by Telford and
Wrekin (18%), Herefordshire (16%), and Shropshire (12%). 17% of referrals
made were for those residing outside of West Mercia. Cannabis use accounted
for over three quarters of assessed individual’s year to date, followed by Cocaine
at 14.71%. Assessments were completed with 115 people and 96 of those
engaged in a groupwork programme.
Child Criminal Exploitation
The CLIMB Service were awarded their first +1 extension year for 2023-2024, and
received 134 referrals in Q1, an increase from 125 the previous quarter, with 28
C&YP leaving the service with positive outcomes. For Q1 the highest referring area
was Telford whereas prior the majority was from Worcester. This influx of referrals
from Telford will be monitored moving forward to help understand the reason for
this. The percentage of C&YP leaving the service with an outcome is 97%.
Challenges are still being faced around the complexity of referrals and achieving
a positive outcome within the 12-week model. There are still gaps in provision for
C&YP regionally and this is partly why cases remain open with Climb for longer
than originally planned. The service was designed pre-covid. Anecdotal
challenges include struggling to signpost to mental health support or support
education stabilisation in that timeframe whilst also reducing the risk and other
mentorship required. A focused piece of work will be undertaken in this extension
year to assess further.
This quarter debuted the Climb Residential event. The Climb residential objective
was to provide a nurturing and supportive environment for young people who
would benefit from a weekend of fun activities. Seeing personal growth, the
development of essential life skills, facilitating positive social interactions and
promoting mental health and emotional well-being were among the key successful
outcomes of the event.
“This was incredibly freeing for the young people as it gave them space and
opportunity to be themselves without pressure or judgement” – Project worker
discussing the absence of other groups on the site of the Climb Residential.
“Kingwood is super fun and beneficial, the staff there are super nice and supportive
and do more than just look after you. The food there was good quality, the catering
service was amazing, and the activities are super fun and teach you long life skills
that will help you out through life, such as making friends, emotions, anger and
getting involved with the wrong people” – Supported YP
Child Sexual Exploitation
Purple Leaf Early Intervention and Prevention CSE Service has reported that ‘Sex
education’ and ‘pornography use’ have been highlighted as a common theme
arising on the recently created ‘Dual Experience programme’ where CYP are both
at risk of harm and pose a risk to others. Books, widgets, and other ageappropriate resources are used within these sessions and Purple Leaf are
continuing to develop this, especially for younger children.
“Having someone to talk to in a safe, calm and friendly environment” – Feedback from a
dual service user on what the best part of the session was
Referrals for the 1:1 Dual Experience service have followed the upward trajectory
and increased during Q1. All clients complete a pre-assessment which looks at
needs, risks and engagement with educational provision, parents/carers, social
workers, and other professionals. The pre-assessment streamlines the referral
and informs the most appropriate pathway / programme to meet the CYP needs.
There is an ongoing staff capacity challenge within Shropshire as a result of the
increasing referrals for the area, though assurance has been made that a review
will take place to reduce waiting times in accessing the service.
Targeted school delivery within Shropshire is fully booked within current capacity
for service delivery. It may be that lesser year on year school bookings are taken if
targeted smaller group delivery is assessed as a higher priority.
An increase has been seen in referrals made to the core service for children under
Work is being done to look at this more closely in addition to the number of
CYP needing more than the 8 sessions offered, which has also increased. An
evidence base is to be built around this metric to properly understand why this is
happening.
Purple Leaf have delivered 226 sessions to 739 children alongside 8 professional
awareness sessions to 122 people in Q1 this year in conjunction with 9 sessions
supported by AXIS and 8 parent sessions. Fewer primary sessions have been
delivered to allow capacity for the delivery of more, smaller, targeted groups as
part of the strategy.
Within schools, feedback from the group work has reported that 100% of CYP
leave the service with at least one positive outcome. 95% report an increased
understanding of the need to always gain consent before engaging in any sexual
activity and 100% report that they have an increased understanding of healthy
relationships.
“Having someone friendly and thoughtful to discuss my feelings with around relationships,
the sessions covered many topics which I found useful, and the creative way we did the
sessions helped me understand my feelings and wellbeing.” – CYP Service user
Building a More Secure West Mercia
Improving Responses to Domestic Abuse
Following the successful Home Office Bid of £1.2 million for a low-medium risk
perpetrator programme combined with the PCC budget investment towards
DRIVE, the procurement stage is now complete with Cranstoun awarded to deliver
as a prime agency throughout West Mercia. Mobilisation is underway, and a
recent virtual launch event delivered.
The Men and Masculinities programme currently operating in Hereford and
Worcester, started Q1 with 1 group in Worcester, 2 in Hereford and an online
programme. Due to the ongoing procurement of the force wide multi-risk
perpetrator programme, Cranstoun were unable to put new men onto the
programme, so the Hereford groups were condensed into a solitary group and a
waiting list was created which held 29 cases. Highlights from Q1, include 3 men
completing the programme and one now because of this, having his children
full time in his care.
“I found the course very helpful in learning different behaviours that I didn’t see as
abusive before. Things I learnt from the course we’re to recognise and accept my
own behaviours and to take full accountability for them. The one thing that hit me
the most and that I learned most was the impact abusive behaviours have on
children even if there not directly involved”.
Worcestershire and Herefordshire’s DRIVE programme worked with 45 high risk
perpetrators in Q1, with 47 associated victims/survivors and 81 associated
children and young people. Of note, those with closed cases report an 89%
reduction in high-risk physical abuse and jealous, controlling and coercive
behaviours and 100% reduction in high-risk sexual abuse, harassment and
stalking.
‘I get it now. What I do affects everything with my family. Thank you for your help.
I think about things differently now. I walk away rather than get wound up. I think
everyone should do some of this work as it makes a difference’
Reducing crime and reoffending
Remember Veterans YSS continue to offer the Remember Veterans service to
individuals within the community providing a holistic support at the earliest stage
to those most at need. YSS now have a successful referrals pathway that is
accessed via their website. The appointment of a Referrals Coordinator allows
service users to receive the support in a timely manner and that all information is
collated at point of referral.
Remember Veterans was part of a collaborative meeting that took place
involving Worcestershire and Herefordshire Armed Forces Covenant,
Herefordshire Veterans Support Centre and Op Nov where they met with
Herefordshire Safer Neighbourhood Teams to discuss working together to
support veterans and their families. Following the success of the meeting, we
were asked to create a presentation to deliver to further Safer Neighbourhood
Teams which is currently ongoing and hoping to be offered to all teams across
West Mercia.
Crimestoppers campaigns and events held so far this quarter include:
- Landlords and cannabis cultivation has been enhanced with training in West
Mercia provided to the HMRC and landlord groups. - Attending a National Modern-day Slavery seminar to talk about Crimestoppers
and how our charity can be a supportive tool to professionals and victims alike. - Committee engagement day held at the Guild Hall in Worcester along with
other charities and police forces.
Future plans include a new Knife Crime social media created with no imagery of
Knives; County Lines campaign planned to support intensification week and
University campaigns planned to coincide with the return to campus in
September.
Willowdene Female Offender Service: During April, Willowdene staff and Police
have met regularly to develop pathways, embed and promote the new service.
Willowdene’s diversionary lead developed and delivered presentations across
the region to front line police, in local stations. Working closely with the Police
pathways team, reporting processes from referral to completion have been
developed with all key points of contacts established and systems tested. The
process is working well, and initial referrals received have been processed and
recorded.
Although referrals are currently low, the OOCD is making a significant difference
by addressing the drivers of criminality and by alleviating the impact that having
a criminal conviction would have for the female offenders.
Positively 12 of 14 referrals engage with the intervention. One woman completed
a 7-week residential placement on 27th May, and another commenced on 14th
June, so occupancy is also on target. Achievement of qualifications continues to
be strong with women also consistently reporting improvement against all the self evaluated criteria in relation to experience of relationships, substance misuse and
domestic abuse. Use of the Family Assessment Centre has been reviewed as
planned with the one relevant woman, with children in need, using it for her child
contact.
DIVERT, the Pre-Arrest Diversion Programme, has been commissioned on a
regional basis, awarded to Cranstoun until March 2025 alongside Staffordshire,
Warwickshire and West Midlands. West Mercia will contribute £22,320.52 in year
1 and £25,742.25 in the following year bringing the total investment to
£48,062.77.
Within the West Mercia, DIVERT received a total of 175 referrals in Q1, 20 of
which were under the age of 18. Worcestershire residents accounted for the
highest number of referrals made at 33.14%, followed by Telford and Wrekin
18.29%, Herefordshire 16.0%, and Shropshire 12.0%. Those where residence
was outside of West Mercia accounted 16.57% of referrals made. Cannabis
accounted for 76.57% of assessed individual’s year to date, followed by
Cocaine at 14.71%. Assessments were completed with 115 people and 96 of
those engaged in a groupwork programme.
Reduce the excessive harm associated with West Mercia’s roads
MORSE – during Q1 MORSE continued to receive a consistent number of referrals
from a range of stakeholders. To manage the number of referrals a waiting list has
been created for Worcestershire and Herefordshire and then Telford and
Shropshire. This working document is managed by the Referrals Coordinator and
the MORSE workers who will assess and allocate referrals when capacity allows.
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.
A growing number of referrals are being received with complex needs and
additional support being required before participating in the Safer Driving
Programme. The team are seeing mental health, housing and substance needs
more frequently and the need for additional services to be involved.
MORSE are continuing to experience an increase in the financial need’s aspect of
services users due to the cost-of-living crisis. Additionally, the added impact it
has on people’s mental health. MORSE continue to support service users through
these challenges through referrals and signposting.
“I feel like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Just a fresh, new start”.
“It’s changed my life, it’s helped me massively, you’ve helped me loads”. “I was
screaming for help and that’s what I got. I’m in such a healthy place.” “I came off my
medicine last month. To be honest I was sort of in a fog and woke up one day thinking I
don’t want to take them, and I don’t want to drink alcohol anymore. I’m doing a load of
yoga and meditation and I’m in such a calm place. “I’ve already got a place of work at
my friend’s salon.” “My probation worker is amazed she says it’s been such a short
time and I’m glowing. I was in such a bad place, and I’ll never go back there again.” “If
I hadn’t had this support I’d just be in the same place and I’m just so grateful”.
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:
Shropshire CSP
Total Awarded Funding: £98,441
Current Allocation: £75,318
Hereford CSP
Total Awarded Funding: £100,066
Current Allocation: £55,736
Telford CSP
Total Awarded Funding: £158,934
Current Allocation: £142,641
South Worcester CSP
Total Awarded Funding: £139,250
Current Allocation: £77,301
North Worcester CSP
Total Awarded Funding: £139,250
Current Allocation: £48,412
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:
The PCC has been collaborating with partners on a specification for a Road
Safety Needs Assessment. This will provide an updated data and gap
analysis and includes a consultation which will inform future commissioning.
The anticipated completion date is Autumn 2023.
The PCC has received the first draft of the commissioned Serious Violence
Needs Assessment (SVNA) which included a large consultation and
engagement exercise. A review of the draft is being undertaken, some initial
observations being that not all local authorities submitted requested datasets.
Consideration will be made to revisiting the data analysis following a Serious
Violence Data Sharing Workshop being led by the newly appointed Serious
Violence Partnership Manager in August. This event will seek to increase
engagement and buy in of specified authorities around data sharing
improvements.
The Victim and Offender Needs Assessment draft report was used in the
A&A process focused on the VAL. As a result, a working group with the force
is to be set up. The results will also inform options for the recommissioning of
the multi-crime service provision, due to the delays in completing the needs
assessment, it is looking likely that interim arrangements will need to be
considered and will form the priority focus for the Commissioning Team in the
Autumn 2023.
Work has also just started on the Child Sexual Exploitation Needs
Assessment refresh.
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: https://www.westmercia-pcc.gov.uk/funding/portfolio/
