Crimes of Violence

(asked on 26th June 2017) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mandatory training on working with victims of sexual and domestic abuse is undertaken by (a) the judiciary, (b) the police and (c) probation staff.


Answered by
Sam Gyimah Portrait
Sam Gyimah
This question was answered on 4th July 2017

Responsibility for the training of judges and magistrates is the responsibility of the Lord Chief Justice. There has been comprehensive training across both the family and criminal jurisdictions for both judges and magistrates who hear cases involving both sexual and domestic abuse. The Judge’s role is to ensure a fair trial takes place and that all parties are able to give their best evidence. To that end special measures can be used in court in order to assist those with any vulnerabilities. Training includes learning about the effects of sexual and domestic abuse.

All new police recruits receive mandatory training on domestic abuse, rape and sexual offences as part of the National Policing Curriculum. Additional, in-depth training on domestic abuse, developed by the voluntary sector, is being rolled out to forces across the country.

Training on child safeguarding and domestic abuse is mandatory for all National Probation Service staff. This includes Victim Liaison Officers who will work directly with victims of domestic and sexual abuse. This consists of separate e-learning on safeguarding and domestic abuse awareness for all staff and a combined classroom based component for practitioners and their line managers. The learning highlights that many offenders may be victims of domestic abuse and draws the learner’s attention to reflect this in their work, considering referrals to other agencies as appropriate. Training must be repeated every three years to ensure knowledge and skills are kept up to date.

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