Average waiting time for victims of sexual abuse or violence
Our Ref: Our Ref: NY8466 - Date: 2 June 2023
Our Ref: NY8466
Date: 2 June 2023
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: NY8466
I write in connection with your request for information that was received by the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire (OPFCC) 25 April 2023. Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in response.
I note you seek access to the following information:
Please could you provide the following data:
- Average waiting time for victims of sexual abuse or violence who have requested support services commissioned by your PCC between the years below. Please categorise the data by the types of sexual violence and abuse support services your PCC commissions (e.g. counselling).
⁃ Feb 14 2020-Feb 14 2021
⁃ Feb 14 2021-Feb 14 2022
⁃ Feb 14 2022-Feb 14 2023
- Average waiting time for victims of domestic abuse and violence who have requested support services commissioned by your PCC between the years below (where they are commissioned by your PCC). Please categorise the data by the types of domestic abuse and violence support services your PCC commissions (e.g. counselling).
⁃ Feb 14 2020-Feb 14 2021
⁃ Feb 14 2021-Feb 14 2022
⁃ Feb 14 2022-Feb 14 2023
Please could you also provide a list of charities or organisations that you commission to carry out these services, or direct me as to where I could find one.
Extent and Result of Searches to Locate Information
To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within the OPFCC.
I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by the OPFCC.
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you.
There is no waiting list for any of the services currently commissioned by the Office of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) for North Yorkshire.
Commissioned Service Providers are required to attempt to contact all victims and survivors referred to their services by police or other third parties within 1-3 working days, prioritising higher risk cases, however it may require several attempts before contact can be established and an initial assessment of risk and need undertaken before allocation to a designated support worker as required.
In line with our victim-led approach, clients may then choose to delay when and how they access services for a number of reasons; this information is not collected in a format that can be provided within a reasonable timescale but is regularly monitored through dip sampling, or targeted review where required.
To ensure there are no undue delays to victims/survivors accessing support services, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which record Dates Referrals are received, Initial Contact Attempts, Contact Established and Initial Needs Assessment completed are recorded and monitored regularly – any significant delays are reviewed at Quarterly Performance Monitoring meetings with the Providers, and any actions necessary are agreed to address areas of concern and monitored through these meetings.
If anyone is not satisfied with the service they have been offered, including timescales for this support offer, they can choose to make either an informal or formal complaint, and this can be escalated to the OPFCC if they are unhappy with the response they have received.
The OPFCC currently commission the following services for victims and survivors of sexual or domestic abuse or violence – full details of the service offer, referral criteria and pathways can be found on the OPFCC’s website here:
- Domestic Abuse Victims Community Based Support services delivered by Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS)
- Domestic Abuse ‘Whole Family’ Approach – Support for Children & Young People Affected by Domestic Abuse Service delivered by IDAS
- Adult Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) delivered Mountain Healthcare Ltd
- Child Sexual Assault Assessment Service (CSAAS) delivered Mountain Healthcare Ltd
- Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) Service delivered IDAS
- Child Sexual / Criminal Exploitation and Missing service – Hand in Hand delivered by the Children’s Society
- Counselling and Talking Therapies Service delivered by Survive and Community Counselling (North Yorkshire) Ltd
Not all of these services have data available for all three periods as some of the services have either been commissioned or decommissioned during the three-year period in question.
Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data. It should be noted therefore that the OPFCC’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.
Complaint Rights
Your attention is drawn to the attached sheet which details your right of complaint.
If you have any queries concerning this request, please contact me quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely,
Tina James-McGrath
Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, North Yorkshire