Warwickshire Victims’ Needs Assessment
Task
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Warwickshire commissioned TONIC to conduct an updated victims’ needs assessment, to inform future strategic decision-making and commissioning of services that support victims of crime across the county. The work built on the 2021-22 victims’ needs assessment previously undertaken by TONIC, aiming to update the evidence base and expand the scope to include additional crime types.
The assessment was set within a national context of increasing crime, with the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimating around 9.4 million incidents of headline crime in the year ending March 2025, a 7% increase compared with the year ending March 2024. Although Warwickshire was found to have slightly lower levels of police recorded crime than comparable areas, the wide-ranging and long-lasting impact of crime on victims underlined the continued need to strengthen local victim support provision.
The assessment focused on understanding victim need, service provision, barriers to access, and opportunities for improvement across:
General Victim Recovery Services
Child Exploitation
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
Fatal and Serious Injury Road Traffic Collisions
Sexual Violence
Domestic Abuse
Stalking, including both domestic abuse and non-domestic abuse-related stalking.
Our Approach
TONIC used a mixed-methods approach, generating both quantitative and qualitative evidence to develop a comprehensive understanding of victim experiences, service provision, and areas of unmet need. This included:
A review of existing literature and relevant national and local context.
Quantitative analysis of service activity and outcome data.
An online feedback survey capturing views from victims and professionals.
In-depth interviews and focus groups with victims, professionals, and stakeholders.
A site visit to a commissioned service provider to gather operational insight from staff.
In total, TONIC engaged with 260 participants, including 109 people affected by crime in Warwickshire and 151 professionals. This comprised 97 victim survey respondents, 12 victims engaged through interviews, 88 professional survey respondents, and 63 professionals involved in interviews and focus groups.
Outcome
TONIC produced a detailed report setting out a clear, evidence-based picture of victim need, current provision, system strengths, barriers to access and engagement, and opportunities for improvement across Warwickshire’s victim support landscape. The assessment highlighted positive feedback from victims and professionals, including the quality of support available, the trauma-informed and victim-centred approach of services, and the value of strong local leadership and partnership working.
At a system-wide level, the report identified areas where Warwickshire’s response could be further strengthened, including improving consistency in partnership working, addressing gaps in provision, reviewing referral pathways and communication with victims, enhancing accessibility for under-represented groups, and making better use of data and victims’ voices to inform future decision-making.
TONIC used the findings to develop a series of recommendations for the OPCC to support future commissioning and for providers to drive service development, with a focus on improving sustainability, accessibility, collaboration, accountability, and outcomes for victims across Warwickshire.