Hidden Harm - a Pathfinder for West Essex

7/25/2019 Hidden Harm - a Pathfinder for West Essex

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West Essex Hidden Harm Executive


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DEFINITION

Hidden Harm refers to crimes that we know

are happening in the UK, but are unsure of the

scale within Essex as they often remain hidden

from view, going unreportedto Police and other

agencies, and being unrecognisedby the widercommunity. The Essex Police & Crime Plan

identifies the following types of Hidden Harm:

Modern slavery - human trafficking, forced labour &

domestic servitude

Sexual violence and abuse

Domestic Abuse

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

Honour based violence (HBV) and abuse (HBA)

Faith based abuse

Forced marriage Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Abuse of vulnerable people, e.g. those with

physical, learning and/or sensory disabilities, those

with mental health problems

Abuse of vulnerable older people, i.e. elder abuse

Abuse of children and young people

Fraud and financial abuse targeting elderly or

vulnerable people

Discriminatory abuse/Hate crime

Online abuse e.g. cyber bullying, grooming

Stalking and harassment

THE CHALLENGE

Gain insightsinto raising concerns &

accessing help for victims (and those at

risk) of Hidden Harm in West Essex

Identifyopportunitiesfor better

commissioning, delivery and promotion for

a Pathfinder in 2016

REFLECTIONS Hidden Harm is not a widelyrecognised conceptand there was some

misunderstanding around use of this

terminology in accordance with other agendas

Each harm could be a whole project in

itself with many issues warranting further

investigation

Given the breadth of the subject, duration

and resource for the project, this should be

acknowledged as a high level piece of work

OUR APPROAC

What is Hidden Harm?

National

Evidence

Local

Evidence

Local

Co-Design

Output

Outcome

Over250people consultedand engaged in this project


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Prevalence was estimated by applying national prevalence data to the West

Essex population, then comparing this to reported crimes, referrals to support

and numbers receiving specialist help. There is likely to be a high level of under

reported crime and unmet need in the area across the Hidden Harms

There were significant gaps in local data which

limited this exercise

Our survey revealed that some harmsare better recognised, recorded:

Frequently encountered by

practitioners who were regularly/

recently trained, confident, and knew

the support pathways available:

Domestic Abuse

Sexual Violence / Abuse

Abuse of Children & Young People

(inc. CSE)

Abuse of Vulnerable People

These harms were likely to cross social

groups and geographical areas

Rarely e

who we

less con

pathwa

HBV

Mod FGM

Hate

These h

concent

cultural

Thes

likely pr

mean th

occurrin

Onlinwere fe

levels o

specific

West Essex makes up41%of the EssHowever, it accounts for between8-1the most prevalent Hidden Harms

Data shows that young victims (particularly 0-15s, but also 16-24s)

make up a disproportionately high percentage of the total reported sexual

violence crimes in West Essex

Whats the scale of the problem?

Crime experienced by

children aged 10 to 15

Sexual Offences

Domestic Abuse(women)

Hate Crime

11.8%0.2%

8.5%

0.09%

7,763595

12,973

268

5,529171

957

134

38n/a

817

115

741

153

19

PrevalenceEstimate (%)

PrevalenceEstimate(number)

RecordedCrimes bydistrict of victim

residence(2014-15)

Referred toVictim Support(2014-15)

ReceivedSupport from

SpecialistService(VS 2014-15 &CARA, SERICC

2015-16)WEST ESSEX

A TWOTIEREDPROBLEM

PREVALENCE


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Government strategy suggests a 3-pronged approach: Challenge it, Report it, Stop it

From policy, practice literature, and our consultation with local victims

and staff, the golden threads across the agenda were:

These harms mostly require an abusive relationship or act between a

perpetrator and a victim who is likely to be vulnerable in one or more ways

They are not solely concentrated in high deprivation areas and not just

within specific demographic groups

There are a range of reasons why this goes under recognised and under

reported, including:

These harms are often on a continuum- making it difficult for those

experiencing them, communities witnessing them, and services trying

to identify them to be clear at what point something becomes a crime

or requires action

Localised social normswithin relationships, families, communities

(by geographical area, religion, ethnicity, culture etc.) and a lack of

awareness of personal rights make it difficult for victims to know if

what is happening to them is wrong

Many victims and witnesses of these har

not be believed or taken seriously, that co

upon, no specialist support will be offered

reporting it, and that there is significant st

to anyone about these issues these are

reporting crimes or seeking support

Many services and victims did not know w

specific supportfor some of the harms

Professionals wanted it made easier for the

across this agenda

Requesting leadership to bring people alon

Harm as a priority agenda

Better access to all relevant information, l

support pathways

Simplified structures that allow the curren

these issues to be brought together

Whats the Problem?

Overarching Themes That Emerged


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What should we do about it?

We used the insights to work with key stakeholders to c

Pathfinder Model with a series of potential solution acti

Improve prevention & awareness in schools,further education and communities

To prevent harm, re-victimisation & help earlier

identification of abuse and victimisation

Collate & Promote Information on reportingmechanisms and available support

Backed up by appropriate service responses

to inquiries & reports

Sustainable investment in specialisupporting victims of Hidden Harm

To ensure quick access & facilitate

short & long-term therapeutic inte

Stage 1: SPEAK UP & SPEAK OUT

An Education & Awareness

Approach to Prevention

Stage 2: NO WRONG DOOR

Improved Information &

Service Responses

Stage 3: COMMISSIONING

Ensuring Future Access to


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Collate & Promote Information on reporting

mechanisms and available support



Sustainable investment in specialis

supporting victims of Hidden Harm


short & long-term therapeutic inter






Service Responses

Stage 3: COMMISSIONING &


1.1 Invest in preventative interventionswhich empower potential victims to prevent harm,

identify harm and take action

Consider suitability of existing programmes to be adopted or scaled up to provide this element1.2 Establish a programme of mentoring for young victims or those at risk:

Young people as champions or peer mentors within schools/FE colleges

Mentors from local communities

1.3 Take an Asset-based Community Development approach

Community awareness campaigns(co-designed with the community/victims)

The Civic Hackcould be used as a catalyst to develop one or more of these programmes

Improve prevention & awareness in schools,

further education and communities




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Sustainable investment in specialis



short & long-term therapeutic inter






Service Responses

Stage 3: COMMISSIONING &


2.1 Make it easy for victims

Develop the Essex Victims Gateway and/or Frontline as the go to online

directory and access method (e.g. 1 minute referral) for the full range of

services for Hidden Harm, providing:

Agency and self-referrals mechanisms

Information on available services in West Essex

Rights-based information, self-diagnosis and self-help tools

E-resources to support learning and awareness in community groups

and for the wider public

Access to online support e.g. for young people

2.2 Make it easier for professionals to do the

Rationalise the broad range of training prog

Introduction to Hidden Harm - with common

appropriately to disclosure, reports or suspi

route people to support

Incorporate Hidden Harms into a single meet

the number of single issue meetings, support

updates on legislation, research, training and

Host multi-agency events (one-stop shop)

service users can attend to have all their ne

Harlow MAC model)

Explore potential demand and role for a joint

function for Hidden Harm learning lessons f

Centres. This could provide a single point of n

information & facilitated access to support






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Sustainable investment in speciali



short & long-term therapeutic inte






Service Responses

Stage 3: COMMISSIONING


3.1 Invest in a short-term resource to help existing specialist provision become more sustainable

and effective in the long-term

Accessing alternative funding sources, attracting private investment, etc.

Making better use of specialist services from Victim Support, through better promotion to Hidden

Harm victims, encouraging easy pathways for self or agency referral

3.2 Fill identified gaps in the current system. For example:

There is only one childrens worker at Victim Support to cover Essex

Victim Support have a shortage of local volunteers

Older victims may be underserved

There are long waiting lists for CARA in some areas

Improve the online and telephone support offer whilst victims are waiting to be seen face to face

3.3 Make best use o

Conduct mapping

planned spend acr

commissioners for

of Hidden Harms

Use this data to e

to future commiss

of investment


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IMPLICATIONS FOR COMMISSIONERS

Commissioning of services for victims of Hidden Harm in Essex is

fragmented, with no overarching strategic plan or joint commissioning

arrangements in place

Improve data collection and collation to inform future Vulnerability

Assessments and JSNA updates

Some harms are large in scale and services could not support all

victims, whilst other harms are much smaller scale and often remain

more hidden.This presents a challenge in commissioning specific

specialist services and requires flexibility in a range of existing services

to be equipped and encouraged to support victims of a range of Hidden

Harms e.g. through having the right sets of skills, training and multiple

access points to support

Conduct a stock take of existing and planned commissioning for

victimsof Hidden Harm in West Essex to identify overlaps, gaps and

opportunities for efficiencies through pooling budgets and/or aligning

commissioning functions

For this agenda to be more widely recognisedand taken forward as a

priority it requires more visible leadership across the partnership

Agree the Pathfinder(s)

Determine scale and de

Agree key performance

and outcomes

Create a Delivery Plan

for a Hidden Harm work

agreeing who will take

What should we do next?

NEXT STEPS


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Company Details

Company Registration Number 06141892 VAT Registration Number 971257702 D-U-N-S Number 219603037Registered Address Gothic House, Avenue Road, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 8TG

Email Address [email protected]

Hidden Harm - a Pathfinder for West Essex

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