Issue details

The reasons for the decision are:

The Victim Service Coordinators and Lead role were introduced in Sept 2017, as a pivotal element of the Assessment and Referral Model. They are employed by GMP and fully funded by GMCA. The team are led by the GMP Victim Services Strategic Lead and are responsible for the leadership and oversight of the victim services work at a divisional level, to improve partnership working and align services more effectively to improve pathways for victims.

During 2019/2020, GMCA lead a review of victim services across Greater Manchester. The purpose of the review was to ensure that the commissioned services and grant fund are: aligned to the Standing Together priorities; cost effective; achieving the desired outcomes in the Victims Outcome Framework and; most importantly were supporting the needs of victims’. The outcome of the review was to agree a recommissioning process for victim services in Greater Manchester.

The impacts of Covid19 have resulted in delays to the timelines of delivering the commissioning exercise, therefore it is recommended that the Victim Services Coordinator posts and Victim Services Transformation Lead post be extended for a further 6 months (1st April 2022 to end of September 2022). This is to act as an interim until the newly commissioned service has been put in place to commence on 1st October 2022.

In addition to a number of key successes and activity that the Victims Coordination Team have carried out, partners have also identified a number of key challenges and opportunities that GMCA will consider as part of the broader redesign work and shape commissioning of how this service is delivered after September.