Equality impact assessment - Working with victims policy & procedure youth offending service

Please tell us what you think about our website, we welcome your feedback.

Customer notice

Due to essential maintenance some of our web services will be unavailable between these times 7pm Friday 25 May and 5pm Sunday 27 May 2012.

1. What is the name of the policy or service that is being assessed?

Working with victims policy & procedure, Wiltshire Youth Offending Service

2. What are the aims of the policy or service? Whose needs is it designed to meet? What are the current priorities?

The Wiltshire Youth Offending Service is committed, wherever relevant, to the inclusion of "victim perspectives" in all its work. This Policy provides the necessary basis and framework from which services for victims can be developed, monitored and evaluated.

3. In what ways might this policy or service affect some groups of people differently? Might some groups find it harder to access the service? Do some groups have particular needs that are not well met by the current policy or service?

This is difficult to evidence but Wiltshire YOS will, wherever possible, ensure that offenders repair the harm to their victims. The YOS accepts responsibility for helping victims to move forward and acknowledges the needs of victims for safety, respect and various forms of assistance. All the dealings between Wiltshire YOS and victims will be governed by YOS policy on Diversity. The application of these policies to victims will specifically ensure that victims enjoy equality of access to all relevant services and that there is no occurrence of what is known as “secondary victimisation”.

4. What evidence do you have for your judgement? Is there evidence of public concern (e.g. complaints)? Have staff raised concerns? Is there local or national research to suggest that there could be a problem?

See previous section – no complaints have been made by victims. National research indictes that engaging victims, without revictimising them is not easy.

5. Who have you consulted with as part of your assessment? What were the results? Have you published the results of that consultation? If so, where?

YOS staff and YOS victims group which oversee the implementation of this policy

6. If you have found that the policy or service might have an adverse impact on a particular group of people, can you justify this?

None known

7. If the impact cannot be justified, what do you intend to do about this? Are there changes that you could introduce which would make the policy or service work better for this group of people? Is further research or consultation required?

Not applicable

8. How will you monitor the take-up or impact of the policy or service in future?

Policy overseen by victims working group and is subject to annual review.

9. What actions do you plan to take as a result of this equality impact assessment? Please state any resource implications

None at present time

10. There is a legal requirement to publish the outcomes of Equality Impact Assessments. Please outline how / where this will happen

Via the YOS website

11. Name of person completing form

Head of Youth Offending Team

Date assessment completed

30/03/07

12. Senior manager approval

Assistant Director Resources, Improvement and Young People

Date

2 April 2007

Last updated: 13 May 2009