Lancashire OPCC Domestic Abuse Victims Needs Assessment Top Up
Task
In 2024, the Lancashire Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) asked TONIC to undertake a combined Victims’ Needs Assessment to inform the re-commissioning and future grant funding of victim services across the county. The aim was to gather the opinions, views and experiences of service users and professionals to identify the needs of local victims. TONIC was also asked to review the existing support model. You can find out more about this project here: https://www.tonic.org.uk/lancs-vna
Since the 2024 Victims’ Needs Assessment, Lancashire OPCC have completed a successful tender process, contracting several services to provide support to victims across the county. The re-commissioning of support specifically relating to domestic abuse, however, encountered delays and therefore funding to the existing domestic abuse core service has been extended until the end of March 2026. As a result, the re-commissioning process has continued, and Lancashire OPCC were keen to reflect on any changes made to the domestic abuse support landscape over the 12 months that had elapsed, as well as identifying any new challenges within the support structure. As such, TONIC were tasked with speaking to a number of professionals working in the domestic abuse sector across Lancashire in order to produce an addendum report to the Victims’ Needs Assessment. This was to ensure that future strategies align with both emerging needs and systemic opportunities for improvement.
Our Approach
To provide an update to the 2024 Victims’ Needs Assessment, with the aim of capturing developments within the local domestic abuse landscape, and to inform future service delivery and commissioning in Lancashire, TONIC conducted additional stake-holder interviews and a service mapping activity. Specifically, TONIC conducted in-depth interviews with ten key professionals working across agencies in Lancashire, including representatives from the OPCC, Lancashire County Council, and those involved in the Multi-Agency Risk Reduction Assessment and Coordination (MARRAC).
Furthermore, a comprehensive service mapping exercise was undertaken to document the domestic abuse support provision across Lancashire. This ensured that the OPCC had access to the most up-to-date and accurate information on available services for victims/survivors of domestic abuse, highlighting geographical coverage, service types, and referral pathways.
Outcome
After interviews were anonymised by TONIC and considered alongside the service mapping, key themes relating to the multi-agency delivery of domestic abuse services in Lancashire were identified. Through this, findings were produced around five interrelated areas, which highlighted the strengths and opportunities for the Lancashire OPCC and the domestic abuse support landscape.