How to engage and influence the Police and Crime Commissioners
agenda
The purpose of this briefing is to help women’s organisations to identify ways in
which they can get involved with new Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). For
more information on PCCs please clink on this link:
http://www.wrc.org.uk/what_we_do/our_projects/safer_future_communities.aspx
Action
Make sure you know who your Safer Future Communities (SFC) Network Coordinating organisation is and feed into their work. You can look up your area’s
organisation here:
http://www.clinks.org/assets/files/PDFs/SFC/Safer%20Future%20Communities%20N
etwork%20contacts5.pdf
Why?
The SFC Network Co-ordinating organisation will be building a relationship (as the
‘voice of the local VCS’) with the Transition Boards that are developing the draft
Police and Crime Plan, commissioning models and budgets. It is important then that
all VCS organisations, on top of any other activity they are planning, are linked into
their area’s SFC Network as it will ensure a unified and stronger VCS voice,
especially around issues of priority setting and commissioning frameworks. 1 The
input of the women’s sector will be particularly useful when the SFC Network
proposes an outcomes framework, and business plan, to the Transition Board that
will serve the interests of the VCS and their service users.
Action
Women’s sector to meet with the SFC network co-ordinating organisation or attend
their organising events, which should be publicised on their website.2
Why?
This WRC document on promoting an ‘intelligent’ commissioning model may be useful to as a lobbying tool
here: http://www.wrc.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2011/i/intelligent_commissioning.pdf
2 WRC is represented on the SFC London Network run by LVSC. Please contact annette@wrc.org.uk for more
information. Please contact karen@wrc.org.uk for information on the W. Yorks network
1
This project is funded by the Home Office and managed by Clinks, registered charity no 1074546, Company limited by guarantee,
registered in England no 3562176
This is an opportunity to ensure that the interests of violence against women and
girls (VAWG) services are embedded in any work and lobbying that the Network
does.
We think it’s important that it is not just individual VAWG organisations that do this.
Rather, it will be a more effective and inclusive strategy if the women’s sector can
speak with ‘one voice’ as much as possible. For increased collaboration between
organisations, the following action will be necessary.
Action
Organise meetings of VAWG organisations that cover the police force area. This
could be through using existing networks and infrastructure such as the local
domestic and sexual violence forums.
Why?
We recommend that these meetings are used to develop a strategy within and on
behalf of the sector, which can then be taken forward and promoted within the work
of the SFC Network, as well as directly with local media and stakeholders. It may be
useful to think about developing the following:
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Start mapping the VAWG sector in your police force area to ensure all types
of organisations, including specialist ones are taken into account and invited
to participate.
Key messages in order to clarify your position and your expectations.3
Start developing a local strategy- who to target; when to target them (our
timeline may be useful); what areas to lobby and focus on; what lobbying
tactics to use; the evidence to demonstrate social and economic benefit of
specialist VAWG services; which organisations and stakeholders e.g. possible
local champions should be involved; what extra support might you need
(please feel free to contact WRC if you think we may be able to help with any
support or resource needs you may have).
Input into a national strategy to develop a suitable VAWG outcomes
framework that works to the needs of women and girls affected by violence
(WRC hopes that this will be developed by a national VAWG steering group,
which would involve any interested VAWG organisations). In the meantime, it
may be worth thinking about what evidence and frameworks may be useful to
make your case.
Discussion of whether you want to set up a more formal VAWG partnership,
so that any PCC funding can be administered through it to all of the area’s
VAWG organisations to deliver police-area wide VAWG services.
The following document from WRC may be helpful when thinking about setting up a
network, forum or more formal partnership arrangement:
Some areas are developing their own ‘women’s manifestos’ for PCCs. For an example see:
http://www.welshwomensaid.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=394&Itemid=378
3
This project is funded by the Home Office and managed by Clinks, registered charity no 1074546, Company limited by guarantee,
registered in England no 3562176
http://www.wrc.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2010/w/1_wrc_how_to_develop
_a_womens_network_or_forum_aug_10.pdf
Please get in touch with our development team if you need support in setting up a
more formal partnership with other organisations at: development@wrc.org.uk
CASE STUDY: The Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC) have been
working with local women to develop a Women’s Forum, ‘Coventry Women’s Voices’
(CWV). Membership of CWV is free and open to women from women’s groups and
organisations; voluntary or community groups with a particular focus on women’s
issues or providing services to women; statutory services with a focus on services for
women; business or business networks with an interest in improving the position of
women; trade unions and individual women. Their aim is to work with people,
organisations and agencies to improve the delivery of services to women from all
backgrounds and communities in Coventry. CWV provides a network for women to
come together, talk, share ideas, and develop good practice. They also provide
expert advice and information about the actual and likely effect that policies and
programmes will have on women. For more information go to:
http://www.vacoventry.org.uk
Action: Write to your local PCC candidates
Why?
Labour candidates have pledged to prioritise violence against women and girls
(VAWG) if they are elected. However, they have little knowledge (which is probably
true of most of the candidates regardless of political party) of the women’s voluntary
and community sector or that VAWG covers more than domestic and sexual violence
(e.g. forced marriage, so-called ‘honour’ killings, female genital mutilation, stalking,
forced prostitution). They may also be unaware of their responsibilities under the
Equality Act (2010). WRC will be producing a template letter that organisations can
send to their candidates which will be available shortly
You can find a list of PCC candidates here: http://www.policefoundation.org.uk/uploads/holding/projects/pcc_candidates_update.pdf
Levers to use: useful policies and frameworks
Public Sector Equality Duty and specific duties
As a public body, PCCs and their offices are subject to the Public Sector Equality
Duty (PSED), which means they must pay ‘due regard’ to eliminate all forms of
discrimination, harassment and victimisation that are prohibited by the Equality Act;
advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic
and people who do not share it; and foster good relations between people who share
a protected characteristic and people who do not share it. The Police and Crime
This project is funded by the Home Office and managed by Clinks, registered charity no 1074546, Company limited by guarantee,
registered in England no 3562176
Plan that the PCC will produce will need to take these responsibilities into
consideration.
In terms of trying to shape a more ‘intelligent’ commissioning model that does not
exclude specialist, women-only organisations from bidding and winning contracts to
provide services, it is worth promoting the Government Equality Office (GEO) guide
for public bodies, which states that the Equality Duty “does not require public bodies
to treat everyone the same. Rather, it requires public bodies to think about people’s
different needs and how these can be met. So the PSED does not prevent public
bodies providing women-only services – for example, for female victims of sexual
violence or domestic violence. Indeed, such services may be necessary in order to
ensure women have access to the services they need.”4
You could also remind the Transition Board and the PCC that they are subject to the
Equality Act and its Duties. It is a good idea to ask questions about how they intend
to meet these responsibilities and how they assessed the ‘local’ evidence that
determined their decisions. They can also be asked to provide information about how
impacts on people who share a protected characteristic were considered, and how
negative impacts will be addressed. Ultimately, it will be up to organisations like ours
to hold PCCs to account in terms of their responsibilities with regards to equalities
issues.
See our briefing at:
http://www.wrc.org.uk/resources/overview_of_policy/equality_act_2010/default.aspx
for further information.
The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011
This legislation sets out a flexible framework for partnership working between the
Commissioner and their community safety and criminal justice partners. It includes
two duties to facilitate cooperation (outlined at Section 10 of the Act) between the
relevant partners working in community safety. The community safety duty
specifies that a Commissioner must, in exercising its functions, have regard to the
relevant priorities of the probation, health service, Local Authority, Police and Fire
services. If violence against women and girls is a priority area for any of these (and
in many cases it will appear), it will be another lever by which to ensure it is also a
priority for the PCC.
The Act also requires Commissioners to consult with victims in setting policing
priorities in their local area.
Existing local strategies
4
Home Office guidance http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/equalities/equality-act/equality-duty/
This project is funded by the Home Office and managed by Clinks, registered charity no 1074546, Company limited by guarantee,
registered in England no 3562176
For example, the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) Strategy contains relevant ‘local,
evidence-based’ information and priorities, determined by local engagement and
partnership working that should overlap with the concerns of the PCC. While local
authorities are no longer duty bound to have an LSP Board, some areas are still
maintaining them as an effective way of bringing different agencies together to work
on local priority issues. Even if they are not carrying on in the same form, the
Strategy document may be useful as it should already have looked at evidence of
local need and identified priority areas. If violence against women is mentioned in
this document, there is local evidence that can be used as a lever with the PCC if
they fail to consider violence against women services in their area.
Government guidance
The Protocol is a document produced by the Home Secretary under a power taken
in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. It sets out how the new
policing governance arrangements will work, and clarifies the roles and
responsibilities of Police and Crime Commissioners. This may be useful to ensure
they are meeting their duties, particularly to victims of crime and improving
community safety, into which categories violence against women services would fall.
The protocol can be viewed here:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/2744/contents/made
Police and Crime Commissioners, What Partners Need To Know is a Home
Office publication that sets out guidance on how PCCs should work collaboratively
with local partners including the local authority, Health and Wellbeing Boards, and
voluntary sector organisations that have expertise in working with victims. These
intentions signal a standard for good practice which could be used to ensure
effective engagement with the VAWG sector. Available at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/police/pcc/what-partners-need-toknow?view=Binary
Localism Act
As decisions become ever more decentralised, it will be of continued and increasing
importance to engage with and build relationships at a local level. Local authorities
will have increasing influence over the work of the women’s sector. Local politicians
could raise the profile of women’s issues and promote the vital work of the women’s
voluntary and community sector.
For more information please see our report on how to engage with the localism
agenda:
http://www.wrc.org.uk/resources/tools_to_engage_and_influence/how_to_guides.asp
x
This project is funded by the Home Office and managed by Clinks, registered charity no 1074546, Company limited by guarantee,
registered in England no 3562176