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WEST MERCIA PCC: DISCLOSURE LOG

RESPONSE TO REQUEST
Reference: 2024-371 / WE09492
Date of response: 26th February 2024

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 – INFORMATION REQUEST

Request

Please can you provide the following information:

1.

Please can you provide details of any victims services commissioned by the OPCC
exclusively for victims under the age of 18, including:

  • Details of the service(s)
  • The funding allocated to each service
  • How many victims under the age of 18 were supported by these services.
    Please can these details be provided for the year 2022/23 and 2021/22

2.

Please can you provide details of any victims services commissioned by the OPCC that
provide support for victims under the age of 18 (even if the service is not exclusively for
victims under the age of 18), including:

  • Details of the service(s)
  • The funding allocated to each service
  • How many victims under the age of 18 were

Please can these details be provided for the year 2022/23 and 2021/22

Response

Please see the below responses.

Domestic Abuse CYP Service

The funding allows the employment of a Children and Young People’s Worker to engage with those between the ages of 5 – 12 who are identified as at risk of suffering significant negative outcomes as a result of domestic abuse within their family / home environment. The Project Worker visits schools, raising awareness of domestic abuse with both staff and pupil

The funding allocated to each service.
The grant value is £47,100.

How many victims under the age of 18 were supported by these services.
2021/22 – 197
2022/23- 162

To obtain value for the public purse the PCC commissions services that contain specific
provision for children and young people (CYP) and adults. An example of this is our contracted specialist sexual violence and domestic abuse services are offering specific intervention designed to meet the needs of children and young people and adults. We would be unable to provide the amount of funding allocated just for the CYP component as it’s part of a much wider contract value and all interlinked, so I couldn’t assign a value to just the CYP provision as for example they share buildings, resources, infrastructure, software.

The PCC allocated £200,000 funding towards sexual violence counselling therapeutic services delivered by WMRSASC during the requested period to reduce counselling waiting lists between June 2021 and March 2023, following the provider closing their waiting list in June 2021.

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice Critical Support Fund between 2022-2023 saw sexual
violence support uplifted by £250,673, some of which funded a specific children’s counsellor to work with 5–10-year-olds.

Additionally, we commission multi-crime victims’ services, specifically the Victims Advice Line and Victim Support to provide support to any victim of crime, tailored to their needs, irrespective of age, which includes a specialist restorative justice provision, again the contract costs are not able to be aggregated by age.

Ministry of Justice reporting template data as follows:
2021-2022 – 2904 victims under 18 supported via PCC commissioned victims’ services.
2022-2023 – 1955 victims under 18 supported via PCC commissioned victims’ services.

Yours sincerely,

FOI Officer

West Mercia OPCC

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write to the Information Compliance Unit; Information Compliance Unit, PO Box 55, Worcester, WR3 8SP. Email: [email protected]

Response Reviews

If you think that the Police and Crime Commissioner has failed to supply information in accordance with the publication scheme, then you
should write in the first instance, to the:

Chief Executive, OPCC – West Mercia, Hindlip Hall, Worcester. WR3 8SP

The PCC will aim to deal with your complaint within 10 working days. If you are dissatisfied with the response you can ask for the matter to be internally reviewed. Internal reviews will be completed promptly and a response given to you within 20 working days of your further
request.

If, after the internal review, you remain dissatisfied, then you can complain to the Information Commissioner (Office of the Information Commissioner), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF).