Victims and Prisoners Act 2024

12 Guidance on code awareness and reviewing compliance

(1) The Secretary of State must issue guidance about the discharge of duties under sections 6 to 11 (and any person subject to such a duty must have regard to the guidance when discharging the duty).

(2) The guidance may, in particular, include provision—

(a) about ways of promoting awareness of the victims’ code (including different provision in relation to users of services provided by a person and other members of the public);

(b) about the way in which information is collected (and in particular, how information in relation to individuals who are under the age of 18 or who have protected characteristics within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010 is collected);

(c) about the way in which information is shared and reviewed (including, where meetings are held to review information, about the conduct of such meetings);

(d) about the steps that an elected local policing body for a police area must take, where section 11(13) applies, to make members of the public aware of how to access compliance information published by the Secretary of State which relates to the police area.

(3) Before issuing guidance under this section, the Secretary of State must consult the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses and such other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate (and it is immaterial for these purposes whether the consultation is carried out before or after this section comes in force).