Survivor engagement – domestic and sexual abuse

The aims of the survivor engagement coordinator (SEC) role are to:

• improve the service, policy and practice for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence
• increase understanding around the impact of domestic abuse and sexual violence
• facilitate conversations across the whole criminal justice system to improve the response to domestic abuse and sexual violence
• empower survivors to use their lived experience to influence legislative, strategic and operational activity across the violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual abuse (VAWDAS) sector
• identify and reduce any communication barriers faced by those with protected characteristics

The intended outcomes of the SEC role are:

• increased victim satisfaction (although this is a difficult outcome to measure)
• improved training to officers and staff
• improved services for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence (this can be measured through scrutiny panels and continued feedback from survivors)
• improved resources and support available for victims considering their options
• improved feedback from our partners (such as independent domestic violence advisors (IDVAs) and independent sexual violence advisors (ISVAs)

The survivor engagement coordinator (SEC) role was implemented in 2019. The role is now embedded in both the governance structure of Gwent Police and within the regional VAWDAS government work.

The role must be filled by a qualified IDVA or ISVA to manage safeguarding and risk, but also to understand the entire criminal justice journey. The role also needs to be independent to avoid any organisational bias. Our role sits in Victim Services, which is a police staff department.

The SEC is responsible for: 

• running regular focus groups (advertised through social media)
• obtaining one to one feedback
• inviting focus group and feedback participants to join the Survivor Network and/or Victim Reference Group
• providing feedback to focus group and feedback participants as to how their participation has made a difference
• acting as a point of contact for partners to initiate service recovery with individual cases
• building relationships with partners
• raising awareness about the existence of the survivor engagement coordinator role

The SEC role has made a significant difference across all areas of work. It has: 

• contributed to a considerable improvement in culture within the organisation – with all service areas valuing survivor feedback to ensure their response is victim-centred
• become well respected by our partners
• contributed to our Victim Reference Group growing considerably – with scrutiny being requested for projects across the region by multiple organisations
• encouraged survivors to feel their voice is being heard and to feel empowered – as helping us improve can help other victims

Survivor voice has been implemented in officer training, using survivor videos and case studies in order to train officers and to aid their understanding of the impact of abuse.

The SEC also attends domestic abuse (DA) and rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) scrutiny meetings to provide survivor voice and contact the victims of the cases scrutinised to gain their feedback.

The victim reference group are able to provide feedback and case studies internally but also have participated in partner projects such as Safe Spaces, Welsh Government initiatives and health board improvement projects. The group have also been instrumental in developing a DA information booklet that can be given to victims and also used by partners with clients to understand the criminal justice process and improve engagement and understanding.

The SEC role was a big change for the organisation. The internal culture change (and acceptance of critical feedback about services areas) took a while to filter through. Chief officer support and department lead buy-in was vital to ensure this role's success.

It also took time to establish collaboration with partner agencies and build the trust required for survivors to engage. Corporate communications were key to promoting the existence of a referral pathway. We wanted referrals to be voluntary and not the result of cold calling.

It's important to understand this is a long-term change and not a quick win.

The victim should always be the focus in this line of work and while their feedback is paramount to help us learn, we must consider the impact this has on their emotional wellbeing. Risk assessments should always be completed to ensure it's safe for victims to participate. 

It's important to consider Home Office guidance on the counting rules for recorded crime when considering barriers to reporting. For example, if a victim discloses information they haven’t already reported, we would then have to record this. This may risk any trust created.

The wellbeing of the survivor engagement coordinator is incredibly important. There is a huge risk of vicarious trauma. This needs to be managed by someone who works in this field to fully understand the impact.

The SEC role is now embedded within the organisation and consulted on changes and improvements within the organisation. It is regularly used by partners for service recovery as a softer approach to complaints and allows the survivor voice to be heard and changes to be made.