Victim Support Schemes
(asked on 14th March 2018) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average salary for a victim liaison officer has been in each year since 1 June 2014.
Victim Liaison Officers are graded at probation service officer (PSO) pay band 3. The following table shows average salary at that pay band during the years in question:
| 14-15 | 15-16 | 16-17 | 17-18 |
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| £ | £ | £ | £ |
Band 3 PSO Overall Average | 25,101 | 25,033 | 25,250 | 25,250 |
Prior to the implementation of Phase 1 of the E3 Programme recommendation in relation to VLO grading (2016), a minority of VLOs in certain parts of the country were graded at pay band 4. These staff received three years’ pay protection following the change. Average salaries at pay band 4 during the years in question were as follows:
Band 4 Other Overall Average | 32,900 | 32,949 | 32,680 | 32,679 |
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These are average figures: variations may reflect changes in average length of service. Note: Based on full time equivalent salary and London weighting where relevant. All other allowances are excluded. |
The Government is carrying out a review of the Transparency of the Parole Board and victim support, which we expect will be concluded by Easter, when will set out our next steps. We have already made good progress in making victim contact more compassionate, clearer and more informative, the ongoing review will ensure we improve services and better support victims.
The staffing budget dedicated to the Victim Contact Scheme has increased from £8.0 million to £9.6 million since the creation of the NPS in 2014 and the number of VLOs has increased nationally from 169 to 189 staff over the same period.
There has also been a significant increase in the number of administrative staff, from 47 to 76 posts, employed to support the work of VLOs, which has freed up VLOs so they can focus on better supporting victims.