Research recommends ‘one front door’ approach to support victim-survivors of sexual violence in Suffolk

A single point of referral is among a series of recommendations to better support sexual violence victims in the county, following a new study by researchers at the University of Suffolk.

The University was commissioned in December last year to map the provision of sexual violence support in Suffolk, with the aim of helping to identify gaps in support and improve victims’ experiences in accessing help.

The research found delays in the criminal justice system and challenges signposting victims to support services were among the key barriers locally.

The report, published today, makes a series of recommendations to service commissioners and funders. Among those are proposals for a “one front door” approach, where all referrals go into one place and are triaged into the relevant services for support whilst still retaining direct access for self-referrals  to existing services if preferred by victim-survivors.

The research said this approach would help in “reducing waiting times and inappropriate referrals and preventing victim-survivors seeking support from having to re-tell their stories unnecessarily”.

Academics from the University’s Institute for Social Justice and Crime and Institute of Health and Wellbeing assessed existing academic literature and reviewed publicly available data provided by practitioners, before then gathering testimonies from a public call for evidence. That included interviews and surveys with those who have lived or professional experience, including victim-survivors, support service providers and commissioners of those services.

The research found several issues in relation to victim-survivors struggling to access assistance, including:

•    Signposting to support often being unclear, which deterred victims-survivors from seeking help;
•    A lack of signposting and awareness of options for those affected but who were not directly targeted as a victim, such as family members of victim-survivors;
•    Delays in referrals and victim-survivors gaining access to support;
•    Difficulties accessing help in rural areas because of the urban location of services;
•    Specialist, therapeutic support not always being available.

In addition, researchers found that delays in the criminal justice process hampered the confidence of victims, affecting attrition and subsequent conviction rates.

The report also highlighted that a lack of regular, guaranteed funding meant support services were not always able to meet demand, which was also exacerbated by the closure of Suffolk Rape Crisis last summer putting further demand on existing services.

The research did however identify a number of strengths in Suffolk, including specialist support in the voluntary sector, good relationships between funders and providers, the variety and quality of services available, and the importance of victim-survivors being believed. In addition, the involvement of independent sexual violence advisors (ISVAs) was singled out by many victim-survivors as significant to their support.

The report has identified eight recommendations to improve the journey for victims to gain help. Those include:

•    Co-ordinated action by funders and service providers to advocate for greater certainty of future funding;
•    Clearly defined terminology to be used across policy and practice, and in communications with those accessing services;
•    Commitment from commissioners to multi-agency working and enhanced collaboration to ensure specialised support;
•    Demand should be managed through a single ‘front-door’ to enable a greater provision of services while retaining direct access to existing services;
•    Bolstered prevention and early-intervention measures to reduce problems with delayed disclosures;
•    A commitment from commissioners to a trauma-informed approach to sexual violence provision;
•    A more robust and consistent approach to accurate data collection to support specific needs of those from minoritised groups and those who identify as male;
•    A commitment from commissioners to develop an evidence base of best practice.

Professor Miranda Horvath Director of the Institute of Social Justice and Crime, said: “Access to support for victim-survivors of sexual violence is a national problem, and we can see from the data in Suffolk that gaps in provision and barriers for accessing help can have a huge impact on victim-survivors".

Professor Valerie Gladwell, Director of the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, said: “The lived experience of victim-survivors, practitioners and commissioners is a hugely important strand of this study, and tells us that long delays in the criminal justice system and challenges signposting to support really matters in the wellbeing outcomes of victim-survivors.”

Dr Linda Cooper, Deputy Director of the Institute for Social Justice and Crime said: “This research provides a clear series of recommendations for commissioners and funders to provide a more integrated and financially-secure landscape that places the victim-survivors at the centre, and delivers effective and timely support when they need it.”

One practitioner who responded to the call for evidence described the wait for victims between reporting the crime and a trial as “agonising,” while a victim-survivor said the thought of going to court was “deeply unpleasant”.

Another practitioner said that a “holistic triage of all referrals into one specific portal” would help ensure that “each client can access the service they need, at the time they need it, rather than waiting for something that may not even be appropriate”.

The research was commissioned by Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB), Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership, and NHS England, and will be used to help inform future policy-setting locally.

It was also supported with funding from the University of Suffolk’s Policy Support Fund, provided by Research England.

To read the full report, visit the website here.

For more information about the work of the University of Suffolk’s research institutes, visit the website here.

QUOTES FROM FUNDING PARTNERS

Lisa Nobes, Director of Nursing, NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, said: “The NHS and the wider health and care system have an integral role in supporting victim-survivors of sexual violence, the impact of which can have devastating consequences on a person’s mental and physical wellbeing.

“The eight recommendations in this report represent an important basis on which commissioners can work together on developing and delivering improvements to offer a truly compassionate, victim-survivor-centric response that prioritises speedy and effective health and wellbeing interventions.

“We’d like to thank everyone involved in this work and their important contribution to improving sexual violence support in the county.”

Tim Passmore, Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “I really welcome this comprehensive research on sexual violence.

“Looking ahead it is crystal clear there needs to be a much more powerful commitment to collaboration and multi-agency working to improve the support and help provided to victims of this appalling crime.

“There needs to be all round commitment to longer-term funding so service provision is far more secure. This can be done because ultimately it is about funding bodies making the right choices and guaranteeing victims’ needs are the top priority, irrespective of challenges and barriers.

“If we are to reduce the prevalence of sexual offences in Suffolk concerted action is required throughout the criminal justice system to bring offenders to justice. Much more also needs to be done to make sure our youngsters are brought up knowing how to make the right choices in life and what exactly healthy relationships involve.”

An NHS England – East of England spokesperson said: “We welcome this report, which will feed into our planning for sexual assault and abuse services.”