Lambeth update

Report: 1a
Report for the Domestic and Sexual Violence Board
Date: 13 July 2010
By D Ch Supt Nick Ephgrave, Borough Commander, Lambeth

Kirsten Hearne and Valerie Brasse
Chairs of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Board
Metropolitan Police Authority
10 Dean Farrar Street
LONDON SW1H 0NY 25 June 2010

Dear Ms Hearn and Ms Brasse

Domestic and Sexual Violence in Lambeth: overview of the work of SCD2 and the Borough Operational Command Unit – BOCU response to issues raised by the DSVB meeting, 4 December 2009

I refer to your letter of December 2009 following our appearance at the Board’s meeting on 4 December. The Board identified 11 actions for follow-up by Lambeth BOCU and this letter constitutes my report updating the Board on our progress with these actions.

Progress is as follows:

1. Review possibility of fortnightly MARAC or extension of time in current MARAC and update with feedback from CAADA review

The Lambeth MARAC continues to meet on a monthly basis. The meeting times have now been extended to take into consideration the high number of referrals to the MARAC and to enable the MARAC to operate effectively. As highlighted below, the MARAC is currently going through the CAADA MARAC quality assurance. We will take into consideration the recommendations that arise from the QA with regards to the capacity and frequency of MARAC meetings in Lambeth and implement any changes where appropriate.

As stated, the Lambeth MARAC is currently going through the CAADA Quality Assurance process. This is the final stage of the national MARAC implementation process. The Quality Assurance process is designed to promote ‘gold standard practice’ in and around MARACs while also respecting local differences, therefore enabling a consistent response for victims nationally. The outcome of the QA will build on previous Lambeth MARAC inspections and will help shape and steer the future development of the MARAC.

The MARAC partnership is currently working together to support the QA process and to ensure that the Lambeth MARAC operates within the CAADA guidelines. We held the first formal Lambeth MARAC Steering Group in March 2010, at which 20 professionals attended representing some 14 different agencies and services. Commitment from key agencies in Lambeth is very positive, and this is crucial to the successful operation of the MARAC in passing the QA process.

At this stage we do not have an exact date from CAADA when the final QA report will be available to Lambeth; however CAADA have indicated that this should be autumn 2010.

2. Develop ‘critical success factors’ for partnership working to be shared by TPHQ/SCD2 and DSVB AR as best practice guidelines

Draft critical success factors for partnership working are attached at APPENDIX 1 for information. They are currently subject to further discussion between Lambeth BOCU and TPHQ.

3. Lambeth and TPHQ – to explore the use of ‘quality call back’ in relation to DV and assess whether this could be expanded across the MPS

The issue of quality call back has progressed corporately since the Lambeth presentation on 4th December. TPHQ are currently establishing a working group to consider this issue with a view of developing a process to monitor customer satisfaction. Lynn Abrahams from the MPA is supporting this work and participating in the working group.

4. Explore the impact of the disability Liaison Officer

The Diversity and Hate Crime Officer is the designated Disability Liaison Officer for Lambeth Police and works closely with the Community Safety Unit and Vulnerable Persons Unit.

Cases are identified through the CSU or VPU and also Victim Support Lambeth and the Local Authority Disabilities and Older People’s Team. The DLO attends the Adult Safeguarding Board and works closely with stakeholders and the community.

Internal and external work is ongoing to increase reporting and building reporting mechanisms. Lambeth Officers have been trained to identify vulnerable victims and community disability workshops have been delivered across the borough.

The DLO works with SNTs to identify victims and the Local Authority ASB Team to identify perpetrators of hate crime and issue Hate Crime Orders.

A Hate Crime Steering Group has been developed and hate crime hot-spotting is used to target resources such as Operation Athena.

Customer call-backs are used to evaluate the service received by victims.

5. Update on whether the staff member cautioned for DV continues in employment with the BOCU or elsewhere in MPS

As with all staff who have admitted or been convicted of an offence, this member of staff was subject to a formal disciplinary procedure following the caution and, although he was not dismissed from the service, he was transferred away from Lambeth in order to avoid any further contact with the victim.

6. Update on the BOCU sexual offences unit and how this is functioning

The new BOCU Sexual Offences Unit, designed to address lower level sexual offending outside the remit of SCD2, formally began work on 24 May 2010. Currently staffed by a Detective Sergeant and two Detective Constables, their work has already achieved 9 sanctioned detections, an increase of 120% on the period before they began work. In one recent notable case, they identified a serial sexual offender responsible for perhaps 200 or more victims and this case is currently being progressed.

7. Provide evidence that an HBV action plan has been developed as required by TPHQ and feedback on how this is being implemented

There is no longer any requirement for individual BOCUs to have in place an HBV action plan. This has been superseded by guidance now contained within the recently updated DV SOP (standard operating procedure), and ACPO HBV strategy that all forces have implemented.

8. Update on whether an application for an SDVC has been successful

In the last round of SDVC accreditation Lambeth did not submit an application for Camberwell Magistrates Court to be considered as an SDVC. However, Lambeth have been working in partnership with key CJS stakeholders to develop the London Mainstreaming Model in the borough. The LMM is a mainstream CJS model for tackling domestic violence which has been developed by the London Criminal Justice Partnership (LCJP). It is based on the components of the Specialist Domestic Violence Court (SDVC) model which the criminal justice system is responsible for delivering. Key elements of the model are about ensuring that there are effective and consistent operating standards in each of the criminal justice agencies in London. The National SDVC steering group have endorsed both the London Mainstream Model and its Operating Standards.

The Lambeth LMM self assessment workbook and operating protocol have been completed and signed off by partners. We are currently awaiting an update from the LCJP with regards to accreditation and implementation of the model.

9. Update in the progress that the MPS has made in lobbying for integrating action against sexual violence into its partnership work, strategic targets and funding applications

Lambeth MPS is one of the six ‘responsible authorities’ represented in the borough’s community safety partnership, Safer Lambeth. The Partnership has adopted five crime reduction priorities through to the end of 2010/11 and MPS are the lead agency for Priority 1, to reduce serious and violent crime. The Deputy Borough Commander chairs the Partnership Action Group that has been created to lead this work with membership drawn from statutory and voluntary agencies across the Partnership. The PAG is working to five objectives in 2010/11 including, “tackle domestic violence and sexual violence (including rape and sexual assault)” with the following targets:

• to increase sanctioned detections for rape to 30% for Stranger 1 and 20% for Stranger 2 rapes (outturn in 2009/10 for all rapes was 15.03%);
• to increase sanctioned detections for DV to 47% (outturn in 2009/10 was 48%);
• to maintain the repeat victimisation rate for DV below 54% (outturn in 2009/10 was 20%)
• to increase the DV arrest rate to 77% (outturn in 2009/10 was 71%)

Key elements of the Partnership’s current work programme include:

1. Holding a ‘Select Committee’ style meeting focussing on sexual violence in Lambeth that will take evidence and testimony from the Sapphire Unit, The Haven, the health service, other providers and service user groups and will consider the way forward for work on sexual violence and support for victims.
2. Supporting victims of rape through match-funding of grant aid from the Home Office in order to appoint an ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor) to be based within a third sector organisation working with victims of sexual violence.
3. Implementing a new effort, modelled on ‘Operation Staysafe’, to raise awareness amongst those socialising in the Night Time Economy of the potential risks of sexual violence and reducing vulnerability. This operation will target hotspot areas including Clapham, Brixton and Streatham.
4. Ensuring domestic violence victims who access support through the criminal justice system are provided with a specialist support service.

10. Consider whether the successful preventative work currently undertaken in local schools could be expanded to include forms of sexual violence such as sexual bullying

Lambeth CYPS are in the process of commissioning a third sector organisation to build on and continue to deliver the excellent work that Tender have been carrying out in Lambeth in relation to domestic violence preventative work in schools. This preventative work will focus on healthy relationships, and will also address issues of sexual violence and sexual bullying.

Lambeth’s ‘Young and Safe’ Programme – which provides intervention and support for young people involved or at risk of involvement in gang related activity – is commissioning a project to deliver individual and group based sessions for young women who are at risk of or are experiencing violence or harm due to their association with group offending. In addition, another project is being commissioned on behalf of NHS Lambeth that is designed to support the first project by addressing similar issues around harm to young women with groups of young men. Between them, these projects will provide support and seek to address issues of harm and sexual violence for young people involved with group or gang offending.

11. Provide information on unsupported DV prosecutions and how Lambeth reduces attrition in these cases

The BOCU has not been provided with CPS data on unsupported DV prosecutions. In terms of reducing attrition rate this is achieved through regular sustained engagement with the victim throughout the CJ process. Engagement is provided by the investigating officer, witness care team and in all cases by a court based IDVA (Independent DV advocate). Data from Lambeth DV linked LAA which included as one of its four stretch targets increasing DV prosecutions showed successful court outcomes at 31/3/06 was 52.9% compared with 59% for the year ending 31/3/10.

In addition to these issues raised by the Board, I’d like to take this opportunity to provide a progress report on the following additional issues:

Update on LAA

Lambeth have now achieved the 2007-2010 domestic violence stretch target and are now awaiting external audit of the indicators to confirm the outcome. Success in this stretch target brings a reward of £1.1 million back into the borough. Excellent partnership working between the Council, Police, CPS and the voluntary sector was key in this success. We plan to build on the joint working practices developed in taking forward new projects in the coming year.

Violence against women and girls

On the 26 March 2010 an innovative Lambeth Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Summit was held as part of a drive by Lambeth Council and its partners to tackle this vital issue and move this agenda forward at a local borough level. The VAWG project builds on Lambeth’s coordinated community response to domestic violence and responds to the Government’s publication "Together we can end violence against women and girls" and the Mayor of London’s strategy "The way forward-a call for action to end violence against women and girls".

Lambeth and partners have carried out a pilot research project focusing on the wider violence against women and girls agenda. This research has allowed Lambeth to build a more accurate evidence base in relation to the scale of in the borough, to identify gaps in service provision and highlight good practice. The research culminated in the Lambeth Violence Against Women and Girls Summit attended by over eighty delegates.

Home Office Review of Lambeth Domestic Violence Partnership

Lambeth was nominated by the Government Office for London to take part in a national domestic violence partnership review. This project has been commissioned by the Home Office with the review to be undertaken by a third sector organisation called Standing Together Against Domestic Violence.

Staff from the organisation carried out a three day visit of Lambeth in the second week of June 2010 to interview statutory and voluntary sector partners, carry out focus groups with survivors and voluntary sector partners, review available local data and review local policies and procedures. Standing Together are now writing a report on the partnership approach (with a score for how this compares to other areas) and will make recommendations for future development where appropriate.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there are any further matters for which the Board requires additional information.

Yours sincerely

D Ch Supt Nick Ephgrave
Borough Commander, Lambeth

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