Tom Shaw is the anti-social behavior and Victims Champion for North East Lincolnshire. He is employed via VANEL to support victims locally. He is supported by Louis Cox.
Tom’s main role is to support victims of anti-social behaviour and hate crime, to ensure those people who need the most help get it. This work is carried out with a range of partners – most importantly those partners who can intervene directly in these situations.
Martin also tries to ensure that these issues are well publicised and that victims receive emotional as well as practical support.
Victims Panels
The ASB/Hate Crime Victims Champion is in the process of setting up Victim Focus Groups/Victims Panels across North East Lincolnshire in order to give the victims a voice in terms of examining the quality and gaps in services provided to victims suffering these specific incidents. Three groups have now been formed, in the West Marsh, Scartho areas and a bespoke group of mental health users and carers. The groups meet on a monthly basis to look at addressing ongoing issues of Anti-Social Behaviour, identifying gaps in services and looking at ways of developing stronger communities in their areas to reduce the incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour.
For further information about the Victims Panels, please contact Tom Shaw or Louis Cox directly (details below).
A case study has been prepared by VANEL on the current Victims Panels. You can read the case study here.
History of the Victims Champion Role
In 2009 the Labour government deployed the services of a Victims Champion to assess the services to victims not only of crime but extended to victims of Anti-social behaviour and Hate crimes, following the tragic deaths in Leicestershire of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter. North East Lincolnshire represents a population estimated at 163,900 and is considered to be ranked 49out of 354 Local Authority areas according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation scores. As such it was one of the areas selected and the post of Anti-Social Behaviour Victims Champion hosted by VANEL (Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire) was commenced on 01 April 2010.
The programmes purpose and key activities were to;
Help more victims of anti-social behaviour
Make sure that those that needed the most help get it.
Promote the service across the area.
Add to what is already in place adding value.
In order to meet these activities processes have been developed to identify those most vulnerable in terms of suffering as a result of anti-social behaviour and the introduction of multi – agency partnership working processes including Multi Agency Service Agreement Conference meetings (MASAC) and Multi Agency Victim Focus Panel meetings (MAVFP) to improve and support victim care in this specific area.
The ASB Victims champion also represents the views of victims on the following steering groups;
Hate Crime
Integrated Offender Management Operation Group
Safer and Stronger Communities Working Group.
Successes and achievements
During the period 1st April 2011 – 31st Marsh 2012 169 victims were supported (an increase of 54 on the previous year) through the intervention ASB Victims Champion and the challenge of using the multi-agency approach to address situations, 90% of the victims experienced a positive outcome.
Contact
Tom Shaw, the ASB/Hate Crime Victims Champion can be contacted on 01472 325954 for more information on setting up a Victim Focus Group if required.