Review of Victims First Northumbria’s “Enhanced Service”
In November 2018, Northumbria’s victim service provider, Victims First Northumbria (VFN), launched an Enhanced Service to provide additional support to vulnerable, intimidated, and persistently targeted victims and witnesses.
The solution
After an initial period of implementation, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) commissioned Crest Advisory to undertake a review of the Enhanced Services, assessing its impact on victim outcomes (cope and recovery) and attrition rates (those attending/not attending court) on both those receiving the new service and those maintained in the 'core' cohort, and how effective and efficient the service was more generally.
Findings would support the OPCC and Victims First Northumbria to agree the final operating model for the service and provide a benchmark for a future evaluation.
The results
Crest planned and conducted a detailed review of the Enhanced Service, using both qualitative and quantitative data. After extracting data from internal systems, a cohort analysis was performed to identify the key characteristics of those individuals currently reached by the Service. Public and private data was discussed to demonstrate current levels of performance, supplemented by a detailed analysis of outcomes recorded through VFN’s Star outcomes framework.
Crest also carried out analysis of a dip sample of 20 complete case files, identifying learnings for future service provision. These learnings were complemented by discussion of survey data, both existing data and that arising from a survey designed by the review team.
This culminated in a series of conclusions and actionable recommendations, designed to ensure that the Enhanced Service goes from strength to strength in the coming months and years.
Contact us
If you'd like to get in touch, please contact our Strategy and Insight Manager Ellie Covell at eleanor.covell@crestadvisory.com.
