How technology can consolidate community trust in policing and put victims first

Upon identifying a problem and attempting to build a solution, understanding the organisation’s process is of course key.  As equally important however, is the need to understand ALL end user’s required functionality, whether third party users or the public. Any software, to successfully facilitate a successful outcome for the organisation,  has to be able to engage all end users.  Providing them with a positive experience and ease of access to encourage their input, which will moreover enable the streamlining of processes and deliver the required resolution for all.

Our pre-development research and collaboration, for a Victim Support solution, involved these end users, to include; Police forces, multi-agencies and victims themselves. These discussions highlighted the need to bring all those involved in a victim’s journey together into one space to create an integrated circle of support.

This amounted to building efficient and innovative digital tools that are victim centred and bring together the multi-agencies and the key partners involved in that victim’s journey and make up this circle of support.  To facilitate this the platform allows all users access to resources (organisational and victim) and the input and retrieval of data relevant to their elements of the case management.

One of the stand out findings from our invaluable research was from victims with ‘lived experience’. One of the recurring negative issues, presented to us by victims  of VAWG and domestic abuse was the trauma of repeatedly relaying, and essentially re-living the incident(s) to multiple agencies and third sector organisations, mostly due to the dis-connect between those agencies. This repetition of trauma, and fragmented support, often made it difficult for these victims to maintain the resolve to carry on, so much so that, they questioned whether they wanted to continue the journey through to fruition. This of course in turn removes the route to a successful conviction of the individual charged with the crime against them, and of course results in further disappointment and upset for the victim.

Collaboration with third sector organisations and multi agencies highlighted the inability to immediately access or share relevant information about a Victim’s case. This in the most part because data was held in un-integrated third party or legacy systems.

Resolving these two factors was seen as ‘game changing’ in providing support and streamlining the input of data and case management for organisations and the third parties.

With this in mind our digital solution allowed for the functionality whereby access is granted to the relevant agencies and support circle involved with that victim’s journey, allowing them to share communications and critical information between them within the digital platform. This sharing of information via the platform removes the need for a victim to repeat the same information to multiple agencies potentially causing distress. The ability to share data also provides for the reduction of double keying of information around a victim’s case, streamlining case management for the organisation and those third party users/multi-agencies.

This case management element, assists the agencies to provide effective support and view the progress and actions required and enables them to up-date these in real time. We recognise that some data may be sensitive and this information within the platform can be managed appropriately with special / hierarchal access where required.

Whilst also providing victim’s, who sit within the heart of the platform, access to the support framework and resources, there is a holistic approach to support here too – providing for Victims to create a journal and the ability to build group chats to aid their support and wellbeing. There is also the functionality to hold video meetings (which can be recorded and held within the platform if required),

Additional functionalities satisfy many other areas of concern raised by victims, to include the fact that mobile devices can often present a risk in themselves and so taking this on board we have included innovative functionalities to reduce these risks for those victims in precarious, sensitive situations. One example of this is a quick close button on the mobile app, whereby a weather app or news app populates immediately and all browser history is deleted.

Built around the Victims’ Code, the web app and mobile app allows agencies, key partners and invited professionals to excel in partnership, by integrating across external agency systems, by way of APIs and Two Way Interfaces, and can deliver transformational benefits for victims. Furthermore, aiding the cohesion that is lacking between those supporting victims.