Victims
The APCC supports PCCs to deliver quality victims’ services, placing PCCs at the heart of decision making for victims, and driving the agenda on violence against women and girls (VAWG).
Member resources
-
Victims in focus
The Victims in Focus report by the APCC highlights how PCCs across England and Wales enhance victim support through innovation, collaboration, and multi-year funding, ensuring victims’ voices are heard, rights protected, and needs met.
-
Victim services commissioning guidance
The Victim Services Commissioning Guidance offers a framework for PCCs to effectively commission victim support services, aligning with the VFS and national standards while allowing local flexibility.
-
APCC Findings report: Victim hub landscape review
This document reviews the victim hub model, summarising approaches and providing a repository of victim hubs across England and Wales.
-
Violence against women and girls action plan (2022-23)
The APCC’s 2022-23 VAWG Action Plan outlined key actions and deliverables, working with PCCs and partners to tackle violence against women and girls.
-
APCC Report: Perpetrator Intervention Programmes
This report reviews domestic abuse and stalking perpetrator intervention programmes commissioned by PCC’s in England and Wales, examining their funding, availability, governance, and evaluation, with recommendations for improvement.
Helpful links
Influencing national policy
The APPC has a proven track record of successful collaboration with key organisations across the criminal justice system. These include the Ministry of Justice, Home Office, College of Policing, National Police Chief’s Council, Local Government Association, Victims’ Commissioner, Domestic Abuse Commissioner and sector representatives. Through these partnerships, we aim to influence national policy, engage with government departments on legislation, wider policy and funding and lead the engagement with the Ministry of Justice on the spending review.
Building a better system for victims
We work with our members to identify key issues and challenges, and share good practice, ideas and strategies, in order to build a better system for victims. We have undertaken several deep dive reports, and delivered events on key issues to support the development of good practice across our network of PCCs offices (OPCCs) and PCC members.
We support OPCCs and PCCs with briefings, guidance documents, toolkits, workshops and host a Victims Working Group for OPCCs to attend for news on the latest developments and to share notable practice.
Comprehensive support and resources for members
The APCC victims portfolio team provides support across a range of workstreams, including:
- Ensuring the Victims and Prisoners Act and subsequent legislation is implemented effectively by supporting PCCs and partners with the right resources to deliver the legislative ambitions
- Influencing the spending review process to ensure PCCs can provide evidence of impact and that future funding for victims is secure
- Influencing and shaping national victims and VAWG strategy/policy and its implementation, including on areas such as domestic related death reviews, online safety and anti-social behaviour (ASB)
- Developing and building a strong evidence base for critical areas of victims’ policy and delivery, such as domestic abuse (DA) and stalking perpetrator interventions
- Supporting OPCCs to have the resources to best support PCC decision making in commissioning quality victims services
- Building strong governance locally and nationally
OPCC staff are invited to join the APCC’s Victims Working Group mailing list. Contact ella.thomas@apccs.police.uk
Portfolio leads
Joint lead
Clare Moody
Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset
Joint lead
Lisa Townsend
Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey
APCC contact
Ella Thomas
Senior Policy Manager