Following the recent Police and Crime Commissioner elections, many Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC’s) will be commissioning the delivery of support services for Victims of Crime in their area. As part of taking an ‘intelligent commissioning’ approach, PCC’s may wish to conduct an independent analysis of the current providers’ service delivery, and an updated review of service user needs and gap analysis.
Agencia can support you in undertaking this independent review, and to explore commissioning options. Specifically, we can:
- Identify what a fully comprehensive victim service provision would look like (from the very basic through to specialist and niche services incorporating psychological and mental health aspects, cultural and religious issues). This view will enable you to plot where agencies can best work in partnership, and what additional services require commissioning, thereby engineering a strategic approach to service design.
- Conduct a comprehensive review of the level and type of victim, referral and support service needs across your area, and provide your office with opportunities to hear from victims first hand.
- Audit current service provider/s and establish how well the current referral mechanism into victims’ services works, to include a value for money exercise e.g. are victims made aware of the services available to them? Is victim data transferred safely, quickly, accurately and systematically, and do current arrangements represent value for money – what exactly are you getting for your money?
- Gain a thorough understanding of the scope of demand for victim referral and support services, and assess whether this demand is being met. This includes uncovering any ‘hidden demand’ for victim’s services. For example, what does the data and existing research say about demand for victim services, what do victims and witnesses want from these services - do different victims need and want different things? Is there any demand for services unique to your area?
- Independently assess and evaluate the current ‘end to end process’ which victims of crime are exposed to, and produce recommendations for improvements and identify good practice.
- Map and assess current service provision - do services vary between boroughs, demographies and crime types; who accesses these services? How much do services cost, who pays for them and do they represent value for money? Are there sufficient services for vulnerable victims of crime, such as victims of hate crime? Is Restorative Justice easily accessible for victims of crime in your area?
- Develop a detailed understanding of the identifiable gaps in existing victims’ referral and support service provision based on local need and demand analysis. For example, what should service provision look like? How efficient and effective are: the signposting and referral mechanisms within the police, from the police to other partners, and between partner agencies - particularly in terms of needs assessment; and the self-referral methods to support services; what services are needed that are not currently delivered?
- Identify and share current best practice in the delivery of victim referral and support services – including benchmarking which outlines where service innovation / excellence currently exists and how this is evaluated; Should you focus on delivering some specific or flagship services? Is there a different and refreshed lens we should use to envision better services to victims?
- Facilitate any necessary change and implementing more effective services e.g. should capacity building with providers be part of your PCC’s commissioning approach? Are funding levels sufficient to meet demand for these services? What hard choices need to be made? How can the PCC measure the success of any new approach?
- Formulate a set of recommendations that can be used to effectively and efficiently commission referral and support services for victims based on outcomes specific to local need and demand. This might include opportunities to use existing research and build bridges into local health and wellbeing services (e.g. where drug abuse or mental health issues exist) to contribute to reducing a victims’ risk, and therefore reduce the level of crime - a holistic community based approach. We can also advise on future proofing services e.g. how to maximise the impact of social media or how to convert the huge amounts of relevant data commissioners have into accessible information and intelligence to support their local communities.
Benefits of engaging Agencia for support
Agencia is a change management organisation, offering consultancy, training and service provision to the public, private and third sectors. Established in 1997, we have an outstanding track record both in the UK and internationally, and have been trusted to deliver over 400 contracts for clients which include the Department of Health, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Justice and the Department for International Development.
- A long track record of working in the Criminal Justice Sector both in the UK and internationally. This involves the delivery of projects with local and national Criminal Justice Partners, including victim and witness services over a period of almost 20 years.
- Extensive experience of service review and development across the UK for a wide variety of organisations, and active current engagement in service development. This confirms our reputation as an impartial, independent organisation which operates sensitively and confidentially to listen to and faithfully report the issues raised by stakeholders and deliver positive change.
- A clear understanding of the complexity and scale of working with victims and witnesses, consistently achieving a consistent but sensitive local response to issues of re-offending and achieving public safety, together with a wide variety of committed partners.
- Our staff are experienced in designing and facilitating face-to-face interviews and focus groups. This experience includes work with service users and carers, members of the public, offenders, victims of crime, healthcare practitioners, children and young people and the vulnerable elderly. These types of exercises require careful and sensitive handling, supported by detailed and informed planning. Our approach to such sensitive exercises was recognised as the appropriate solution during a judicial review.
- Agencia comprises a team of focussed experts able to bridge the key domains of needs assessment, finance, research, service user views and engagement with a range of experience in the Criminal Justice Sector at a Senior Management/Chief Executive level.
- The ability to appreciate and understand the sensitivities surrounding the service development needs of commissioners and the need for a flexible approach in meeting their needs.
- Agencia works to high standards of delivery, with over 80% of our clients placing repeat business with us. As testament to this, we are on the UK Government Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) Framework; we are trusted by HM Government to deliver projects on their behalf in highly sensitive and confidential international environments.
If you wish to discuss how Agencia might be able to support you, please do not hesitate to contact Helen Gibson or Steve Pitts.
More information about Agencia
Agencia is a change management organisation, offering consultancy, training and service provision to the public, private and third sectors. Established in 1997, Agencia has an outstanding track record both in the UK, and internationally, in its core markets: justice and health & social care. Agencia has been trusted to deliver over 400 contracts and received repeat business from over 80% of the organisations it has supported.
For more information about Agencia please visit our website at: http://agenciaconsulting.com
For queries about our work, please contact Helen Gibson at: helengibson@agenciaconsulting.com Tel: +44(0)1482 649900
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