Victims and Prisoners Act 2024

14 Strategy for collaboration in exercise of victim support functions

(1) For the purposes of section 13, the relevant authorities for a police area in England must together—

(a) prepare a strategy for the exercise in the area of their functions in relation to relevant victim support services,

(b) set out in the strategy how they consider they are fulfilling, or intend to fulfil, the duty under section 13, and

(c) implement the strategy.

(2) In preparing the strategy, the relevant authorities must—

(a) make reasonable efforts to obtain the views of victims in the police area,

(b) consult persons appearing to the relevant authorities to represent persons providing relevant victim support services in the police area, and

(c) consult such other persons as the relevant authorities consider appropriate.

(3) In preparing the strategy, the relevant authorities must—

(a) assess the needs of victims in the police area for relevant victim support services,

(b) assess whether and how those needs are being met by the services which are available (whether or not provided by the relevant authorities), and

(c) have regard to those assessments.

(4) When making an assessment under subsection (3), the relevant authorities must have regard to the particular needs of victims who are under the age of 18 or who have protected characteristics within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010.

(5) Once the strategy has been prepared the relevant authorities must—

(a) publish the strategy,

(b) keep the strategy under review, and

(c) from time to time prepare a revised strategy.

(6) Subsections (1) to(5) apply to a revised strategy as they apply to the original strategy.

(7) In this section, “relevant authority” and “relevant victim support service” have the meanings given by section 13.