Projects

1. The Coordinated Response to Domestic Violence Incidents

...is coordinated by Standing Together, from the first call to Hammersmith & Fulham Police through to case disposal/court decision and sentencing. See latest Annual Report or our information leaflet.

The response is backed by high quality help and support from ADVANCE, the Advocacy Project, and data sharing and offender tracking by Standing Together.

Standing Together develops protocols, delivers training and monitors performance.

Standing Together:

• Has launched the strong Operational Partnership with all the key agencies in 1998
• Has set up the first specialist domestic violence court in London and the first in the country to hear trials (see below)
• Holds each agency accountable through a signed protocol
• Delivers multi-agency training for:
  • Officers in Hammersmith & Fulham police division
  • Witness Care Unit staff in both H&F and K&C police divisions
  • H&F Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams
  • Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) admin staff
• Has improved the quality of evidence prepared by the police for the CPS
• Has increased the proportion of cases treated as a crime, charged and disposed
• Has embedded a systematic attention to safety and risk in each agency’s response to perpetrators and survivors
• Has developed an offender tracking system to monitor effectiveness, identify risk, improve victim safety and track offenders

2. Advocacy for Survivors

...has shown that practical and immediate help from the point of crisis is essential in making survivors safer. This is what makes the difference when combined with positive action by the criminal justice agencies.

Standing Together has:

• Helped to set up ADVANCE to meet the gap in service provision in the borough for a high quality, 24-hour advocacy service for survivors referred by police or emergency housing and health sites
• Reduced by 25% the rate of repeated reports to police from victims of domestic violence
• Increased the safety of survivors in contact with ADVANCE advocates.

3. The Specialist Domestic Violence Court

...sits once a week at West London Magistrates Court. It serves the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBH&F) and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBK&C). See annual reviews, including the three year overview; Lessons Learnt 2006; DVWSG Briefing Sheet.

Standing Together:

• Developed the first Specialist Domestic Violence Court (SDVC) in London, the first in the country to hear trials in October 2002
• Convenes the multi-agency Court Management Group to address operational issues as they arise
• Developed and convenes the Domestic Violence Witness Support Group of victim/witness support agencies across both boroughs
• Has developed a partnership with RBK&C agencies around the SDVC
• Has increased the number of cases prosecuted in the SDVC
• Has trained District Judges, Magistrates and other court staff in the dynamics of domestic violence and in best practice according to the agreed SDVC protocol
• Has increased the conviction rate; reduced cases withdrawn or dismissed.
• Has encouraged the sentencing of men found guilty of domestic violence offences to an IDAP (Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme) which aims to change and challenge abusive men.
• Increased orders to IDAPs.
• Observes the Court in action weekly, monitoring compliance, and provides detailed reports on practice to partners.
• Monitors, reviews progress annually, collects feedback from witnesses.  

4. Consultations with survivors of Domestic Violence

...are essential to ensure that the voices of survivors inform the process of change. Standing Together uses a range of methods to do this, including consultation groups, telephone surveys, questionnaires and feedback from those served by Standing Together initiatives and also links survivors to consultations carried out by Government.  Consultations with survivors are important to help inform planning, monitoring and to improving future practice. See the latest survivor consultation 2006; Speaking Up, and the special offer on previous consultations.

Standing Together:

• Asks survivors of domestic violence about their experience of the police, health, solicitors and courts
• Has consulted with specific local groups from the Horn of Africa, Arabic speaking women, the Filipino community
• Publishes their responses, with their approval, in a series of reports.
• Fed back their detailed suggestions to relevant agencies.

5. The Health Project

...aims to increase the profile of domestic violence as an important health issue and change the practice of health professionals at Charing Cross Hospital Accident & Emergency Department and two Walk In Health Centres. See health report, partnership agreements and resources.

Standing Together:

• Brought three health services into the coordinated response; A&E and the Emergency Primary Care Access Service at Charing Cross Hospital and Parsons Green Walk In Centre.
• Developed protocols on routine enquiry for domestic violence, documentation and referral for the specialist support of ADVANCE, the Advocacy Project
• Trained nurses and doctors in domestic violence awareness and in implementing the protocols
• Increases the referral of survivors from these health sites to ADVANCE every year
• Provides resource material for staff and information for patients.

Recent news: 2006–2007 Health Project Report and the April 2007 Health Screening Project Outline.

6. Sharing practice

...is something that Standing Together is committed to. We share with others what we have learned to further the development of other coordinated responses nationally. More information.

Standing Together:

• Documents, reports and shares high quality information (see Publications and Partnership agreements and resources pages)
• Has linked with national organisations and acted as a leading organisation in promoting the development of advocacy services linked to coordinated responses
• Is a founder member of CRARG (now called CAADA, Coordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse)
• Standing Together is recognised as a model of good practice nationally
• Speaks and facilitates workshops at national conferences
• Sits on the following national groups:
  • The Government Task Force for Specialist Domestic Violence Court Programme
  • The Independent Advisory Group to the London Criminal Justice Board
  • The Department of Constitutional Affairs’ Domestic Violence Action Group
  • The Women’s National Commission Violence Against Women Working Party
  • The CPS Domestic Violence External Consultation Group
  • The Metropolitan Police Project Umbra on three ‘Strands’ — Courts, Advocacy and Information Sharing. This Board is closely linked to the implementation of the Lord Mayor’s Domestic Violence Strategy for London.
• Has coordinated the response from Standing Together partners and Trustees to the Government’s Sentencing Guidelines in domestic violence cases and to consultation on the Greater London Authority’s Domestic Violence Strategy