“Working together to make Waltham
Forest safer for all women and girls”
1|Page
1. OUR VISION
This document heralds Waltham Forest Council’s vision for responding to Violence
Against Women and Girls (VAWG hereafter). Our vision for this work will be delivered
through an integrated 3-year action plan which will support the Home Office strategy:
Call to End Violence against Women and Girls, 2010, a copy of which can be located
at: http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/The%20Way%20Forward%20Final%20Strategy.pdf and
will also be in line with the recently published second Mayoral strategy on VAWG
(2013 – 16).
Responding to VAWG must be everybody’s business. By developing a diverse and
ambitious VAWG strategic mission statement and action plan, the partnership is clearly
articulating our concern about the issue of VAWG in our community and our
commitment to address it. As it is so complex and touches so many people's lives, we
recognise that addressing VAWG will require the support and commitment of the entire
Community Safety Partnership and other strategic partnership boards working within
Waltham Forest including the Health and Wellbeing Board, the Local Safeguarding
Children Board and the Adults' Safeguarding Board.
To demonstrate the borough’s multi agency partnership to VAWG this strategic
mission statement has been agreed by the following boards:



Health and Wellbeing
Safeguarding Children’s Board
Adult Safeguarding Board
Along with the Council, other statutory agencies (such as the police and health
services), voluntary sector organisations, and the wider community will also be a key
part of this work. Working together, the borough’s partnership will help us respond to
all forms of VAWG so that we are able to:








Prevent abuse before it happens through education, awareness work
Intervene earlier on to reduce repeat victimisation and the harm it causes
Stop it from happening again
Make sure victims1 (and their families) are provided with adequate information,
support and care
Help to increase the safety and options of people experiencing any form of
VAWG
Challenge attitudes and beliefs that underpin and condone VAWG by a
coordinated approach to prevention and awareness work
Raise awareness of VAWG, why it is important and what individuals can do to
help address it
Take action to hold perpetrators accountable for their behaviour
Support perpetrators to understand the impact of their crime and change their
behaviour
The strategic mission statement has used the term “victim”. We acknowledge that many people (both adults and
children/young people) who have experienced any form of VAWG may not necessarily identify with this term and
that this term may not accurately describe a persons experience. Where the word victim is stated in this document it
should be read and understood as: “victim/survivor/those individuals seeking support/person(s) who have
experienced any form of VAWG”.
1
2|Page


Be publicly accountable for our work in responding to all forms of VAWG
Support and ensure that agencies and services to work together in a
coordinated community response to obtain the best outcome for victims and
their families.
2. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM “VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS?
In line with the Government’s and the Mayor of London’s strategy the United Nations
(UN) Declaration (1993) on the elimination of VAWG has been adopted by the
borough. VAWG is defined as:
‘Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in,
physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats
of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in
public or in private life’.
The UN declaration enshrines women’s rights to live without the fear of violence and
abuse.
VAWG includes the following crime types:
 Sexual violence, abuse and exploitation
 Sexual harassment and bullying
 Stalking
 Trafficking and forced prostitution
 Domestic violence and abuse
 Female genital mutilation
 Forced marriage
 Crime committed in the name of “honour”.
3. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT VAWG IN WALTHAM FOREST?
Due to the nature of the different forms of VAWG it is difficult to obtain accurate data to
tell us how much of it is happening, to whom, and where. We acknowledge that our
existing information on VAWG is particularly sparse and what information we do have
is mostly in relation to criminal justice data relating to domestic violence. Our VAWG
action plan will work to address this lack of data. This is important so we have better
intelligence on all forms of VAWG so that we are better placed to understand the local
issues and respond effectively to it. The information below provides a limited
understanding of the nature of VAWG in the borough:



In the 12 months to July 2013 there were 1,910 domestic violence crimes
reported to the police – this is the 7th highest rate of recorded domestic violence
crimes in London. Domestic violence offences make up over one third of
violence against the person offences.
Historical data suggested that domestic violence is present in around half of all
child protection cases.
Since January 2013, 197 ‘high risk’ cases of domestic violence and abuse have
been referred to the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) and
226 children and young people have been recorded residing within these
households.
3|Page




Area
Home Office iQuanta data showed that as of the 31st March 2011 Waltham
Forest had the 17th highest level of sexual offences within the Metropolitan
Police Service.
Waltham Forest has the sixth highest rate of prostitution related incidents
recorded by the Metropolitan Police Service from August 2010 to June 2011.
Prostitution incidents make up less than 1% of all recorded anti-social behaviour
incidents within Waltham Forest. Prostitution incidents are concentrated in Lea
Bridge, Cathall and Forest and William Morris wards.
Waltham Forest had the highest estimated number of pregnant women with
FGM and percentage of all maternities to women with FGM (2001 – 2004)
across the four outer north east London boroughs.
2001
number
128
%
2002
%
2003
%
2004
%
Total
Number
Number
Number
Number
3.68 143
4.03 174
4.66 189
4.82 635
Waltham
Forest
Barking and
82
3.42 100
4.15 122
4.74
Dagenham
Redbridge
103
3.33 114
3.56 125
3.73
Havering
6
0.26 8
0.36 15
0.64
A Statistical Study to Estimate the Prevalence of Female Genital
and Wales Summary Report, Forward 2007
167
6.8
471
156
4.51 498
17
0.67 47
Mutilation in England
4. BACKGROUND TO THE VAWG STRATEGIC MISSION STATEMENT
Waltham Forest Council’s Community Safety Partnership (known locally as
‘SafetyNet’) http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/pages/services/local-area-agreements.aspx is
in the process of developing a multi-agency integrated and comprehensive approach
to tackling all aspects of VAWG. Our first VAWG strategic mission statement is an
ambitious piece of work. We are taking the bold step to develop a comprehensive
response that addresses all forms of VAWG and this is a watershed moment in our
work in this area.
Much work has already been conducted across the borough by various multi-agency
task and finish groups, project and programme boards, aimed at addressing all forms
of VAWG. From this work, a great deal of information and good practice has been
identified such as the:

Specialist Domestic Violence and Abuse Training to increase awareness
and understanding of the complexities and barriers of sexuality, gender identity
and disability.

The Healthy Relationship Training (HEART) programme – elements of the
programme were piloted in Waltham Forest, Newham and Lewisham in
response to concerns raised regarding several young people that has been
brought to the attention of several agencies. HEART is a prevention programme
that was designed to support young women and men, improve the relationships
they have with both peers and boy/girlfriend.
4|Page

MARAC Champions Training programme – Earlier this year 15 members of
the MARAC Safety Planning team attended Coordinated Action Against
Domestic Abuse (CAADA) Champions Training. These champions represent
various agencies and will be utilised by the partnership to deliver multi agency
training and raise awareness of the MARAC process across the partnership and
within our communities.

Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) Service – Waltham Forest
Community Safety Team has secured additional funding to increase the IDVA
provision in the borough. The borough now has a compliment of 6 IDVAs
located across the partnership in the following areas: (1) Children Social Care
and Early Intervention and Prevention Service, (2) Metropolitan Police
Community Safety Unit, (3) Whipps Cross Hospital Accident and Emergency
and Maternity Suite and at the (4) Specialist Domestic Violence Court located at
Stratford Magistrates Court. This will enable the IDVA service to undertake
additional local surgeries across the borough and to work with partner agencies
such as housing to increase awareness and provide a coordinated community
response to domestic violence. The aim will be to increase confidence in
reporting domestic violence crime.
This strategic mission statement and action plan will build upon this foundation of good
practice.
The strategic mission statement is a public commitment on our plans to address
VAWG in the borough. Section 11 of the document: “Implementation and measuring
progress” explains how we will ensure progress is made on our work and how we will
communicate this.
5. THE ECONOMIC COSTS OF VAWG
If we can respond to VAWG more effectively and earlier on we know that not only will
we reduce the devastating harm it causes victims, their families and the wider
community, but services can make significant cost and resource savings.
We know that VAWG has a significant financial impact on borough services. We have
a moral and legal duty to get better at responding to VAWG both to prevent it and to
also make better use of resources to address the problems and issues that are
associated with it. The financial costs of VAWG is staggering, for example, using the
spreadsheet from The Cost of Domestic Violence: by local authority, Trust for London
and the Henry Smith Charity (2011) the estimated total costs of domestic violence (not
including the human and emotional costs) pro-rated by population for the borough is
£26 million, the hidden costs to NHS is £7.8 million.
Ashiana Network “Journey Towards Safety” (2011) social return on investment
research showed the high social return on investment ratio created by Ashiana’s
specialist refuge and outreach services for black and minority ethnic women. For
every pound invested, eight pounds worth of social value is created. A comparatively
small level of investment yields significant results. Investment in specialist services
such as Ashiana creates significant benefits which can mitigate the high financial and
5|Page
emotional costs of experiencing domestic violence and harmful practices such as
forced marriage and honour based violence.
Understanding the economic cost of VAWG is important as we are undertaking this
ambitious programme of work at a time when resources are limited. This mission
statement is underpinned by the principle that VAWG can only be effectively
addressed by all borough agencies and services working together as part of a properly
coordinated community response to address all forms of VAWG. This is because no
one agency has all the answers to the complex issues and challenges of VAWG.
Agencies need to work together so that they hold each other accountable for their
responses in ensuring that victims and their families get the help they need from a
range of services. The partnership will strengthen a unified understanding of VAWG
and will support innovative and creative responses to VAWG.
6. THE PARTNERSHIP’S UNDERSTANDING OF VAWG
This mission statement is based on the overarching understanding that we all
have a role to play in ending violence against women and girls.
The multi-agency partnership in Waltham Forest has agreed a joint understanding of
VAWG which will help guide and support our work. This is important and necessary so
that we all have the same position towards VAWG and agree on how best to address
it.
The partnership’s belief and understanding of VAWG is that:
 VAWG is harmful to victims, children/young people, families and the wider
community;
 VAWG is against the law;
 VAWG overwhelming affects women and girls;
 Despite being hidden and under reported, VAWG is a global issue and is
common in all sections of our community;
 All forms of VAWG are wrong and must never be justified or condoned;
 Increasing the safety of victims must be a priority for all agencies;
 Specialist services are needed to help respond to the needs of victims and their
families;
 Services and agencies should work together to ensure that victims are given all
opportunities to get the support they need;
 Victims should not be blamed and services and agencies should not be
judgemental of victims;
 All agencies and services must work together if we are to successfully address
VAWG;
 Agencies must be responsible for holding perpetrators accountable and support
them to get the help they need to change their behaviour
 Men and boys are part of the solution.
7. WALTHAM FOREST’S APPROACH TO VAWG
We recognise that our response to VAWG will initially focus predominantly on domestic
violence. This is because our response to date has focused on this area and we have
6|Page
more established systems in place for dealing with this problem. We are committed to
building a comprehensive response to other types of VAWG. In the first phase of our
action plan, we will focus on mapping all forms of VAWG. This intelligence gathering
will help improve our understanding of what is happening locally to help inform our
action plan. Ensuring all aspects of VAWG get equitable attention will be significant
challenges; however we are committed to ensuring that all types of VAWG will be
included in our action plan.
8. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MALE VICTIMS?
The term ‘violence against women and girls’ can understandably cause concern about
the exclusion of men and boys from services and a lack of recognition that men and
boys can also experience the VAWG crime type.
The partnership recognises that VAWG is gendered. This means that the VAWG
crime types: (sexual violence, abuse and exploitation; sexual harassment and bullying;
stalking; trafficking and forced prostitution; domestic violence and abuse; female
genital mutilation; forced marriage and crime committed in the name of “honour”) are
more likely to be experienced by women and are committed against them because
they are gender specific (such as female genital mutilation). Our gendered approached
is based on the knowledge and understanding that women and girls
disproportionately experience these different forms of violence. Importantly because
we recognise the disproportionality of the VAWG crime types, it means that men and
boys are not excluded, from our work as they can be victims of forms of VAWG too,
and that perpetrators can also be female.
VAWG is considered by the government, the European Union and The United Nations
as a barrier to gender equality and also a consequence of inequality. The partnership
is committed to ensuring that every victim of VAWG regardless of their protected
characteristics (as outlined in the Equality Act 2010): age, disability, gender
reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion
or belief, sex, sexual orientation: receives a sensitive and appropriate response so that
they get the help and support they need. Our response to VAWG will therefore be
inclusive.
This mission statement should also be read in conjunction with the Council’s Equality
and Diversity Policy Statement which can be located on the Council website at;
http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/Pages/Services/Equalities-and-diversity-assessmentand-consultation.aspx Because we know that some forms of VAWG can all be
experienced by males our work on VAWG work will help improve services for all
victims of crime.
We also recognise the not all men will experience forms of VAWG in the same way.
The experience of gay, bisexual and transgender men will be different with different
risks, needs and barriers to accessing appropriate support services. In our inclusive
approach we will work to improve the understanding about the experience of VAWG
for lesbians, bisexual and transgender women. We know that this is a very hidden
problem that needs attention and there is a complex link between homophobic,
biphobic or transphobic hate crime and VAWG.
7|Page
For this work to be successful and relevant it is important that men and boys are
included in all aspects of the strategy, especially our prevention and awareness raising
work. We will engage more men and boys in the borough on this work and we will work
closely with the White Ribbon Campaign (www.whiteribboncampaign.org.uk) to
achieve the accreditation of a ‘White Ribbon Borough’.
9. LEADERSHIP OF THE VAWG VISION
This strategic mission statement is supported by senior corporate leadership within the
council and also across the partnership. It has cross party political support and the
leader of the council has personally endorsed and is committed to this work, which is
important so that it secures the focus it requires for change and success to happen
and be maintained.
10. THEMES AND OUTOMES
Our response to all forms of VAWG will coordinate services in the borough in support
of the wider safeguarding agenda, with specific outcomes for the following groups:Victims:
 Access to co-ordinated support services that work to increase safety
 Reduced repeat victimisation
 Acknowledge individual needs and experiences
 Listen to the experiences of service users to help develop and improve our
services.
Children and young people:
 Early intervention responses in place
 Understand VAWG and the relevance it has to their lives and relationships
 Access to specialist services
 Increased confidence to disclose
 Skilled professionals understand the prevalence and experience of VAWG and
are able to respond to the needs and experiences.
Perpetrators:
 Held accountable by services and agencies using a range of interventions that
reduce risk
 Provide clear messages that their behaviour is not acceptable
 Provided with specialist support and opportunities to change their behaviour.
The community:
 Waltham Forest is a safer place to live and work
 Are informed about the VAWG support services available
 Have an increased understanding of VAWG
 Challenge the social tolerance of VAWG in their communities
 Increased community engagement and activity in responding to VAWG, with a
particular focus on young people, different faith communities and men.
The strategic mission statement has four themes:Coordinated community response:
8|Page
Ensuring that the coordinated community response model to VAWG is developed and
implemented, modelling best practice.
Prevention and awareness raising:
Changing attitudes and preventing violence through awareness raising campaigns,
safeguarding and educating children and young people, early identification and
training for practitioners and professionals.
Provision of appropriate/specialist services:
Helping those who experience VAWG, recover and continue with their lives by
provision of effective and high quality specialist support services; crisis/emergency and
acute services; refuges and safe accommodation and longer term therapeutic support
for both adults and children/young people.
Protection from abuse and violence:
Delivering a diverse response to hold perpetrators accountable for their behaviour
through the operation of an effective criminal justice system (investigation,
prosecution, victim support and protection), community and court perpetrator
programmes, support for victims using civil remedies and the use of multi-agency
arrangements such as integrated offender management, multi-agency risk assessment
conference and multi- agency public protection arrangements.
11. IMPLEMENTATION AND MEASURING PROGRESS
The 3 year action plan will help ensure that we succeed and deliver the Waltham
Forest VAWG mission statement. The action plan will be subject to rigorous review
and scrutiny by the partnership. We wish to develop mechanisms to have service
users, survivors and the wider community support and inform the work, but also
importantly ensure we are doing what we set out to achieve.
Progress on the action plan will be monitored by a newly developed high level VAWG
strategic board which will report to “SafetyNet’s Reducing Victimisation Programme
Board” (who will have ultimate responsibility for delivery of the strategic mission
statement and action plan. We will document these updates on the council’s
community safety website regularly so that both our partners, and the community, are
clear about what progress is being made. Effective review and monitoring will be
important as the VAWG agenda is wider than we have tackled previously and the work
will be challenging and complex. We aim to have service users provide scrutiny to our
work through a specifically coordinated and supported consultation group.
12. GOVERNANCE OF THE VAWG AGENDA
The over–arching governance and responsibility for the VAWG Strategy and action
plan lies with SafetyNet Community Safety Partnership’s: Reducing Victimisation
Programme Board and through the VAWG Delivery Group.
The Delivery Group will produce quarterly and an annual report to the Reducing
Victimisation Programme Board on the performance against the action plan.
See appendix A – SafetyNet Community Safety Partnership Structural Chart.
9|Page