Event Details

Key Speakers

	Claire Phillips, Deputy Director, Violence, Social Exclusion and Military Health, Department of Health
	Polly Neate, Chief Executive, Women’s Aid
	Deborah McIlveen, Policy and Services Manager, Womeni’s Aid
	Hamish Brown MBE, Consultant and Expert on Stalking; Author, Stalking and Other Forms of Harassment, An Investigator’s Guide, Home Office (2000)

Overview

Each year more than one million women suffer from domestic violence, over 300,000 are sexually assaulted and, according to recent figures from the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and Office for National Statistics, 69,000 women are raped. It is estimated that the minimum cost of providing public services, including health, social and legal services, to female victims of violence is £36.7bn annually; notably, these figures do not include the substantial number of victims who never report such crimes.

Pledging to end violence against women and girls, the Government launched a national strategy entitled 'Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls' in March 2011, followed by 'The Next Chapter' in March 2012. Two years on from its initial release, much progress has been made across the strategy's key themes: prevention, provision of services, partnership working, better justice outcomes and risk reduction. In the past year the Government has sought to strengthen the legal framework to better protect women and girls from violence, introducing two specific criminal offences of stalking (November 2012) and committing to creating new offences of forcing someone to marry against their will and breaching a Forced Marriage Protection Order in 2013. The Government has also extended the definition of domestic violence to include coercive control and those aged 16-17, which will take effect from March 2013.

At a local level, it is envisaged that ongoing reforms to policing, the NHS, public health arrangements and local commissioning will address current gaps in service provision for women and girls, enabling services to be tailored to local needs and increasing accountability. Better training of front-line professionals will improve victims' experiences of the criminal justice process, whilst the Victim Surcharge has recently been extended to increase financial support. The Government is clear that partnership working between local statutory and voluntary services will need to be strengthened in order to provide consistent, effective and robust support services for victims within the new local landscape.

Two years on from the launch of the Government's strategy to end VAWG, this timely symposium provides an invaluable opportunity for local authorities and practitioners from across the police, social and health services to assess progress made over the last year, examine and understand the changing local landscape and explore the next steps in tackling VAWG.

Delegates will:

• Examine the progress made over the past year in tackling VAWG, including latest policy and funding developments
• Examine changes to the legal framework for tackling violence against women and girls, including new laws against stalking
• Discuss how to effectively integrate the new domestic violence definition into front-line practices to better safeguard women and girls
• Assess how to improve victims' experiences of the criminal justice system through better practitioner training and increased accountability
• Consider how to address current gaps in service provision through high quality commissioning and working in partnership

Programme

Who Should Attend?

• Domestic Violence Co-ordinators
• MARACs
• Rape and Sexual Assault Support Centres and Specialists
• Social Workers and Social Services Officers
• Housing Officers
• Police Service
• Police Authorities and Fire Services
• Health Service Professionals
• Probation Officers
• Families Services Officers
• Children's Trusts and Children's Centres
• Local Safeguarding Children Boards
• Victim Support Representatives
• Community Cohesion and Development Organisations
• Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships
• Local Criminal Justice Boards
• Probation Officers
• Counselling Services
• Community Safety Teams
• Neighbourhood Policing Teams
• Anti-Social Behaviour Coordinators
• Drug and Alcohol Action Teams
• Youth Offending Teams
• Community Support Officers
• Children and Youth Services
• Local Education Welfare Authorities
• Criminal Justice Practitioners
• Judges and Magistrates
• Legal Professionals
• Local Authority Officers and Councillors
• Central Government Departments and Agencies
• Equality and Diversity Practitioners
• Third Sector Practitioners
• Faith Organisations
• Academics and Researchers

“ The local landscape is changing: new Health and Wellbeing Boards are being established, and we are consulting on plans for Police and Crime Commissioners to take responsibility for commissioning the bulk of victims' services from 2014. We want to ensure that services to victims of violence against women and girls are protected and enhanced under these new structures - that is why this revised plan is so focused on local services…. ”
— 'Call to End Violence against Women and Girls Taking Action - the next chapter', March 2012

“ Recognising the new and significant roles that Police and Crime Commissioners and Health and Wellbeing Boards are likely to play, it will be important that they are equipped with the right knowledge so that they can work with communities, the women's sector and victims themselves to ensure the right response is provided at a local level. Statutory and voluntary services need to share information about the women and girls at most risk and agree clear referral and needs assessment arrangements. ”
— 'Call to End Violence against Women and Girls Taking Action - the next chapter', March 2012