Empowering those affected by crime 2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
victimsupport.org.uk
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Who we are
Victim Support (VS) is an independent charity. We are dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales, and we put them at the heart of our organisation.
We provide personalised support to help people manage after crime and feel safer. We also inform victims of their rights and the services that they may be entitled to and ensure their voices are heard throughout their support and beyond.
Victims, those close to them and witnesses to the crime are our focus and over the years we have developed unrivalled expertise when it comes to their needs and their journey through the criminal justice system.
## About this report
The theme for this report is _Empowering those affected by crime_ – highlighting the importance of understanding and asserting victims’ rights in the Victims’ Code, and finally to be enshrined in the Victims’ Law.
It’s vital that all those who have experienced crime – whether or not they have reported to the police – are able to realise their rights.
If you are browsing through this report, please look out for the voice icon where we highlight the words and stories of people affected by crime and the people who have supported them.
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Contents
## Contents
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|---|---|
|Welcome|4|
|About us|6|
|VS services in England and Wales|8|
|What we do|9|
|Our services|10|
|2021–22 in numbers|13|
|Trustees’ report|15|
|Achievements and performance|15|
|Future plans|27|
|Strategic report|29|
|Structure, governance and management|29|
|Board and Committee membership|33|
|Financial review|35|
|Principal risks and uncertainties|37|
|Trustees’ responsibilities in relation|
|to the financial statements|41|
|Auditor’s report|42|
|Financial statements|45|
|Consolidated statement of financial activities|45|
|Balance sheet as at 31 March 2022|46|
|Consolidated cash flow statement|47|
|Notes to the financial statements|48|
|Thank you|57|
|Our people|57|
|Our funders|61|
|Our supporters and fundraisers|63|
|Reference and administrative details|64|
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_“ Domestic abuse doesn’t have to be the ending of our journey, it can be the start to getting our power back.”_
Survivor of domestic abuse and iMatter participant
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Welcome
Throughout 2021–22, our local and national services continued to help those affected by crime to navigate the criminal justice system and provide specialist, confidential and independent support.
As we worked in lockdown and then as restrictions were gradually lifted, we were adapting our services to respond to the increases in demand we were seeing and the concerning changes to the profile of crimes the victims we are supporting had experienced. These changes have also affected the world of work for all our staff and volunteers in terms of where they work, how they fulfil their roles and how our teams work together.
Patterns of crime over the past two years have been substantially affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of lockdowns. During lockdown many crimes reduced, but domestic abuse, sexual violence, fraud and cybercrime increased substantially. Since the final lockdowns were lifted some crimes have returned to pre-pandemic levels but reported levels of violence and sexual offences remain higher. The total number of crimes recorded in the year to March 2022 was 4 per cent higher than 2019–20.
In 2021–22, reflecting these trends, we offered information and support to 786,574 people, an increase of 5% compared to the previous year. We also provided tailored support to 184,000 people. In addition, we answered 30,190 calls to our 24/7 Supportline and Victim Information Line through our National Contact Centre where we handle incoming calls from victims who contact us directly – often those who are reluctant to report the crime to the police.
The number of people referred to us for sexual violence increased by 23%. Nearly half of these were survivors of rape. We also supported 55,029 survivors of domestic abuse.
There was an increase of almost 11% in the number of people seeking support after experiencing a hate crime, compared with the previous year, with the rise driven by disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity-related crimes. The overwhelming majority of hate crime cases we saw were race and nationality-related (an increase of 8% compared with the previous year).
Fraud is the most commonly experienced crime type across England and Wales with over 4.5 million fraud offences recorded in the year ending March 2022. We have seen a rapid growth in referrals for social media scams and cybercrime including romance fraud, online purchases and investment fraud.
Our services need to reflect changes in service users’ expectations and preferences in terms of how they want to reach and receive services. We also continue to constantly seek to improve the quality of our services, to optimise the outcomes our service users will experience. This year, we have been developing a new service model linked into the development of our new case management system. We have worked to ensure our compliance and quality assurance systems are clear and accessible and we have continued to audit our services against our quality framework. We have developed our children and young people (CYP) and domestic abuse services after reviews, piloting innovative improvements, working with external experts.
Our 24/7 live chat support is proving an increasingly popular way for victims to contact us, with 30,905 live chats in the last year. We know that people often prefer to ask for help this way, and it gives them a way to get in touch anonymously if they prefer, day or night.
Specifically this year, our local services along with our National Homicide Service, worked with the families bereaved and witnesses affected by the mass shooting in Keyham, Plymouth. Our local services also supported the relatives of people who were affected by the wide-scale mortuary abuse in Kent and we have developed a peer support group to provide ongoing support to those affected.
We continued to speak with and for victims of crime. We gave evidence to the Justice Committee on the impact of fraud and the improvements that can be made for victims through the Online Safety Bill, and we also gave evidence to the same Committee as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Victims Bill.
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Welcome
We increased our media profile this year substantially so we were able to give voice to people who have experienced crime and ensure their experiences of the criminal justice system are highlighted. We achieved coverage of issues such as court delays for rape victims, romance fraud, the impact of hate crime and support for families bereaved by homicide and many other local and national issues.
We carried out research and published four reports, shining a light on some of the less-heard victims of crime and their experiences, such as those who speak English as a second or additional language, and children and young people who are a witness to domestic abuse. We used this evidence to help increase understanding of vulnerable victims’ needs and to press for improvements.
2022 was our 12th year of being in the Stonewall Top 100, and we were delighted to be named as the UK’s third best employer for LGBTQ+ people (placing top of all UK charities). We’ll continue to do all we can to make sure that our LGBTQ+ staff and volunteers feel included, supported and can bring their whole selves to work.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff and volunteers and everyone who has supported us, especially those who have been impacted by crime and who chose to share their stories, helping others in the process.
Diana Fawcett Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Tivey Chair of Trustees
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## About us
## Local
## National
Local needs and priorities help determine the services we offer in communities across England and Wales.
We believe that victim services must be equitable and accessible. We provide some services for people across the whole of England and Wales. These include the National Homicide Service, our 24/7 freeto-call Supportline, our live chat service and our online self-help platform, My Support Space.[1]
Our skilled local staff and volunteers are embedded in the communities in which they live and work. We care about these communities, and value our local partnerships and networks with individuals and organisations that also have a passion for supporting people affected by crime locally.
Our national infrastructure allows us to provide secure technology, consistent quality standards and the ability to share insight and best practice.
Our national reach enables us to research and evaluate what works, as well as innovating and influencing based on a substantial evidence base.
## Independent
We are independent of the police, the government, local authorities, immigration services and the criminal justice system. This is important, as we know that some victims may distrust the criminal justice system and others – particularly those from some minority and marginalised communities or people with mental health conditions – face barriers when it comes to reporting crimes to the police.
We also know that victims and survivors of certain crimes are more likely to need support from an independent service. For example, a YouGov poll of domestic abuse and sexual violence survivors found that 87% believed it was important for victims of crime to receive help and support from an independent victim service.[2]
We work closely with all these organisations and other specialist partner agencies.
- 1 www.mysupportspace.org.uk is an online resource designed to help people affected by crime manage the impact that crime has had on them. It includes interactive guides that provide techniques, tips and activities, as well as an online diary.
- 2 YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,934 adults from England and Wales. Fieldwork was undertaken 6–7 February 2018. The survey was carried out online.
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About us
## Inclusive
Over the past year, we have undertaken a significant amount of work to continue to make our services more inclusive. This includes:
- n Partnering with interpreting services SignLive[3] , so deaf and hearing-impaired people can contact us using British Sign Language (BSL).
- n Launching an internal community engagement knowledge-sharing group which brings together staff to share best practice when engaging with diverse communities and promoting our services as inclusive.
- n Releasing a range of guidance to support our staff and volunteers to meet the diverse needs of our service users, including: supporting a service user with a learning disability FAQ, supporting a service user on the autism spectrum FAQ and guides for supporting people with mental health-related needs.
- n Promoting our services in publications such as _Fyne Times_ and the _Black History Month_ magazine.
- n Providing more support materials in languages other than English, including easy read versions.
- n Holding webinars during Black History Month on the impact of ‘stop and search’ on Black and Minority Ethnic communities and understanding racial trauma.
- n Using our social media channels to reinforce our independence and inclusivity through our messaging and imagery.
- n Publishing research reports which highlight the impact of language barriers for service users who speak English as a second or additional language (ESL) across the criminal justice system.
- 3 https://signlive.co.uk is a company that provides on-demand interpreting and technology for deaf people.
- 4 The Open College Network (OCN) accredited course for Victim Advocates has been pioneered in VS Humberside and South Yorkshire. Each course consists of 10 different modules that staff had to complete, with each module independently assessed.
- 5 The RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Health and Safety Awards recognise companies and people around the world for their safety performance.
- 6 Cyber Essentials (CE) and Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) is a UK Government information assurance scheme that is operated by the National Cyber Security Centre. It encourages organisations to adopt good practices in information security.
- 7 The National Centre for Diversity accreditation is based on results from an employee survey, employee focus groups, interviews with senior leaders and submitted evidence of our EDI data monitoring, internal communications, policies and procedures and EDI strategy.
## We make a difference
We ensure the quality of all our services through our Quality Management System that meets the criteria of ISO 9001.
Our teams also work to achieve key external accreditations. This year, we celebrated our first nationally recognised, qualified Independent Victim Advocates[4] from our Humberside and South Yorkshire services.
We also received a RoSPA Gold Health and Safety Award[5] for ensuring our staff, volunteers and service users experience a safe working environment. Our National Health and Safety Lead was also recognised as a RoSPA Covid Workplace Champion. The ‘champion’ status recognises those who have been instrumental in keeping workplaces Covid safe.
Victim Support has been named the UK’s third best employer for LGBTQ+ people (also ranking top in Wales and first among not-for-profit organisations) by LGBTQ+ equality charity, Stonewall. This achievement is testament to the work of our staff and volunteers across VS who have continued to champion LGBTQ+ equality in our workplace and our services.
We were awarded our Cyber Essentials Plus certification, demonstrating the high level of commitment VS has to security[6] and retained our Leaders in Diversity accreditation[7] for the third time, ranking 5th in this year’s National Centre for Diversity Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplace list.
Our West Yorkshire ISVA team was successfully reassessed against the MSP Quality Standards[8] for Services Supporting Male Victims and Survivors of Sexual Violence, and have been reaccredited for a further two years.
**SOCIAL** In 2022, VS achieved the Planet **VALUE** Positive certification, which is given to companies that have measured their impact on the planet and are actively working to reduce it via a carbon reduction plan.[9]
- 8 https://malesurvivor.co.uk The MSP (Male Survivor Partnership) Male Service Standards is a quality assurance framework that enables organisations working with boys and men affected by sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation to benchmark their work against an independent evidence base and improve and evidence the quality of service provision to male survivors, in particular recognising their gender-based needs.
- 9 The Planet Positive certification is given to companies that have measured their impact on the planet and are actively working to reduce it. Positive Planet is an organisation that helps companies measure their carbon footprint and reduce their carbon emissions.
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## VS services in England and Wales
## Local and national services
We deliver local services in 30 areas throughout England and Wales. They are funded by their local Police and Crime Commissioner/Mayor’s Offices, and by other local funders, and ensure the provision of vital victim support services that meet local needs and priorities.
Providing out-of-hours cover and resilience, we also offer 24/7 telephone and live chat support and access to online self-help (My Support Space).
Area Managers lead teams of skilled staff and volunteers who live in the communities in which they work. This has always been the basis of our services since we were founded in 1974.
We also deliver a number of national services, the National Homicide Service (England and Wales), the Wales Hate Support Centre (Wales only), iMatter and Safe Spaces.
## Independent victim services
We believe that every person affected by crime should have access to independent victim services. To prevent a postcode lottery for victims, all our national services are available to anyone in need throughout England and Wales, including in the 12 counties where we are not commissioned to provide a local service.
## Raising the profile of restorative justice through our London service
The London Victims and Witness Service (LVWS) Restorative Justice Service facilitates communication between victims and those responsible for causing harm to them. It provides victims with the opportunity to:
- n explore what happened to them, be listened to and be heard;
- n explain the harm that has been caused to them, to the person who caused it;
- n obtain answers to questions they have about what happened; and
- n achieve a sense of closure and an ability to move forward.
It is a right that is enshrined in the Victims’ Code and we have been supporting our staff to promote restorative justice:
- n through the delivery of refresher sessions and the development of learning materials;
- n by working closely with Calm Mediation, a specialist partner in restorative justice, to improve referral pathways;
- n through introducing a new RJ Volunteer role to the team; and
- n by discussing best practice in restorative approaches with other organisations such as the Restorative Justice Council.
_“I couldn’t have survived this without you. Thank you for steering my negative thoughts into something more positive and helping me to regain balance in my life.”_ Hate crime victim, Wales Hate Support Centre
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What we do
## What we do
## For the individual affected by crime
Experiencing crime can be life-changing. It may result in trauma and affect day-to-day life, including wellbeing and sleep. It may also affect relationships with a partner, with family and friends and with work colleagues. On top of this, it can be hugely challenging to navigate the criminal justice system and know your rights as a victim of crime. We:
**Provide information and advice**
**Give confidential, 24/7 support**
**Explain rights and entitlements after crime**
~~**S**~~ **peak up on behalf of victims**
~~**He**~~ **lp vi** ~~**ctims a**~~ **ccess fi** ~~**n**~~ **anci** ~~**al**~~ **assistance and other services, such as getting reho** ~~**used**~~ **.**
## For all people affected by crime
We are independent of the police, the government, local authorities and the criminal justice system. This independence allows us to speak out and champion victims’ rights for the benefit of everyone affected by crime, both now and in the future. We:
**Speak with an informed national voice**
**Highlight th** ~~**e v**~~ **oice** ~~**s o**~~ **f victims**
**Help shape legislation, policy and practice**
**Collaborate with oth** ~~**er organisa**~~ **tions.**
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Our services
We provide a wide range of crime-specific and multi-crime services. Our services work closely with partner organisations to reach all communities and ensure those affected get the most appropriate help and support. Some examples include:
## Terrorism and other major incidents of crime
TERRORISM
We provide a national response to terrorism and major incidents of crime. We have a specialist virtual caseworker team based at our National Contact Centre in Cardiff that can provide immediate support and information in the event of a major incident to anyone who has been affected.
Throughout the year we have continued to develop our support for those who have been affected by terrorism or major incidents and review our preparedness so we are effectively able to respond to future attacks and major incidents of crime wherever they may take place across England and Wales.
## Domestic abuse
DOMESTIC We offer a range of services to people ABUSE who have experienced domestic abuse, including where no report has been made to the police. We recognise that the vast majority of victims are female but we also support males, trans and non-binary people.
Our support is client-led and based on what the individual needs. We undertake a detailed needs and risk assessment and then develop an individualised safety and support plan aimed at reducing risk. We advocate with a range of agencies including health, housing, civil and criminal agencies.
In some parts of the country we provide voluntary perpetrator programmes to help people understand what a healthy relationship looks like.
MULTI-CRIME
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
HOMICIDE SERVICE
## Multi-crime
Our local multi-crime services help victims, witnesses and supporters of those who have experienced a crime. Our support is tailored to the individual and we will help victims to understand the impacts the crime has had on them and build strategies to help manage daily life. We can work on a safety plan, provide information on rights, entitlements and the criminal justice system, collaborate with other agencies and strengthen support networks.
## Sexual violence
Our Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) help people who have been raped or who have experienced another sexual offences. This includes helping the survivors to take the action that is right for them, supporting them in choosing whether or not to report the crime, coordinating with health and other support services and helping them to navigate the criminal justice system.
## Homicide Service
We provide the National Homicide Service in England and Wales, supporting families who have been bereaved by murder and manslaughter at home and abroad. The service is offered to bereaved families by their police family liaison officer, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, other agencies or by self-referral.
We provide confidential and independent support to bereaved families. Caseworkers put together a support plan tailored to the individual and support is available for as long as needed. We can assist with funeral arrangements, help manage the legal and financial issues that arise such as benefits and probate, and provide help navigating the criminal justice system including the coronial process. We will also help individuals to understand thoughts, behaviours and reactions to trauma and their bereavement. This can include referrals for specialist counselling and other services for both adults and children affected.
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Our services
## Antisocial behaviour
ANTISOCIAL We advocate for victims by speaking BEHAVIOUR to different agencies on their behalf, help them to understand the process of tackling antisocial behaviour, provide advice on personal safety and home security, and equip victims with the necessary tools to effectively report it. We also support them through mediation and the court process.
## Children and young people
FRAUD
## Fraud
We help those who have been defrauded by ensuring they are safe, informed and advised about their rights and entitlements. We also provide support to recover from the impacts of fraud, and ensure that victims are connected to the people and networks that will help prevent future fraud. We also support people to share their experiences with others in order to raise awareness and educate about the dangers of fraud.
CYP
We have a growing number of services providing specialist support to children and young people (CYP) who have experienced crime or a traumatic event; 49 during this past financial year. We have both crime-specific CYP services and multi-crime CYP services; some are embedded into our services also supporting adults, others are standalone services. Our CYP practitioners support children and young people by identifying and reducing risks, recognising and increasing protective factors, and developing coping strategies to increase levels of resilience.
_“We have supported people who have been forced to sell treasured possessions or, in extreme cases, into bankruptcy or homelessness. Victims can struggle with their mental health, sometimes becoming too afraid to leave home or go online.”_
HATE CRIME
## Hate crime
We support those who have experienced hate crime. This includes the team delivering the Wales Hate Support Centre, a specialist hate crime service funded by the Welsh Government. The centre provides direct support to adults and young people affected by hate crime, third party reporting, hate crime training and engagement and partnership working across Wales.
VS National Fraud Lead
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Michelle* used our live chat service to seek support
Michelle* has experienced hate crime as a member of the travelling community. She describes how hearing daily abusive language affected her young daughter, and how she feels singled out by some people in the wider community.
“Being from the travelling community, we’ve experienced racism our whole lives. We’ve always been looked at differently. I don’t know why, we all bleed the same, but I think it’s probably down to our way of life or our culture.
“We were experiencing daily racism from a group outside our flat, and one day after they were shouting ‘gypsy scum’ at us, my four-year-old daughter asked me, ‘what’s a Gypsy? I don’t want to be one.’ I found that really hurtful and hard to hear, because it’s our culture.
“We’ve always been treated so badly. When I was younger, and still now with my family, we get turned away from shops and restaurants just for being a traveller. Around three years ago, I booked a holiday for our family in a holiday park but they declined me: they said ‘we don’t accept your surname’.
“I know there are nice people out there. But others just think we are the same as what they see on the telly, they look at the way we dress, the way we speak and just think ‘you’re different’ and they don’t like that.”
* Name changed to protect identity.
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2021–22 in numbers
## 2021–22 in numbers
786,574 people were offered information and support
30,905 live chats were handled by VS
30,190 calls to our 24/7 Supportline and Victim Information Line were answered
6,945 people created a My Support Space account
9,459 pieces of print, broadcast and online coverage that mentioned VS and our support for victims
## 6
research reports were published, building understanding and knowledge of victims’ experiences
## Following our help and support:
80% felt better able to cope 76% felt safer 79% said their wellbeing has improved.
There was a 95% satisfaction rate reported by people who have used our services.
_“Thank you for your help. I feel more confident and that I’m not alone anymore.”_ Live chat user
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Developing our approach to partnership working to enable us to effectively support those most affected by crime and the fear of crime
## Online hate workshops
Eight community cohesion teams in Wales are funded to engage with local communities – providing reassurance and enabling collaboration between public services and communities. The Wales Hate Support Centre works closely with all of these teams to support communities in Wales affected by hate through our training and engagement team.
Recently, the small village of Penally in Pembrokeshire experienced an unexpected increase in hateful extremism, exposing the link between online and offline harms and its impact on people, families and communities in Wales.
Working in partnership with the Mid and South West Wales Community Cohesion Team, the Wales Hate Support Centre created and delivered an online hate pilot workshop to community leaders and people managing online social media groups. The workshop supported people to help them to understand how hate happens online, the links between online and offline harms, self-protection and responding to hate via social media, and where people affected can get support.
The pilot was successful and has now been rolled out across Wales through our service.
_“The online hate pilot was a great opportunity for the Mid and South West Wales Community Cohesion Team to work in partnership with Victim Support. Together, using an evidence base of need, we were able to reach out to new audiences to share good practice around online hate, which affects many within our communities. Together we were able to co-produce a piece of work which challenged myths and provided tools to enable online communities to deal with online hate. None of our organisations have all the answers or can do everything alone, but by sharing experience, resource and expertise, we have developed a pilot which we aim to roll out much more widely in the future. Real partnership in action.”_
## Mid and South West Wales Community Cohesion Coordinator
## Committed to partnership
People affected by crime are able to achieve better outcomes because we have good relationships with other charities and public bodies. We recognise the value of working in partnership and continually work to build strong and effective relationships with other specialist organisations.
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Trustees’ report
## Trustees’ report
## Achievements and performance
## We said we would build resilience and contribute to people being and feeling safer by:
## Developing our domestic abuse co-production and perpetrator work
Turning the Spotlight and They Matter programmes
Turning the Spotlight is based in Cumbria and aims to change male behaviour and work towards ending violence against women and girls in the UK.
It is led by female and male facilitators from VS Cumbria, and supports people who are having problems in their relationships which may be leading to abuse. A 12-week programme is aimed at individuals causing harm, and encourages the abusive partner to reflect on their own behaviours and why they need to change.
_“Turning the Spotlight’s primary aim is the safety of women and children. Many couples want to stay in difficult relationships, so we help them to understand what a healthy relationship is and give them the tools to challenge their values, beliefs and, ultimately, behaviours to enable them to move forward.”_
The project was featured in the national press.
VS Cumbria has also piloted a six-month programme for high-risk men called ‘They Matter’. It has been designed for heterosexual male perpetrators of domestic abuse, identified as causing or likely to be causing high risk/high harm within their families/relationships.
_“Before I started I felt lost, I didn’t anticipate it would have the benefit it did for me. It’s been transformative and I have learnt a lot. The one-to-one sessions were a time where I could talk freely and be open.”_
They Matter participant
TtS coordinator
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## iMatter programme
Our iMatter programme, funded by the Association of British Insurers’ Covid-19 Support Fund, is for women aged 16 and over in an abusive relationship across England and Wales. In 2021–22, 1,502 women were supported through the programme. Delivery of the national programme began in April 2021.
The 10 week online group-based programme runs weekly sessions which are facilitated by two specially trained VS staff, who guide participants through a variety of topics focusing on healthy relationships. The programme is being delivered in English, Urdu, Bengali and Polish. In February 2021, we ran an iMatter course specifically for those who identify as part of the LGBT+ community, and started a course aimed at young women aged between 16 and 25 years old.
This year, the iMatter programme was also made available for our female staff and volunteers who have experienced domestic abuse.
_“I feel more confident and much more resilient. I thoroughly enjoyed the programme and it helped me a lot.”_
## iMatter participant (LGBT+ course)
Our Journey Survivors Forum is instrumental in the development of the iMatter Programme. External partners joined the forum to hear the voices of victims of domestic abuse and to help understand what victims want locally.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
کورس یک مشموالت ؟ کیا �ہگھریلو زیاد�
برس اور اس ےس زیادہ عمر یک 16 گروپ پروگرامiMatter ان خوات�ی، پولینڈی، اردو اور ویلش زبانوں کاوکٹم سپورٹ یک دو خصویص طور پر تربیت یافتہ خاتون جھگڑے اور زیاد� لڑا� ےک ل�ی �ہ جنہوں �۔اہلکار سیشنوں کو چالئ�ی یکیہ پروگرام بنگایل، گجرا�۔م�ی بیھ دستیاب �ہ عمویم جائزہ ۔سامنا کیا �ہ ماحول تخلیق کرتا �ہ جس م�ی آپ دو�وں ےک ساتھ کورس ایک محفوظ، غ�ی رسیم اور معاون iMatter جھنڈیاںہری ۔ ہ�ی بڑھ سک�سیکھ کر آ� ی شادی شامل سال یا اس 16 واقعات کا انداز شامل ہوتا �ہ جن یک عمر، یک شکار ہ�ی تو آپ الگ تھلگ، شامل �ہ اور اس ےک ، جذبا� واقعہ یا تشدد م�ی ان لوگوں ےک درمیان تسلط پسندانہ، ۔ ہ�یرنجیدہ، مضطرب اور خوفزدہ محسوس کر سک�، جن م�ی نفسیا� کا کو� اور ج�ب۔ ہر گز قابل قبول نہ�ی �ہ رویہ، تشدد یا زیاد�، اقتصادی اور جنیس زیاد� زیاد� ہ�یعالوہ اس م�ی 'عزت' پر مب�اس یک متعدد شکل�ی ہو�۔ اگر آپ گھریلو زیاد�، دھم� آم�ی [ ن] گھریلو زیاد�جسما�خان�ج�بہ�ی
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حقوق یک �ہ اور ان ےک انسا�ےس ان یک آزادی کم ہو جا�
۔ ذیل م�ی اس بات یک چند مثال�ی :ہ�ی کہ ج�ب کس طرح کام کرتا �ہ �ہخالف ورزی ہو�
پیدا کرناعلیحدیک ■
آپ یک روزمرہ �گرمیوں پر بندش لگانا ■
کرناآپ یک توہ�ی ■
ہ�یول کرنا کہ آپ کہاں جا�اس بات پر کن� ■
وں کو برباد کرناآپ یک چ�ی [ ن] ■
گا اس کا فیصلہ کرناپیسہ کس طرح خرچ کیا جا� ■
غ�ی معقول مطالبات کرنا ■
وری نہ�ی �ہ کہ ہمارے سفر کا �ن "گھریلو زیاد� [ت] بہت زیادہ حسد کرنا۔ ■
یک اختتام ہو، یہ ہماری طاقت واپس حاصل کر� [ن] کت کنندہiMatter ۔" �ہ یک سابق � وعات ہو سک� [ت] � [ش] پروگرامiMatter
victimsupport.org.uk
iMatter
حدود واقفیت پروگرام جو گھریلو زیاد�ت یک شکار ریہ ہ�ی ان خوات�ین ےک ل�ی گروپ پر مب�ن آن الئن
ہدف کا تع�ین خود اعتمادی
آ�گ بڑھنا تفویض اختیارات
صحت مند رش�ت اعتماد سازی
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## **Rowan[*]** experienced years of domestic abuse
Rowan was referred by Victim Support to the iMatter course after suffering long-term domestic abuse. She described how the course changed her outlook on relationships.
“I endured many years of mental abuse without even knowing. My partner became more brutal and started to inflict me with physical abuse. This was as well as the psychological and emotional abuse. Life was all about him.
“I had anxiety attacks, I doubted my own decisions. I was unable to speak to friends
and family for he had isolated me from them. And I felt so ashamed of my entire life, blaming myself for absolutely everything. But then, I contacted Victim Support, I got referred to the iMatter programme, and from that very first day, I felt that I was not alone in the world – that people really did understand me.
“The programme educated me, it taught me to set boundaries, to look out for red flags. This course had a phenomenal impact on my entire life. I have changed completely. I am now a fullyfledged survivor. I am the best I’ve ever been and I’m hoping that I can help others who are on the exact same journey.”
* Name changed to protect identity.
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Trustees’ report – Achievements and performance
## Co-ordinating and developing our specialist fraud practice tools and techniques
As reported fraud continues to grow, we are helping staff and volunteers understand fraud and build their skills when supporting victims by developing new fraud toolkits. There is also an eLearning module available for staff to increase awareness around types of fraud and the impact it has on our clients.
Our Fraud Safety Checklist is an editable resource for victims of fraud. Victims can put together a list of advice, useful numbers and steps they can take to identify fraud, report it and protect themselves from future victimisation.
## **Meera[*]** was scammed by a fraudster
Shortly after retiring from the NHS, Meera* received a plea for help from a trusted friend, via WhatsApp. Unfortunately, Meera didn’t realise the message was actually from a fraudster, and through a series of complex and sophisticated scams she lost her life savings, her bank account overdraft was used to its limit and a loan was taken out in her name. She lost more than £25,000 as a result.
Meera was left facing retirement penniless, and believing she was solely responsible for letting the fraud happen. She felt violated, vulnerable, and lost all her self-confidence, which in turn led to her mental health deteriorating.
In addition, in conjunction with our fraud community of practice and our digital team, we produced a series of interactive My Support Space guides to support victims of different kinds of fraud.
“I’m so grateful for your support throughout this. Without you, I think I would have probably just closed the door and pretended the world wasn’t there. You’ve helped me to see that being a victim means I don’t have to keep blaming myself for what happened. I can’t thank you enough!”
Meera was given practical help to pursue a Contingent Reimbursement Scheme claim to her bank, following which she was refunded half the lost money. With further support from Victim Support, Meera complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Meera’s bank then awarded reimbursement of the full amount lost, along with eight per cent interest.
* Name changed to protect identity.
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Enhancing our practice, tools and techniques focused on service delivery for children and young people including developing resources to better understand online harms
Over this past year, we have been developing our services for children and young people (CYP) affected by crime and trauma. In 2021–22, VS supported over 23,000 CYPs through one-toones, group sessions and indirect support. We created a dedicated CYP Service Development Lead role to deliver our new CYP strategic priorities, following extensive consultation, mapping, audit and external analysis.
We held a national internal skill-share event to enhance our practice and tools for supporting CYP and are developing a new approach to assessing needs and risk for CYP to ensure an evidence-based approach across all of our services. Our new bi-monthly CYP development days for caseworkers have included topics such as online harms, using arts and crafts to support young people, and child sexual abuse.
**NEST Lancashire[10]** recovery toolkit
This service, funded by the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office, supports young people who have been affected by domestic abuse (DA) to thrive in education.
Secondary schools in the area are put in touch with a specialist DA practitioner. This relationship creates key links for referrals and supports group work in school for young people affected by DA. These posts are covered by CYP practitioners who directly support young people and ensure that parents, carers and guardians can be given access to additional support services where needed.
The service offers a structured and evidencebased support through a six-week group work programme. The programme is informed by trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy, and consists of a range of activities, games and discussions designed to help young people understand their experiences, develop coping strategies, and achieve positive future relationships.
We have also implemented a best practice service model for supporting CYP who are experiencing domestic abuse, resulting in a new digital service called WeMatter to provide online support for CYP who have experienced domestic abuse.
NEST completed an evaluation of the service within a secondary school in Accrington. The children at this school have additional needs, so the DA practitioner worked closely with another member of staff and came up with different resources including visual images rather than using words to ensure they could join in.
Outcomes included an increase of knowledge about domestic abuse and where to get help, as well as improvements on how to manage difficult feelings.
_“It has helped me deal with my anger and difficult feelings, I know reasons why it’s happening now.”_ Pupil, Accrington secondary school
10 NEST, Lancashire’s victim support services for children and young people, is run by Victim Support.
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Trustees’ report – Achievements and performance
## Enhancing our reach and support for victims of non-recent sexual abuse through development of our service delivery framework
## Home Office CSA Project
We developed resources which were promoted by over 100 external agencies to improve initial response and support to non-recent survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA). This was part of our two-year project funded by the Home Office.
VS practitioners were supported by mental health first aid training, along with five eLearning modules that include the voices of both survivor and advocacy experiences. These resources provide an essential guide to understanding the experiences of survivors and how abuse can impact upon their lives.
The training is divided into five key areas of support:
- n Coping with trauma
We also launched a series of interactive My Support Space guides designed for adult survivors of CSA.
- n Shame and guilt
- n Justice and empowerment
> n Relationships and parenting
> n Accessibility and intersectionality.
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Developing new services that will meet new and emerging needs by: Delivering our digital strategy and further developing our digital self-help site My Support Space
## Digital strategy
Our digital strategy focuses on digital leadership, developing the digital skills of our workforce, and providing effective, secure digital services to service users. We are continuing to drive up levels of digital literacy and confidence within VS through our digital skills courses.
## My Support Space
By the end of its second year, more than 12,000 people had registered on My Support Space[11] , our interactive online platform where users complete self-support guides.
The platform contains over 70 interactive guides for people affected by crime as well as a range of supporter guides for friends and family.
New guides have included those aimed at addressing emerging types of fraud, such as authorised push payment fraud; guides to support people who have been affected by terrorism; and guides for adult survivors of child sexual abuse. My Support Space guides contain interactive features as well as video explainers and animations to convey information and advice in a personalised way.
**Authorised Push Payment Fraud**
My Support Space feedback
_“The video was really interesting and supportive. It made me realise that the relationship I was in was so toxic and abusive.”_ Recognising an unhealthy relationship guide
**things to look out for**
_“I am so glad I came on here, I don’t feel so alone. Thank you.”_ Difficult emotions guide
11 In May 2020, the Ministry of Justice provided funding to roll out My Support Space across all of England and Wales.
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Trustees’ report – Achievements and performance
## VS website and live chat
Over a million users visited our website for information and support in 2021–22, a 9% increase on the previous year.
Our website has accessible information on different types of crime, as well as routes to access help as a victim of, or witness to, crime. We also have a section aimed at children and young people, with topics that are relevant to the types of crime specifically experienced by young people, including an interactive area to help prepare young people for attending court.
People can find their local victim service via the website, including those which are not delivered by VS. We have piloted some enhanced local pages, which include more detailed information about our local specialist services.
Our live chat service is primarily accessed from the website. We saw an increase of 8.5% in people accessing our web chat during 2021–22.
## Social media
VS uses its social media channels to amplify the voices of victims of crime, promote our independence from the police, and reflect our service provision and our calls for changes to the criminal justice system. Our messaging and imagery aims to be inclusive and representative of our audiences.
Our national accounts have run awareness-raising campaigns, including drawing attention to the revised Victims’ Code across 12 days in October 2021 and joining in global campaigns, such as 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence – an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. In addition, our local services use their own social media channels to increase awareness of services offered across England and Wales and reflect Victim Support activity in their area.
Chat now
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Maximising victims’ ability to reach support through the VS National Contact Centre
Effecting change by making the case for people to have stronger rights and feel respected by the criminal justice system
## Reducing barriers for users of British Sign Language
## Campaigning for change
We have partnered with interpreting service SignLive, so that deaf and hearing-impaired people can contact us using British Sign Language (BSL).
VS responded to the MoJ’s Victims Bill consultation, to the Home Office’s call for evidence on antisocial behaviour and to the Payment System Regulator’s consultation on authorised push payment scams.
The platform works through an app that the BSL user downloads to their phone or tablet. Calls will come through to VS phone numbers like any other call.
We gave written evidence to the House of Commons Justice Committee’s inquiry into fraud, following which, VS gave oral evidence in front of the Committee in Parliament. This shone a light on the impact that fraud has on victims and the improvements that can be made.
The service will reduce the initial barriers for BSL users accessing VS services.
## Language barriers in the criminal justice system
VS published research reports which highlight the impact of language barriers for service users who speak English as a second or additional language (ESL) across the criminal justice system.
The project, funded by The Bell Foundation, is a collaboration between VS, The Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (ICPR) at Birkbeck, University of London, and The Centre for Justice Innovation.
The research identified areas for improvement in policy and practice, and supports improvements through engagement and co-production with practitioners to improve their support of individuals who speak English as a second or additional language.
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Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research
Written by: Gillian Hunter, Bina Bhardwa, Tamar Dinisman, Ania Moroz, Andrea Anastassiou, Anna Lynall and Emily Giles
TheBell
Summary
Language barriers in the
criminal justice system
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research
Service staff and interpretersGood practice guidance for Probation
TheBell
Centre for Justice Innovation Claire Ely and Suzanne Smith Written by:
Language barriers in the
criminal justice system
Contents page >>
Written by: Tamar Dinisman, Ania Moroz, Andrea Anastossiou and Anna Lynall Victim Support
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research
Contents page >>
Language barriers in the
criminal justice system
TheBell
Good practice guidance for practitioners working with victims and witnesses of crime who speak English
as a second or additional language
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research
Language barriers in the
criminal justice system
TheBell
English as a second or additional languageThe experience of victims and witnesses who speak
Contents page >>
Written by:
Victim Support Tamar Dinisman, Ania Moroz, Andrea Anastossiou and Anna Lynall
Contents page >>
Written by: Gillian Hunter, Bina Bhardwa, Tamar Dinisman, Ania Moroz, Andrea Anastassiou, Anna Lynall and Emily Giles
Language barriers in the
criminal justice system
March 2022
TheBell
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research
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TheBell
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research
Language barriers in the criminal justice system:
Support for those who speak English as a second or additional language
In the series of tables below, we outline legal justice system (CJS). We also note relevant issues knowledge and practices of criminal justice
rights and entitlements – where these exist – relating to judicial management of criminal trials professionals who work with individuals who
and provisions in policies and practice guidance and ‘expectations’ of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate speak ESL and, importantly, the experiences of
for statutory criminal justice agencies, for regarding language support in police custody service users who speak ESL. We have repeated
supporting individuals who speak English as a and prison. While we may not have identified the rights, policies or professional guidance
second or additional language (ESL) at various everything that is relevant, we hope this gives where these apply at different stages of the
stages in the criminal justice process. Each table an overview of the legal protection and the process or are replicated across national,
provides an overview of the language support language support which should be available European and international law and we have
available for different groups (e.g. victims, to adults in contact with the CJS who speak provided endnotes for further detail on the
witnesses, arrestees/detainees, defendants and ESL. This provides the ‘baseline’ against which information contained in the tables.
offenders) as they journey through the criminal we explore, in our empirical research, the
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Endnotes Back cover 1
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Trustees’ report – Achievements and performance
## Angela*
Angela* is among those featured in the report _Language barriers in the criminal justice system_ – she was wrongly arrested when she attempted to seek help from the police after experiencing domestic abuse.
Despite taking regular English language classes, Angela struggles with her language skills in pressured or stressful situations.
When she contacted the police to report the abuse, her partner at the time, who was fluent in English, managed to convince officers that he was the victim.
“They cuffed me, put me in the police car, so I said, why? I was being treated like a criminal, so I was in great shock.”
The police did not ask Angela if she understood what was happening or if she needed an interpreter – even when she started speaking Romanian.
“They were just saying, ‘speak English, speak English!’”
Angela was arrested and held in police custody. She only got an interpreter at 8pm, despite asking for one at 2pm in the afternoon. After explaining what had happened through the interpreter, Angela was released and her partner was later charged.
* Name changed to protect identity.
## Facilitating a national rollout of VS Independent Victim Advocate training
Our Independent Victim Advocates (IVA) accreditation was developed and accredited by the Open College Network. This year, we celebrated our first nationally recognised, qualified Independent Victim Advocates in Humberside and South Yorkshire with local staff becoming the first to graduate.
The course consisted of 10 different modules that staff had to complete, with each module being independently assessed. Staff also provided feedback on their experiences of the process throughout, to further improve the experience for future participants.
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Continuing to develop our peer support approach
## CYP bereaved by homicide
As part of our new digital support offer for children and young people (CYP) impacted by homicide, we now offer peer support sessions to complement family support and CYP case work.
Peer support gives children and young people the chance to connect with other people close to their age who have experienced similar traumatic bereavements.
Our specially designed sessions, delivered online, create a space for young people to learn what good peer friendships look like, and to develop their skills in giving and receiving support through activities and exercises delivered by experienced CYP staff.
## Homicide peer support online groups
Our homicide peer support group community continues to grow and we now offer specific groups for siblings, those going through the probation or parole journey with the defendants, as well as new groups for adult children whose parents have been killed.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we moved all of our face-to-face groups online. The shift to online had some advantages. No longer limited by geographical location, clients could meet and connect with people across England and Wales, and made attending groups accessible to those with travel or mobility issues.
_“Peers understand a bit more. They have been through something similar. They understand and help out. An adult who has not experienced the same things can give advice but not maybe the same advice as a peer.”_
CYP participant
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Trustees’ report – Achievements and performance
## Developing our co-production approach and amplifying the voices of those with lived experience
## Lived Experience Forum
We created our Lived Experience Forum as an informal space where clients can reflect (on a one-to-one basis or a focus group) on the support they received from us, and consider what worked and what could be improved. It is also a space where clients share their feelings and experiences about the wider criminal justice system. In the past year, 38 clients have engaged in co-production activities, representing a range of crime types including antisocial behaviour, domestic abuse, romance fraud, assault and modern day slavery.
Forum participants have had the chance to speak to independent researchers on behalf of MOPAC, to contribute to the Victims Bill and to make their views known to Victim Support managers and directors.
## My Support Space terrorism guides
Some of the work delivered through the Terrorism Community of Practice business plan has included the development and design of terrorism guides for My Support Space to enable victims, survivors and supporters to access online support and increase their own levels of resilience. The five modules were co-produced with the expertise of staff and those with lived experience and have added to the suite of selfhelp tools we have made available online.
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Will was caught up and seriously injured in the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack.
He was helped by Victim Support and ran a half marathon in 2021 to remember those who were affected and to raise money for VS.
“In 2017, I was signed up to run the Hackney Half Marathon. On 22 March that year, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time on Westminster Bridge during the terrorist attack. I sustained serious injuries, both physically and mentally, but I survived and always strive to keep that perspective, remembering those who lost their lives that afternoon. While I had an extremely lucky escape, the recovery journey has been challenging.
“The goal of running the Hackney Half has grown in significance over the past four years, and a combination of continued physical recovery and a global pandemic has led to this being delayed again and again. I am running to raise money for Victim Support, who were there for me when I needed it most. From advice on seeking the right psychological support, to guidance with police statements, they helped me to navigate a life-changing experience, and one which no one can properly prepare for. For anyone who is a victim of any kind of crime, this is a vital service and is only made possible through the amazing staff and those who support this charity.
“I am running to raise money for this amazing charity, I am running to thank all those around me who helped me along the journey, I am running to remember those who were next to me that day on the bridge – our lives either altered or ended by the actions of one person. But most of all, I am running to show myself that I can do it. It hasn’t beaten me.”
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Trustees’ report – Future plans
## Future plans
To help achieve our strategy we have set out the following aims and objectives.
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Ambitions 2022–23 objectives How we will meet them
We will empower Building resilience and Develop our practice, techniques and
more people with contributing to people approach to enhance the quality and
specialist support being and feeling safer. effectiveness of our services for children and
and advocacy to young people affected by crime, exploitation
feel safer and move and victimisation.
beyond the impact of Develop our practice, techniques and
the harm they have approach to enhance the quality and
experienced. effectiveness of our domestic abuse services.
Develop our national safeguarding strategy
and strengthen our practitioner resources
and delivery.
Co-ordinate and develop our specialist fraud
practice tools and techniques.
We will develop new Reaching more people Re-define our client journey and the role
services that will meet who do not report of the National Contact Centre in enabling
new and emerging a crime or engage an effective pathway.
needs. with services. Expand the services we provide through
growth of new services and retention and
development of our current contacts.
Increase our EDI and social value impact
internally and externally, enabling us to
broaden our reach to victims of crime and
traumatic incidents.
Deliver the VS Digital Strategy and develop
an app to increase access to our ‘My Support
Space’ content.
Delivering effective Complete the development of and
services in the way introduce the VS Support Framework,
people want to Case Management process and Case
receive them. Management system.
Develop our Learning and Development
strategy, to ensure our staff have the skills
to deliver high-quality, accessible services
to victims and witnesses.
Develop the next Victim Support strategy.
We will have effected Empowering people Gain insight from the experiences of people
change by making to achieve the rights to affected by crime and traumatic events and
the case for people which they are entitled use this to successfully advocate for policy
to have stronger rights and to speak out about solutions that will improve the experience
and feel respected by their experiences to of victims and witnesses in the criminal
the criminal justice improve the criminal justice system.
system. justice system.
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2021-22 Annval Report and Accounts
28
AtKYOCONTÉNY8
Strategic report
## Strategic report
## Structure, governance and management
Victim Support (referred to in this document as ‘VS’) is a company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 28 August 1987, and registered as a charity with the Charity Commission on 17 November 1987. The company is governed according to its articles of association which were amended and agreed by special resolution on 28 February 2020.
## Governance structures
## Board of Trustees
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Sub-committees
to the Board
Senior Management
Team
Finance, Audit and Risk
Committee
Management Review
Remuneration Meeting
Committee
Safeguarding
Wales Panel
Committee
People
Committee
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Management structures, forums and oversight groups
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Regional Management
Teams
Support Services
Teams
Service Planning and
Operations Team
Business Continuity
Group
Data Control
Group
Safeguarding Operations
Group
Staff Consultation
Forum
Service User
Involvement
Volunteer
Panel
Information Security
Forum
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Organisation
## Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for setting the strategic direction, management and safeguarding of the charity’s assets, but has delegated most operational decisions to the Chief Executive Officer and members of the Senior Management Team.
The Board approves a Scheme of Delegation that sets out the responsibilities of the Chief Executive Officer and the Senior Management Team. The Board monitors and controls all delegated work through a process of regular reporting.
More information about the trustees can be found on page 64 or on the VS website.
## The Senior Management Team
The Chief Executive Officer and other key members of staff make up the Senior Management Team. Reporting directly to the Board of Trustees, they are responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day running of the charity.
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Diana Fawcett
Chief Executive Officer
Johanna Zoe Kultar Simon Martyn Carrie
Parks Byrne Nayyar Ketteridge Herward Rich
Services Services Services Director Director Director
Director – Director – Director – of Business of Business of Finance
North and South and London and Development, Services
Midlands Wales Homicide Insight and
External
Affairs
Local services National support services
**----- End of picture text -----**
More information about the Senior Management Team can be found on the VS website.
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Strategic report
## Subsidiary companies
VS has one wholly owned subsidiary company: Victims Support Limited (02609147) which delivers victim awareness courses. VS Trading (Cornwall) Limited (04631310), which was dissolved on 21 September 2021, raised funds for VS by providing catering services at Truro Magistrates’ Court. Further information about VS subsidiaries can be found in note 10 to the financial statements.
## Key management personnel remuneration
The directors, who are the charity’s trustees, and the Senior Management Team comprise the key management personnel of the charity in charge of managing the organisation on a day-to-day basis. The pay of senior staff is reviewed annually and monitored against average earnings in the sector for similar roles. The directors’ benchmark is pay levels in other charities of a similar size.
## Public benefit
The trustees referred to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities. In particular, as required by the Charities Act 2011, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.
The trustees gave careful consideration to the information contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives, when planning future activities and when setting appropriate policies for the year.
## Good governance
We comply with the Charity Governance Code in all material respects and have a programme to ensure continual improvement and adherence to the code.
## Appointment of trustees
The articles of association determine that the number of trustees shall not be less than five and (unless otherwise determined by ordinary resolution) not more than 12. There are currently 10 trustees on the Board. The trustees are both charity trustees and directors of a company limited by guarantee, which means that their activities are regulated by both charity and company law.
Appointments to the Board are overseen by the People Committee. Trustees are appointed for an initial term of up to three years. They may be re-appointed for a further period of three years, after which the trustee must step down unless exceptional circumstances apply, in which case the Board might allow a trustee to serve for a further term of up to three years.
## Ethical policy
The charity has an ethical policy that sets out a framework for ethical execution of charitable purpose. The policy aims to support VS and its Board of Trustees in recognising and resolving ethical issues and conflicts and making VS a safer place.
## Routes for raising concerns
VS has a whistleblowing policy and procedure in place to enable staff and volunteers to report any matter of concern in addition to other routes such as raising a grievance. We also have a third-party reporting platform that allows anonymous reporting by staff and volunteers. This ensures there are no barriers to any members of staff or volunteers raising concerns. All complaints, grievances and whistleblowing matters, whether these be initiated internally or externally, are thoroughly investigated by management and, where appropriate, management or other disciplinary action is taken.
We also run regular surveys to check the confidence of our staff and volunteers to report matters of concern, the results of which are reported and discussed through our Staff Consultation Forum. Our Colleague Supporter Scheme is run and controlled by employees and provides further support to empower individuals to raise their concerns through appropriate routes.
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## Safeguarding
## We believe that:
- n no one should ever experience abuse or harm of any kind; and
- n we have a responsibility to promote the welfare and best interests of all people to keep them safe and to carry out our work in ways that protect them.
## We are committed to:
- n protecting all service users, including children and young people, who are offered or receive Victim Support’s services, from any type of abuse or harm. This includes the children and families of adults who use our services or any vulnerable adult, child or young person who comes to our notice in the course of our work;
- n protecting anyone working for or on behalf of VS, whether they are staff (including seasonal or agency staff, secondees or students) or volunteers, from any type of abuse or harm; and
- n ensuring that all our activity is undertaken within the overarching principles that guide our approach to safeguarding and that those working for VS undergo appropriate checks and continually uphold our commitments to safeguarding.
## Internal governance around safeguarding includes:
## The Safeguarding Panel
The Safeguarding Panel is chaired by the Chief Executive Officer. Participants include members of the Senior Management Team, a Board representative and an independent panel member. The Panel oversees safeguarding in VS and is responsible for developing and monitoring policies and procedures for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults who may be in need of safeguarding across the organisation. The Safeguarding Panel updates the Board at each of its meetings and provides an Annual Safeguarding Report to the Board each year.
## The Safeguarding Operational Group
The Safeguarding Operational Group is a sub-group of the Safeguarding Panel. This group brings together operational experience, sharing good practice as well as co-ordinating and reviewing internal safeguarding case audits.
## Quality Management System
The VS Quality Management System documents processes, procedures and responsibilities for achieving quality policies and objectives. It is used to control all policies to ensure that documents are up to date and regularly reviewed. Relevant documents include policies on safeguarding, DBS checks, disciplinaries, complaints and recruitment. A thematic audit of our safeguarding function was completed by an external consultant in 2021, and recommendations are now driving our work to further strengthen our governance and practice approach, including the appointment of a National Head of Safeguarding.
## Line management and case review
Staff and volunteers working for VS have regular, formal meetings with their line managers, which include discussions on safeguarding approaches and practices. Regular case reviews also include consideration on safeguarding issues.
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Strategic report
## Fundraising
The charity raises funds from individual donors, charitable trusts, companies and third-party challenge events without using the services of professional fundraisers or commercial participators.
> n VS is a member of the Fundraising Regulator.
- n VS monitors fundraising activities through its supporter database and by evaluating campaign results.
> n In 2021–22 no complaints (2020–21: none) were received about fundraising activity.
VS protects vulnerable people and other members of the public from intrusive or persistent behaviour by ensuring that opt-outs are recorded on the supporter database, monitoring fundraising communications and not asking for donations more than twice in a year.
Fundraising accounts for about 4.7% (2020–21: 2.7%) of our income.
## Trustees’ expenses
There was no trustees’ remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2022 (2020–21: nil). Expenses reimbursed to trustees of £586 relate to travel and subsistence costs for attending trustee meetings and other sub-committees of the Board of Trustees in the year.
## Trustee induction and training
New trustees undergo an induction, which includes meetings with the Chair, Chief Executive Officer and Senior Management Team members. In addition to being provided with a range of induction materials and visiting our services, they are briefed on their legal obligations under charity and company law as well as on policies specific to VS as an organisation. An annual skills audit of the Board is undertaken. The results provide information on the required approach to training and recruitment.
## Board and Committee membership
## Board membership
A full list of the Board members (trustees) can be found on page 64.
The trustees met four times in 2021–22. Trustee attendance throughout the year at Board meetings was 73%.
## Committee membership
## Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
The Finance, Audit and Risk Committee met five times in 2021–22. Members include Kathryn Adkins (Chair), Andrew Tivey and Clarisse Mallem.
An additional Finance, Audit and Risk Committee meeting took place in February 2022 specifically to review the 2022–23 draft budget.
## People Committee
The People Committee met four times in 2021–22. Members include Roger Harding (Chair), Amanda Hamilton-Stanley and Rachel Onikosi.
## Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee met once in 2021–22. Members include Andrew Tivey (Chair), Kathryn Adkins and Roger Harding.
## Wales Board
The Wales Committee (formerly Board of VS Cymru) considers matters and makes policy recommendations to the VS Board, noting whether issues have a particular impact on Wales and whether separate provisions should apply. The Committee is chaired by Andrew Edwards (trustee).
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## Chair’s report
The trustees are pleased to present their annual directors’ report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 March 2022 which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.
The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102).
Andrew Tivey Chair
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## Financial review
## Income, expenditure and balance sheet
The financial performance of the charity in 2021–22 was strong despite the continuing impact of Covid-19, particularly in the first half of the year. During the year, we successfully retained all incumbent contracts which were retendered, added important new business and submitted a number of bids for significant future work. We were able to both invest in the organisation and generate a surplus, which is testament to the dedication, resilience and skill of our staff.
Total income for 2021–22 was £44.3m, an eight per cent increase on last year’s £41.0m. Total expenditure was £43.4m compared with £40.2m in 2020–21, generating a surplus of £0.98m (2021–21: £0.85m).
Net assets were £10.0m (2020–21: £9.1m). Of this £11.4m was held in cash (2020–21: £9.8m). The trade debtor balance was £3.3m (2020–21: £2.9m), 99.7% of which was current with negligible debts over 90 days. The level of deferred income decreased to £4.1m (2020–21: £4.4m). Good management of working capital continued to support the maintenance of a healthy balance sheet.
## Reserves policy
The Board of Trustees and the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee have reviewed the reserves policy during 2021–22 and remain of the view that free reserves, defined as unrestricted reserves less the net book value of fixed assets, remains the most appropriate measure of reserves for the charity.
Taking into account the business environment in which the charity operates, the Board considers that the charity needs to maintain sufficient free reserves to cover: responsive action in the event of a significant financial downturn or setback, contractual commitments, working capital requirements and the development needs of the charity. The Board has estimated that the level of free reserves should be maintained within a range of £3.5m–£5.5m.
## Reserves and general funds
Total reserves at 31 March 2022 were £10.0m (2020–21: £9.1m) of which £2.4m (2020–21: £2.2m) was restricted and £7.6m (2020–21: £6.9m) was unrestricted.
The level of free reserves was £7.3m (2020–21: £6.4m) which is above the upper range in the reserves policy. The trustees are committed to utilising free reserves to benefit service users in a timely manner. They are also mindful of ongoing inflationary pressures and the potential impact of the cost of living crisis to negatively impact on our staff, and therefore consider it appropriate at present to hold free reserves in excess of the top of the range as stated in the policy.
## Restricted funds
The year-end balances represent income which has been recorded but where the related expenditure has not yet been incurred. The majority of these funds are from the Ministry of Justice, offices of Police and Crime Commissioners and other criminal justice agencies.
Victim Support’s assets are sufficient to fulfil its obligations.
## Going concern
The charity secures the significant proportion of its income from service delivery contracts and grants awarded by Police and Crime Commissioners, criminal justice agencies, local authorities and other statutory bodies against specific service requirements.
Contracts and grant income generate a contribution towards the central costs of managing the charity which delivers central HR, IT, Finance and Business Development functions to support local contract delivery; a technology platform that delivers a highly secure data hosting environment; a case management system with outcome-based reporting capability; GDPR compliance; safeguarding compliance; the delivery of consistent service standards and quality across the regions; continual knowledge sharing; service innovation; research and data gathering on national trends and performance.
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The trustees have considered several factors in concluding that the adoption of a going concern basis in the preparation of these financial statements is appropriate. These have included:
- n The forward pipeline of secured and prospective contract and grant awards (and sensitivity to historic renewal or win rates) not only for 2022–23 but also for a period of at least one year from the approval of these financial statements
- n The rigour of pipeline monitoring and cost controls that are in place to ensure that the charity delivers a balanced budget
- n Cash and working capital controls in place to manage the potential risks of late payments by Commissioners and ensure restricted and unrestricted reserves are appropriately managed.
After making such enquiries the trustees are confident that the organisation has adequate resources to operate for the foreseeable future and can adopt the going concern basis in preparing its financial statements.
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## Principal risks and uncertainties
The Board of Trustees is responsible for ensuring that there are effective and adequate risk management and internal control systems in place to manage the principal risks to which VS is exposed.
VS’s governance structure and operating model are designed to ensure that principal risks that might affect VS’s ability to deliver its strategic objectives are managed effectively.
The Finance, Audit and Risk Committee is responsible for ensuring that VS operates within its risk appetite and monitoring the effectiveness of risk management and internal control, and reports its findings to the Board of Trustees. This is achieved through:
- n Reviewing VS’s systems of control, risk management and compliance
- n Being provided with assurance on national improvement plans and corrective actions through the work of a Management Review Team that takes account of emerging risks and opportunities and reviews quality, performance and compliance metrics, considering any findings that arise
- n Ensuring that appropriate action is taken by management on recommendations emerging from independent review
- n Reviewing the nature and scope of external audit. Any matters raised by external audit for the attention of management, significant findings or identified risks are examined so that appropriate action can be taken.
Day-to-day risk management is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer who works closely with and is supported by the Senior Management Team (SMT). The work of the governance committees, the Chief Executive Officer and the SMT are supported by VS’s line management structure.
## The risk management framework
VS recognises that effective risk management relies on sound arrangements combined with a culture of risk management that permeates all levels and operational functions of the organisation. The organisation’s approach to risk management is an ongoing process of:
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Horizon Risk
scanning identification
Residual Risk
risk assessment
Risk management
approach and
controls
**----- End of picture text -----**
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- n Risk identification determines which risks are applicable to VS
- n Risk assessment identifies the likelihood of the risk and the impact it would have on VS if realised
- n Risk management approach and controls (ie, mitigate, transfer, accept) mitigate the identified risk
- n Residual risk assessment ensures that controls are operating as intended to effectively reduce the risk in accordance with VS’s risk appetite
- n Horizon scanning underpins the risk management framework to identify new and emerging risks that may apply to VS.
This is supported by timely, accurate and insightful risk reporting to enhance the quality of decision-making.
The VS risk register is a central repository capturing all the risks and corresponding controls providing a real-time view of VS’s risk environment. The register also enables the capture of issues and the allocation of actions providing reassurance that these are remediated in a timely manner.
The risk register is maintained at all appropriate levels in addition to the corporate risk register. Risk review is explicitly linked to the business planning cycle through top down review by the SMT with onwards reporting to the Board of Trustees, and bottom up escalation of risks by individual functions and managers.
In addition, VS’s control framework includes:
- n The requirement to assess and mitigate risk as an integral part of project initiation
- n A quality assurance system that meets the criteria of ISO 9001
- n Maintaining and testing business continuity arrangements to ensure an effective response in the event of a critical incident, thereby ensuring that the organisation’s business continuity management system is robust.
The Board of Trustees ensures that all appropriate steps are taken to mitigate and manage the risks to which the staff, volunteers, assets and reputation of VS are exposed.
## Risk appetite
VS’s risk management approach is not designed to eliminate risk entirely but provides a framework within which risks and opportunities are identified, prioritised and managed in accordance with the organisation’s appropriate risk tolerance levels. This is to ensure that VS maintains a high-quality service to clients while allowing the flexibility required to adapt to the nature of our work supporting people affected by crime and adverse events.
During the year, a significant amount of work has been undertaken by the SMT, the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, and the Board of Trustees to agree the organisation’s approach to risk appetite. Risk appetite considers the amount and type of risk that VS is willing to accept in order to meet its strategic objectives. This can vary over time and over different categories of risk.
Going forward, the Board of Trustees will regularly review risk appetite levels to ensure they remain suitable, not only to provide appropriate governance of risk, but also provide a framework within which the organisation can optimise service delivery and performance.
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## Principal risks
The principal risks the Board of Trustees has identified, and plans and strategies to manage them, are set out below:
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Risk Management
Governance risk n An independent Board of Trustees with a wide range of skills
and experience
n A well-documented governance structure and reporting lines
n Oversight from specialist committees and panels including Finance,
Audit and Risk Committee, People Committee, Remuneration
Committee and Safeguarding Panel
Financial risk n Regular review of financial performance, projections, applicable
Key Performance Indicators and income and expenditure budgets
by the Senior Management Team and the Finance, Audit and Risk
Committee, with ongoing reporting to the Board
n Annual budgeting and forecasting processes, including review and
challenge by the Finance and Audit Committee and Board of Trustees
n
Robust financial modelling of income, costs, margins, reserves, cash
balances and cash flow
n Delegated authority process, ensuring trustee and senior management
review of significant income and expenditure contracts
n Monitoring relationships with commissioners, contract performance
and any risks to funding
n Identifying and successfully pursuing new income growth and
diversification opportunities
n Assessing unsuccessful bids to identify causes, lessons learned and
related actions required
Quality risk n Quality Management System (QMS) that meets the criteria
of ISO 9001
n Management Review Team that has oversight of internal assessment
against organisational quality objectives, performance and contractual
and legal requirements
Project risk n Regular review by specialist teams of performance against business
plans, delivery of key projects and mitigation of risks, with ongoing
reporting to the Senior Management Team and the Board of Trustees
n Continuous improvement of policies and procedures
n Development of new service model to strengthen service quality
**----- End of picture text -----**
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**----- Start of picture text -----**
Risk Management
Fraud and n Senior level engagement in policy setting and ongoing improvements
regulatory risks to performance management and reporting
n Comprehensive training for staff and volunteers
n Dedicated specialists in safeguarding, health and safety, data
protection, information security, and quality and performance
n Regular review of, and investment in, IT systems and information
reporting
n Review of internal and external safeguarding measures and
safeguarding policy to ensure ongoing compliance with best practice
n Compliance monitoring undertaken regularly by Management
Review Team
n Governance review to ensure systems are in place that keep the
Board informed on key matters
n Delegated authority in place to ensure appropriate level of review/
approval of financial transactions and commitments
Operational risk [n ] Regular review, with Senior Management Team and trustee oversight,
(linked to physical of property portfolio
asset utilisation)
n Key asset related transactions reviewed by Senior Management Team
and trustees
n Oversight of investment in physical assets, including IT systems, by the
Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
Staffing risk n Training programmes, comprehensive eLearning catalogue and
development plans for all employees
n Staff and volunteer engagement surveys and follow up action plans
n Strong focus on wellbeing including surveys and dedicated
intranet site
n Regular review of skills gaps, succession planning and resourcing
processes
Credit risk n Robust financial policies and procedures which are subject to regular
review and sign-off
n
Regular review of financial risk by the Senior Management Team
and the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, with ongoing reporting
to the Board
**----- End of picture text -----**
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## Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements
The trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law, the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the group and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable group for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- n Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- n Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (FRS102);
- n Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- n State whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- n Prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company’s transactions, disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 and the provisions of the charity’s constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and the group and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
## Statement as to disclosure to the auditor
Insofar as the trustees are aware at the time of approving their annual report:
- n There is no relevant audit information, being information needed by the auditor in connection with preparing their report, of which the group’s auditor is unaware; and
- n The trustees, having made enquiries of fellow directors and the group’s auditor that they ought to have individually taken, have each taken all steps that he/she is obliged to take as a director in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.
The Strategic and Trustees’ Annual Reports were approved by the trustees on 8 September 2022 and signed on their behalf by:
Andrew Tivey Chair
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## Auditor’s report
## Independent auditor’s report to the members of Victim Support Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Victim Support (the ‘charity’) and its subsidiary for the year ended 31 March 2022 which comprise the Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities, the Consolidated and Charity Balance Sheets, the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows, and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
- n give a true and fair view of the state of the charity and the group’s affairs as at 31 March 2022 and of the group’s income and expenditure for the year then ended;
- n have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- n have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least 12 months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the Strategic Report and Report of the Trustees, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
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## Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- n the information given in the Report of the Trustees which includes the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared, is consistent with the financial statements; and
- n the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report included within the Report of the Trustees has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
## Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Strategic Report or the Directors’ Report included within the Report of the Trustees.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- n adequate and proper accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
- n the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- n certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
- n we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
## Responsibilities of trustees
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 41, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud.
Based on our understanding of the charity and its industry, we considered that non-compliance with the following laws and regulations might have a material effect on the financial statements: employment regulation, health and safety regulation, anti-money laundering regulation, and non-compliance with implementation of government support schemes relating to Covid-19.
To help us identify instances of non-compliance with these laws and regulations, and in identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect to non-compliance, our procedures included, but were not limited to:
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- n Inquiring of management and, where appropriate, those charged with governance, as to whether the charity is in compliance with laws and regulations, and discussing their policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations;
- n Inspecting correspondence, if any, with relevant licensing or regulatory authorities;
- n Communicating identified laws and regulations to the engagement team and remaining alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout our audit; and
- n Considering the risk of acts by the charity which were contrary to applicable laws and regulations, including fraud.
We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct effect on the preparation of the financial statements, such as tax legislation, pension legislation, the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011 and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice.
In addition, we evaluated the trustees’ and management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements, including the risk of management override of controls, and determined that the principal risks related to posting manual journal entries to manipulate financial performance, management bias through judgements and assumptions in significant accounting estimates, income recognition (which we pinpointed to the cut-off assertion), and significant one-off or unusual transactions.
- Our audit procedures in relation to fraud included but were not limited to:
- n Making enquiries of the trustees and management on whether they had knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud;
- n Gaining an understanding of the internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud;
- n Discussing among the engagement team the risks of fraud; and
- n Addressing the risks of fraud through management override of controls by performing journal entry testing.
There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of irregularities including fraud rests with management. As with any audit, there remained a risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations or the override of internal controls.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## Use of the audit report
This report is made solely to the charity’s members as a body in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s members as a body for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Nicola Wakefield Senior Statutory Auditor
For and on behalf of Mazars LLP Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditor 6 Sutton Plaza, Sutton Court Road, Sutton, Surrey SM1 4FS
Date: 7 November 2022
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Financial statements
## Financial statements
## Consolidated statement of financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2022
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Unrestricted Restricted Total Unrestricted Restricted Total
31.03.22 31.03.22 31.03.22 31.03.21 31.03.21 31.03.21
Notes £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000
Income and endowments
from:
Charitable activities 2.1 30,440 11,553 41,993 26,856 12,917 39,773
Fundraising 2.2 323 1,437 1,760 279 449 728
Other trading activities 2.3 265 214 479 210 319 529
Investments 2.4 – – – 5 – 5
Other income 2.5 116 – 116 – – –
Total income 31,144 13,204 44,348 27,350 13,685 41,035
Expenditure on:
Raising funds 3.1 174 – 174 178 – 178
Charitable activities 3.2
Service delivery 29,692 12,944 42,636 25,755 13,649 39,404
Victims’ Voice 563 – 563 600 – 600
– – – – – –
Restructuring and development
Total charitable expenditure 30,255 12,944 43,199 26,355 13,649 40,004
Total expenditure 30,429 12,944 43,373 26,533 13,649 40,182
Net income 715 260 975 817 36 853
Transfer between funds 16 (24) 24 – (7) 7 –
Net movement in funds 691 284 975 810 43 853
in the year
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 6,904 2,156 9,060 6,094 2,113 8,207
on 1 April
Total funds carried forward 7,595 2,440 10,035 6,904 2,156 9,060
as at 31 March 2022
**----- End of picture text -----**
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## Balance sheet as at 31 March 2022
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Consolidated Charity (2158780)
31.03.22 31.03.21 31.03.22 31.03.21
Notes £000 £000 £000 £000
Tangible fixed assets
Property, plant and equipment 8 318 523 318 523
Investments in subsidiaries 10 – – 10 10
Total fixed assets 318 523 328 533
Current assets
Debtors and prepayments 11 6,440 6,555 6,495 6,573
Cash at bank and in hand 11,401 9,786 11,286 9,741
Total current assets 17,841 16,341 17,781 16,314
Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year 12 (7,751) (7,406) (7,746) (7,389)
Net current assets 10,090 8,935 10,035 8,925
Provision for liabilities 14 (374) (398) (374) (398)
Net assets 10,035 9,060 9,989 9,060
Funds
Unrestricted funds 16 7,595 6,904 7,549 6,904
Restricted funds 16 2,440 2,156 2,440 2,156
Total share capital and funds 10,035 9,060 9,989 9,060
**----- End of picture text -----**
The surplus for the year of the parent charity was £975,000 (2020–21: surplus £853,000).
The notes on pages 48 to 56 form part of these financial statements. The financial statements were approved by the Board on 8 September 2022 and were signed on its behalf by:
Andrew Tivey Chair
Kathryn Adkins Treasurer
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Financial statements
## Consolidated cash flow statement for the year ended 31 March 2022
**----- Start of picture text -----**
31.03.22 31.03.21
Notes £000 £000
Net cash inflow from operating activities a 1,908 3,904
Cash flows from investing activities: interest received b – 5
Capital expenditure and financial investment c (293) –
Increase in cash in the reporting period 1,615 3,909
Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement in net cash
Increase in cash in the period 1,615 3,909
Net cash at 1 April 9,786 5,877
Net cash at 31 March 11,401 9,786
Notes to the statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 March 2022
a. Reconciliation of cash flows from operating activities to net incoming resources
31.03.22 31.03.21
£000 £000
Net income for the reporting period 975 853
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charges 498 547
–
Interest received/(paid) (5)
Decrease/(increase) in debtors 115 (1,515)
Increase in creditors 321 4,024
Net cash provided by operating activities 1,908 3,904
b. Analysis of cash flows as shown on the cash flow statement
Returns on investments and servicing of finance
Interest received – (5)
–
Net cash outflow for returns on investment and servicing of finance (5)
c. Capital expenditure and financial investment
Purchase of tangible fixed assets (293) –
Net cash outflow for capital expenditure and financial investment (293) –
01.04.21 Movement 31.03.22
£000 £000 £000
Net cash
Cash at bank and in hand 9,786 1,615 11,401
**----- End of picture text -----**
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## Notes to the financial statements
The charity is a private limited company (registered number 2158780) which is incorporated and domiciled in the UK and is a public benefit entity. The address of the registered office is Victim Support, Ground Floor, Building 3, Eastern Business Park, Wern Fawr Lane, Old St Mellons, Cardiff CF3 5EA.
## **1. Accounting policies**
## Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, with the exception of investments, which are included at market value, and in accordance with applicable United Kingdom Accounting Standards including the charities SORP, FRS102 ( _Accounting and Reporting by Charities_ ) published in 2019 and the Companies Act 2006. Victim Support meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the accounting policy note.
No separate statement of financial activities (SOFA) has been presented as permitted by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006. The charity has taken advantage of the exemptions available in FRS102 from the requirements to present a charity-only cash flow statement and certain disclosures about the charity’s financial instruments.
## Group financial statements
The group financial statements consolidate the financial statements of Victim Support and its subsidiary undertaking Victims Support Limited (registration number 02609147) on a line-by-line basis.
## Going concern
The Board of Trustees has a reasonable expectation that there are adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.
The Trustees’ report (page 35) discusses the matters that were considered in reaching that conclusion, specifically the value of the firm order book, the cash and working capital position, reserves and bid activity.
Accordingly, the financial statements have been prepared on the basis that the charity is a going concern.
## Significant judgements and estimates
The key sources of uncertainty in our estimations that have a significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements are described in the accounting policies and summarised below:
- n Dilapidation provision – the charity has provided for its possible liability in relation to its leasehold property, which has been estimated as disclosed in note 14.
## Income recognition
All income is included in the SOFA when the charity is legally entitled to the income, receipt is probable and the amount can be classified with reasonable accuracy.
Donations and gifts are included in the SOFA when receivable. Income from donated services and goods in kind is recognised as income where the provider has incurred a financial cost and the benefit to the charity is quantifiable.
No amounts are included in the accounts for services donated by volunteers.
Legacy income is included in the accounts when the charity has entitlement, and receipt is probable and can be measured.
Grants are recognised in full in the SOFA in the year in which they are receivable unless the grant agreement specifies that the grant is to be used in a future accounting period in which case the income is deferred. For performance-related grants, income is recognised using the proportion of costs incurred for the work performed to date in comparison to the forecast total costs to completion method.
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Financial statements
Revenue from contracts is recognised to the extent that the activity stipulated in the agreement has been completed. This is generally equivalent to the related expenditure incurred in the period and associated overhead costs. Cash received in advance of the revenue being earned is shown as deferred income.
Income from the sale of goods or services is the amount derived from ordinary activities. Income is recognised net of VAT where applicable. Donated goods for resale in the charity shop are shown as income when the sale takes place.
## Expenditure
Expenditure is included on an accruals basis and is recognised when there is a legal or constructive obligation to pay. Expenditure is stated net of recoverable VAT where applicable but includes any irrecoverable VAT.
Direct charitable expenditure consists of direct, shared and indirect costs associated with the main activities of the organisation. This includes approved grants and support costs.
Grants payable are charged in the year when the offer is conveyed to the recipient, except in those cases where the offer is conditional. Conditional grants are recognised as expenditure when the conditions are fulfilled. If the conditions have not been met at the year-end, the grants are noted as a commitment but not shown as expenditure.
Expenditure on raising funds consists of direct, shared and indirect costs associated with the income-generating activities of the organisation.
## Fixed assets
Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £5,000. Depreciation costs are allocated to activities on the basis of use. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of each asset over its expected useful life: for software and IT infrastructure and fixtures and fittings, this is five years. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the term of the lease.
## Funds
Restricted funds are to be used for the purposes specified by the donor. Relevant expenditure is chargeable to the fund together with a fair allocation of management and support costs where this is allowed by the donor. Locally generated income is normally treated as restricted income as it will be used in the location of the donor; for example, grants donated by local authorities and other statutory bodies will be used to provide services within the boundaries of the local authority.
Unrestricted funds are available for the general object of the charity.
## Pensions
Victim Support operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of Victim Support in an independently administered fund. The pension cost charge represents contributions payable by Victim Support, which has no other liability under the scheme.
## Operating leases
Rentals payable under operating leases, where substantially all the risk and rewards of ownership remain with the lessor, are charged to the SOFA on a straight-line basis over the lease duration.
## Investments
Investment in a subsidiary is stated at cost less any impairment. Listed investments are included at market value at the balance sheet date.
The SOFA includes gains and losses arising on revaluations and disposals throughout the year.
## Financial instruments
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## **2. Income**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
31.03.22 31.03.21
Unrestricted Restricted Total Unrestricted Restricted Total
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000
2.1 Income from
charitable activities
MoJ Homicide – 4,243 4,243 – 3,610 3,610
Local authorities 2,214 1,376 3,590 1,569 1,672 3,241
and other statutory
bodies
Police and other 27,077 4,939 32,016 24,330 6,465 30,795
criminal justice
agencies
Other grants and 1,149 995 2,144 957 1,170 2,127
contracts
Total 30,440 11,553 41,993 26,856 12,917 39,773
2.2 Income and
endowments from:
Donations 85 14 99 71 6 77
Legacies 77 153 230 33 7 39
Grants – 1,270 1,270 – 437 437
Donated goods and 161 – 161 175 – 175
services
Total 323 1,437 1,760 279 449 728
2.3 Other trading
activities
Fundraising events 119 212 331 73 319 392
Sponsorships – – – – – –
Trading operations 146 2 148 137 – 137
Total 265 214 479 210 319 529
2.4. Investment
income
Interest received – – – 5 – 5
Total – – – 5 – 5
2.5 Other income 116 – 116 – – –
Total 116 – 116 – – –
Total income 31,144 13,204 44,348 27,350 13,685 41,035
**----- End of picture text -----**
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Financial statements
## **3. Expenditure**
||||31.03.22|||31.03.21||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Unrestricted|Restricted|Total|Unrestricted|Restricted|Total||
||£000|£000|£000|£000|£000|£000||
||3.1 Cost of raising
funds
174|–|174|178|–|178||
||Total cost of raising
funds
174|–|174|178|–|178||
||3.2 Charitable
activities
Service delivery
29,692
Victims’ Voice
563
Restructuring and
development
–|12,944
–
–|42,636
563
–|25,755
600
–|13,649
–
–|39,404
600
–||
||Total charitable
expenditure
30,255|12,944|43,199|26,355|13,649|40,004||
||Total expenditure
30,429|12,944|43,373|26,533|13,649|40,182||
## **4. Total expenditure includes charges for:**
||||31.03.22|||31.03.21||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Unrestricted|Restricted|Total|Unrestricted|Restricted|Total||
||£000|£000|£000|£000|£000|£000||
||Depreciation
498
Trustees’ reimbursed expenses
1
Audit fees
39
Operatinglease rentals
1,032|–
–
–
–|498
1
39
1,032|547
–
28
1,090|–
–
–
–|547
–
28
1,090||
## **5. Support costs**
||Raising|Service|Victims’|Total|Total|Basis of||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||funds|delivery|Voice|31.03.22|31.03.21|allocation||
||£000|£000|£000|£000|£000|||
||Governance
–
Finance
2
Information
technology
6
People services
3
Other corporate
services
5|43
788
2,195
863
1,591|–
8
21
8
16|43
798
2,222
874
1,612|28
779
1,986
819
678|No. of staff
No. of staff
No. of staff
No. of staff
No. of staff||
||Total
16|5,480|53|5,549|4,290|||
Support services includes central HR, IT and Finance systems to support local contract delivery; a technology platform that delvers a highly secure hosting environment; a case management system with outcomes based reporting capability; GDPR compliance; safeguarding compliance; the delivery of consistent service standards and quality across the regions; continual knowledge sharing; national service innovation; research and data gathering on national trends and performance.
## **6. Trustees’/Members’ remuneration and benefits**
No trustee remuneration or other benefits were made for the year ended 31 March 2022 (2020–21: £nil). Expenses reimbursed to trustees of £586 (2020–21: £nil) relate to travel and subsistence costs for attending trustee meetings and other sub-committees of the Board of Trustees in the year.
||
other sub-committees of the Board of Trustees in the year.|||
|---|---|---|---|
|||31.03.22|31.03.21|
|||£000|£000|
||Trustees’/Members’ travel expenses|1|–|
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## **7. Staff costs**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
7.1 Analysis of staff costs 31.03.22 31.03.21
£000 £000
Wages and salaries 28,917 26,461
Social security costs 2,594 2,352
Pension costs 1,292 1,177
Total 32,803 29,990
Other staff costs
External consultancy 451 470
Redundancy and termination 69 79
Agency staff 321 427
Total 841 976
Total staff costs 33,644 30,966
Redundancy costs paid in the year were £69,021 (2020–21: £78,601).
Agency staff comprises staff to provide long-term illness and vacancy cover.
7.2 Key management personnel 31.03.22 31.03.21
£000 £000
Remuneration to key management personnel 567 558
The key management personnel are listed on page 64.
7.3 The number of employees paid more than £60,000 was: 31.03.22 31.03.21
£000 £000
£60,000–£70,000 6 5
£70,001–£80,000 2 5
£80,001–£90,000 4 –
£90,001–£100,000 1 1
£100,001–£110,000 1 –
Total 14 11
**----- End of picture text -----**
The total pension contributions for the above higher paid staff were £50,426 (2020–21: £40,827).
## 7.4 Number of employees
||7.4 Number of employees||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||The average number of employees is split as follows:|31.03.22|31.03.21||
|||£000|£000||
||Support and management
Service delivery
National Homicide Service|118
947
75|79
840
56||
||Total|1,140|975||
Annual leave carry over at 31 March 2022 was calculated at £333,110 (2020–21: £355,472) which is 0.8% (2020–21: 0.9%) of total expenditure. This amount is not material and therefore no provision has been made.
## 7.5 Volunteers
A total of 682 (2020–21: 879) dedicated volunteers generously gave 40,620 (2020–21: 42,540) hours of their time to Victim Support in 2021–22.
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Financial statements
## **8. Property, plant and equipment**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Long Fixtures & Office Software & IT Total
leasehold fittings equipment infrastructure
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000
Cost
At 1 April 2021 287 45 49 4,883 5,265
Additions – 77 – 216 293
At 31 March 2022 287 122 49 5,099 5,558
Depreciation
At 1 April 2021 (263) (45) (49) (4,385) (4,742)
Depreciation charge in year (21) (13) – (464) (498)
At 31 March 2022 (284) (58) (49) (4,849) (5,240)
Net book value as at 4 64 – 250 318
31 March 2022
Net book value as at 24 – – 499 523
31 March 2021
9. Operating lease commitments
Total commitments under operating leases were as follows:
31.03.22 31.03.21
£000 £000
Payable within one year 1,281 1,151
Payable between two and five years 277 830
Total 1,558 1,981
**----- End of picture text -----**
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## **10. Investments in subsidiaries**
Victims Support Limited (02609147), a company incorporated in the UK, is wholly owned by the charitable company. Audited accounts are filed with the Registrar of Companies. The cost of this investment is £10,000. A summary of the results for the year and the financial position at 31 March 2022 is shown in the table below. The profits of the company will be donated to Victim Support within nine months of the year end.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
31.03.22 31.03.21
£000 £000
Turnover 74,688 42,128
Cost of sales (2,718) (1,638)
Gross profit 71,970 40,490
Administrative expenses (26,897) (33,753)
Operating profit/(loss) 45,073 6,737
–
Donation to Victim Support (6,737)
Reported profit/(loss) 45,073 –
Statement of financial position
Debtors 930 4,775
Cash at bank 115,061 45,749
Creditors (60,918) (40,524)
Net assets 55,073 10,000
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **11. Debtors**
||Consolidated|Consolidated|Charity|Charity||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||31.03.22|31.03.21|31.03.22|31.03.21||
||£000|£000|£000|£000||
||**11. Debtors**
Trade debtors
3,276
Inter-company debtors
–
Other debtors
30
Prepayments
635
Accrued income
2,499|2,945
–
36
695
2,879|3,275
56
30
635
2,499|2,941
23
36
695
2,878||
||Total
6,440|6,555|6,495|6,573||
## **12. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
||**12. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**|**12. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Consolidated||Charity|||
||31.03.22|31.03.21|31.03.22|31.03.21||
||£000|£000|£000|£000||
||Trade creditors
1,066
Taxation and social security
1,679
Other creditors
219
Accruals
701
Deferred income
4,086|1,081
1,382
189
342
4,412|1,066
1,675
219
701
4,086|1,081
1,369
189
342
4,408||
||Total
7,751|7,406|7,747|7,389||
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Financial statements
## **13. Deferred income**
||At|Deferred in|Released in|Balance at||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||01.04.21|the year|the year|31.03.22||
||£000|£000|£000|£000||
||Total
4,412|1,174|(1,500)|4,086||
|**14. Provisions for liabilities**||||||
||Balance at|Movement in||Balance at||
||01.04.21|provision||31.03.22||
||£000||£000|£000||
||Total
398||(24)|374||
The provision relates to dilapidation costs for leasehold properties where Victim Support has a contractual obligation to bear such costs. The dilapidations will become payable on lease terminations.
## **15. Analysis of net assets between funds**
||Unrestricted|Restricted|31.03.22|Unrestricted|Restricted|31.03.21||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||funds|funds|Total funds|funds|funds|Total funds||
||£000|£000|£000|£000|£000|£000||
||Fixed assets
318
Current assets
12,707
Current liabilities
(5,057)
Provision for liabilities
(374)|–
5,134
(2,694)
–|318
17,841
(7,751)
(374)|523
10,385
(3,606)
(398)|–
5,956
(3,800)
–|523
16,341
(7,406)
(398)||
||Total
7,594|2,440|10,034|6,904|2,156|9,060||
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## **16. Movement in funds**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
At Income Expenditure Transfer At
01.04.21 between 31.03.22
funds
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000
16.1 Restricted funds
National Homicide Service – MoJ 1 4,243 (4,243) – 1
National Homicide Service – non-MoJ 57 96 80 – 233
Other central restricted 79 – – – 79
Total – central 137 4,339 (4,163) – 313
Restricted by location
Wales and West 454 3,800 (3,715) – 539
London 763 2,613 (2,645) – 731
Northern England and East Midlands 652 1,272 (1,259) – 665
South East 150 1,180 (1,162) 24 192
Total – locality 2,019 8,865 (8,781) 24 2,127
Total restricted funds 2,156 13,204 (12,944) 24 2,440
16.2 Unrestricted funds 6,904 31,144 (30,429) (24) 7,595
Total funds 9,060 44,348 (43,373) – 10,035
**----- End of picture text -----**
MoJ grants: During the year, the charity received £4.2m (2020–21: £3.4m) in grant-in-aid restricted for the National Homicide Service.
Funds restricted by purpose and location: The locality reserves restricted by purpose and location will be spent on services as specified by the donors.
Unrestricted funds: These are available for the general objectives of the charity.
Other restricted funds: These are funds set aside to support small projects such as Supportline and Safer Schools.
Other transfers to restricted from unrestricted reserves arose from a review of reserve balances that identified accounts that had been incorrectly classified as unrestricted.
## **17. Related party transactions**
Other than transactions with the subsidiary company (Victims Support Limited) there were no related party transactions during the year (2020–21: nil). Transactions with Victims Support Limited in the year totalled £26,897 (2020–21: £33,753) which related to costs associated with providing victim awareness courses, paid by the charity on behalf of the subsidiary.
At 31 March 2022, the amount owed by Victims Support Limited to the Victim Support charity was £56,467 (2020–21: £23,430).
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Thank you
## Thank you
## Our people
Thank you to our staff and volunteers who have ensured our services reach those who need them, and who have continued to adapt their ways of working throughout the challenges of coronavirus restrictions.
We are also fortunate to benefit from the involvement of people who have used our services. They help us continually improve our offer to victims and witnesses of crime.
## Staff and volunteer engagement
We are committed to open communication and engagement with all staff and volunteers working at VS. Understanding their experiences and listening to their insights helps us make VS a place people are proud to work and helps us continually improve our services. We hold quarterly Staff Consultation Forum meetings which are open for all staff and volunteers to attend, where senior managers provide updates and briefings and we consult formally on matters such as HR policies. The CEO also hosts regular informal online meetings open to all, to ensure there is an accessible communication channel for anyone direct to senior management. We undertake extensive consultation on service developments such as our new service model and our new case management system to ensure they meet the needs of staff. After consultation we introduced a new hybrid working policy and launched a Wellbeing Framework.
We undertook a full staff and volunteer engagement survey during the year and are developing action plans to address the issues raised with us which will be monitored by staff, volunteers and managers together.
The whole range of engagement activity we undertake is overseen by our People Committee.
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Equality, diversity and inclusion
At VS, we take pride in being a diverse organisation that is committed to supporting and promoting equality and inclusion in the services we provide, as well as through our employee and volunteer practices.
Key activities with staff and volunteers undertaken this year include:
- n Expanding the range of equality and diversity related learning available to all staff and volunteers, including additional modules on: racial bias, allyship, impact of micro-behaviours and inclusive leadership;
- n Developing an Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit to support all recruiting managers in being able to embed accessibility and inclusion into recruitment activities;
- n Partnering with Evenbreak, a disability-specific jobs posting platform, with all VS roles now being advertised through this platform;
- n Along with our six EDI networks, continuing to raise awareness of the barriers facing people from marginalised communities in the workplace through sharing blogs and hosting a series of webinars with guest speakers titled ‘Intersectionality in conversation’;
- n Launching a pilot BAME mentoring programme, placing five members of staff who identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic with members of VS’s Senior Management Team for a nine-month pilot;
- n Continuing the delivery of our Work Well @ VS programme, a campaign that aims to raise awareness of the importance of taking steps to care for our own and others’ mental health and wellbeing. This included sharing resources and tools, the delivery of wellbeing sessions and the launch of in-house Mental Health First Aid Training;
- n Launching a menopause café, which provides a space for staff who are going through any stage of the menopause to come together, share experiences and provide peer support; and
- n Reviewing and updating our reasonable adjustment processes and guidance for staff, volunteers and line managers to provide further support to disabled staff and volunteers.
We were very proud to have again been externally recognised for our equality, diversity and inclusion work, including placing fifth in the 2021 National Centre for Diversity Top 100 Employer’s List and being named the UK’s third best employer for LGBTQ+ people by Stonewall, also ranking top in Wales and first among not-for-profit organisations.
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Thank you
## Composition of the VS staff
71.5% Female 12% Male 0.5% Non-binary 0.2% Prefer to self-describe 15% Didn’t declare their gender 0.8% Preferred not to respond
68% White 7% Asian 6% Black 2% Mixed Ethnicity 0.5% Other Ethnic Group 15.5% Didn’t declare their ethnicity 1% Preferred not to respond
73% Identify as heterosexual 7.5% Identify as LGB+ 1% Prefer to self-describe 15% Didn’t declare their sexual orientation 3.5% Preferred to not respond
39.5% Do not have a religion 30% Christian 6% Muslim 3% Prefer to self-describe 1% Sikh 0.7% Hindu 0.6% Buddhist 0.2% Jewish 15% Didn’t declare their religion 4% Preferred not to respond
## Pay gap analysis
VS has been publishing its gender pay gap since 2017 in line with regulatory requirements. Ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting is not yet a legal requirement but as part of VS’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and in line with our EDI strategy we published our ethnicity and disability pay gap data for 2021–22 on our website and will continue to do so each year to show our progress.
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
## Gender pay gap
For the financial year 2021–22, women’s mean pay is 14.2% lower than men’s, while women’s median pay is 6.1% lower than men’s. No employee received a bonus at VS.
There is no evidence that our gender pay gap is caused by differences in pay for men and women working in the same role or position.
The gap arises because the ratio of women to men at VS decreases at higher levels of the organisation — meaning there is a higher percentage of men in managerial positions when we compare this with the percentage of men and women in more junior roles. This influences both the mean and median gaps.
## Find out what action VS is taking to address the gender pay gap.
## Ethnicity pay gap
For the financial year 2021–22, BAME staff’s mean pay is 0.6% higher than White staff’s and BAME median pay is 3.6% higher than White staff’s pay.
There is no evidence that our ethnicity pay gap is caused by differences in pay for BAME staff and White staff working in the same role or position.
The mean and median pay for BAME staff is higher than for White staff, resulting in a positive ethnicity pay gap. Quartile 4 spans a wide variety of roles and pay bands and although BAME staff represent 23% of this quartile, BAME staff are less represented at the top end of this quartile, eg Senior Management and Wider Management Team roles.
We are also mindful of the difference in staff regional ethnicity demographics and the subsequent impact of London weighting on these figures, as a high proportion of the BAME staff within VS receive London weighting. We are committed to ensuring that our pay gap reporting and subsequent actions are proportionate and reflective of the diverse staff population of VS across England and Wales. As such, going forward we will continue to monitor the proportion of BAME and White staff that receive London weighting within our pay gap analysis and factor this into any regionally specific actions to address pay gaps accordingly.
## Find out what action VS is taking to address the BAME pay gap.
## Disability pay gap
VS is a Disability Confident Employer and undertakes all of the core actions to satisfy the requirements of the scheme. We offer a guaranteed interview to disabled people who meet our minimum requirements and actively welcome applications for staff and volunteer roles from disabled people. We also continue to make, consider and implement reasonable adjustments to allow all our staff and volunteers who are disabled or have long-term health conditions to continue to participate and have opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.
For the financial year 2021–22, disabled staff’s mean pay is 11.10% lower than non-disabled staff’s pay, while disabled staff’s median pay is 0.82% lower than non-disabled staff’s pay. There is no evidence that our disability pay gap is caused by differences in pay for disabled and non-disabled staff working in the same role or position.
The disability pay gap arises because the ratio of disabled staff to non-disabled staff at VS decreases at higher levels of the organisation – meaning there is a higher percentage of non-disabled staff in managerial positions when we compare this with the percentage of non-disabled and disabled staff in more junior roles. This influences both the mean and median gaps.
## Find out what action VS is taking to address the disability pay gap.
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Thank you
## Our funders
We are thankful to all those who have supported us in 2021–22. We would particularly like to recognise the following organisations:
## Abri
Bank of Ireland (UK) plc Barclays Bank UK plc Bedford DHL Sainsbury’s
Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation and Luton Council’s Social Justice Unit as part of the Luton Citizens’ Fund
Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation as part of the London Luton Airport Limited Community Investment Fund
Brighton & Hove City Council
Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard (trading as ‘Switchboard’)
Bristol City Council
Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
Cannock Chase District Council
Cardiff City Council Central Bedfordshire Council
City of London Corporation/ City of London Police
Compass Wellbeing CIC
Co-op
Covid-19 Support Fund (Association of British Insurers)
Flitwick Town Council
General Medical Council (including Nursing and Midwifery Council)
General Optical Council General Osteopathic Council
Greater Manchester Combined Authority Home Office Hull City Council Joseph Rowntree Trust Koestler Trust Lancing Parish Council Leeds Community Safety Lincolnshire Community Foundation London Borough of Bexley London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Ealing London Borough of Haringey London Borough of Islington London Borough of Merton London Borough of Tower Hamlets London Borough of Waltham Forest London Borough of Wandsworth Luton Borough Council Maresfield Parish Council Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (London)
Ministry of Justice
National Westminster Bank plc
New Milton Town Council
NHS South East London Clinical Commissioning Group
North Horsham Parish Council
Office for Public Management Ltd (trading as ‘Traverse’)
Patricia Routledge Charitable Trust
Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset
Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria
Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon & Cornwall
Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex
Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire
Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent
Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the IoW
Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside
Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk
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2021–22 Annual Report and Accounts
Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire
Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales
Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire
Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner for West Midlands
Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
Reading Borough Council Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council Rossendale Borough Council Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Safe Spaces England and Wales Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council Sir Charles Jessel Smile For Joel South Gloucestershire Council South Staffordshire Council Staffordshire County Council Stoke on Trent City Council Stonewall Park Charitable Trust Suffolk County Council
The National Lottery Community Fund (formerly the Big Lottery) The Zochonis Charitable Trust
UK Parliament
Vivid Housing Association Wakefield Council Wakefield District Housing Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council Warrington Borough Council Wealden District Council Welsh Government West Sussex County Council West Yorkshire Combined Authority Winchester City Council Worcestershire County Council
Tesco
The Arnold Clark Community Fund The Bell Foundation The Jane Goodman Charitable Trust The Moira Fund
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Thank you
## Our supporters and fundraisers
We are thankful to all those who fundraised and supported us in 2021–22.
_Rachael and Dean raised a fantastic_ £1,403 _for VS. This money will be used to support families who have been bereaved by homicide._
## A swim in memory of Rachael’s grandad
In September 2021, Rachael and her partner Dean swam a 5.25 mile open water swim at Coniston Water in the Lake District to raise money for VS’s Homicide Service.
In 2020, Rachael’s grandad was brutally murdered in an unprovoked attack. Rachael wanted to complete the swim in her grandad’s memory.
_“We did this to raise money for Victim Support’s Homicide Service, which holds a special place in my family’s hearts and has helped us through the recent terrible events involving my grandad.”_
Rachael and Dean raised **£1,403** for VS. This money will be used to support families who, like Rachael, have been bereaved by homicide.
Thank you so much for your support, Rachael and Dean.
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2020–21 Annual Report and Accounts
## Reference and administrative details
Charity number: 298028 Registered as a charity in England and Wales Company number: 2158780 Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales Registered office: Ground Floor, Building 3, Eastern Business Park, Wern Fawr Lane, Old St Mellons, Cardiff, CF3 5EA
Company Secretary: Carrie Rich
## **Advisers**
Auditor: Mazars LLP, 6 Sutton Plaza, Sutton Court Road, Sutton, Surrey SM1 4FS Bankers: Lloyds Banking Group plc, 25 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7HN Solicitors: Bates Wells Braithwaite, 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE
## Directors and trustees
The directors of the charitable company (the Charity) are its trustees for the purpose of company law. The trustees and officers serving during the year and since year end were as follows:
## Key management personnel
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|---|---|
|President|HRH, The Princess Royal|
|Chair|Andrew Tivey|
|Vice-chair|Roger Harding|
|Treasurer|Kathryn Adkins|
|Trustees|Andrew Edwards|
|Helen Evans (Trustee from November 2021)|
|Rachel Onikosi (Trustee from November 2021)|
|Debbie Gillatt (Co-opted from June 2022)|
|Laura Johnson (Co-opted from June 2022)|
|Clarisse Mallem (Trustee from November 2021)|
|Amanda Stanley-Hamilton (Trustee from November 2021)|
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More information about the trustees can be found on the VS website.
## **Senior Management Team**
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|---|---|
|Diana Fawcett|Chief Executive Officer|
|Zoe Byrne|Services Director – South and Wales|
|Martyn Herward|Director – Director of Business Services|
|Simon Ketteridge|Director – Director of Business Development,|
|Insight and External Affairs|
|Johanna Parks|Services Director – Northern England and Midlands|
|Carrie Rich|Director of Finance (from October 2021)|
|Kultar Nayyar|Services Director – London and Homicide|
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More information about the Senior Management Team can be found on the VS website.
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Thank you
## **MINDFUL EMPLOYER**
**Race at Work Charter signatory**
## Join us in making a difference
Help us to support and empower people affected by crime and traumatic events.
**www.victimsupport.org.uk**
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We are an independent charity offering free, confidential support to people affected by crime and traumatic incidents.
For information and support, contact us by: n calling: Supportline **08 08 16 89 111** n using our 24/7 live chat service: **victimsupport.org.uk/live-chat** n using BSL: **victimsupport.org.uk/bsl** n Online: **victimsupport.org.uk** To find out how you can help us, visit **victimsupport.org.uk/get-involved**
## **victimsupport.org.uk**
@VictimSupport
VictimSupport victimsupport_uk
Linkedin.com/company/victim-support
Published by Victim Support President: HRH, The Princess Royal Victim Support, Ground Floor, Building 3, Eastern Business Park, Wern Fawr Lane, Old St Mellons, Cardiff CF3 5EA Telephone: 020 7268 0200 Charity registration: 298028. Company no: 2158780. Registered in England. Limited by guarantee. Registered office as above.
Imagery: ©Getty Images November 2022 | P2769 © 2022 Victim Support
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