- The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) is looking for a provider to deliver victim services in Gloucestershire.
- The service will run from 1st April 2020 and the contract will be five years with an optional two years beyond that.
- A Bidders Day will be held on Monday 21 January 2019 at Dowty Sports & Social Club, Down Hatherly, Gloucester
- You can register your organisation’s interest by emailing fund@gloucestershire.pnn.police.uk by Friday 30 November 2018
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) is looking for a provider to deliver services for victims in Gloucestershire.
The service will run from 1st April 2020 and the contract will be five years with an optional two years beyond that.
Victims services focus on the specific needs of the victims and the service will include information, advice and emotional support.
Here are three examples of what they do and why:
Case Study 1
Rugby-mad Jack, 15, was playing close to his home when his ball was stolen. He later received a call to come to a nearby park if he wanted it back. There, he was head butted to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the head.
Jack’s injuries were traumatic and potentially life altering. His mum noticed changes in his behaviour and she was worried about him retreating into himself.
Jack’s academic life suffered too as relatives of his attackers were at the same school and just as he had broken into the first team, he was unable to play rugby, his big passion.
The family’s world was in danger of falling apart.
Case Study 2
An independent man, we’ll call him Robert, aged 71, was attacked while walking his dog not far from home. Already needing crutches to get around because of a hip problem, he suffered a broken wrist and knee.
Despite a spell in hospital, the wrist had still not healed 18 months after the assault. Robert was in constant pain and further distressed as he was unable to look after his dog. Although his neighbours have rallied round, it has left him very shaken and low in confidence and self-esteem and anxious about using the road where the assault took place.
Robert planned a short break in Devon to get over the attack but his injuries meant he had to call it off, a further cause for upset and depression.
Case Study 3
Amadi (15) is a refugee who fled the violence and fear of his home country Guinea. He speaks very little English and had only been in the UK for three weeks when he was subjected to a vicious assault which left him with a broken jaw and in need of surgery.
All the indications pointed to a ‘hate-crime’.
Amadi was vulnerable due to English not being his first language. It’s also thought his much older offender knew that a group of asylum seekers played football in the park and saw him as an easy target.
In all three cases, Victim Support played an important part in helping get these casualties of crime back on their feet.
- In case study 1, Victim Support helped guide Jack through the court process that followed the arrest of his attackers. They helped him get back into rugby through coaching youngsters and supported his parents while they struggled to come to terms with what had happened.
- In case study 2, Victim Support has helped give Robert the confidence to walk outside again and also helped get further treatment for his injured wrist – though it has still not yet fully repaired.
- In case study 3, Victim Support gave a vulnerable young person a voice in very difficult circumstances providing excellent translators who were able to explain the true meaning of what he was saying.
Whether there will be separate services for adults and children or just one all-inclusive service has not yet been decided, but either will support victims of all crime (except sexual violence, domestic violence, homicide, drugs and alcohol and road traffic accidents) and personal anti-social behaviour (ASB).
A Bidders Day will be held on Monday 21 January 2019 at Dowty Sports & Social, Down Hatherly, Gloucester between 10.00 and 12.00. This event will include a presentation on our service requirement and will also allow questions to be asked.
If your organisation is interested in attending, please email commissiners.fund@gloucestershire.pnn.police.uk by Friday 30 November 2018. You will be allowed up to a maximum of two spaces per organisation.
