Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training is available for (a) police, (b) probation staff and (c) Crown Prosecution Service staff on the nature of and compliance with the Victims' Code.

It is important that we make sure criminal justice agency staff are appropriately trained to deliver victims their rights.

The College of Policing sets and maintains national learning standards to support and drive national consistency in honouring the commitments of the Police service to the Victims’ Code. However Forces are autonomous as to ‘how’ training is delivered and undertaken locally. The College recently re-launched the Victims’ Code electronic package, available to all Police Officers and staff.

Probation Service Officer and Probation Officer training includes e-learning about how victim issues and information should be addressed in parole reports and liaison between Victim Liaison Officers and Offender Managers in recall cases. Skills development training for Victim Liaison Officers was delivered between September 2014 and March 2016, focused on work with victims within the parameters of the Victim Contact Scheme.

All CPS staff who attend court have been given a day’s worth of face to face training on the new Speaking to Witnesses at Court Guidance and how to interact with victims and witnesses at court without undermining the fairness of the trial. This is supported by a comprehensive package of e-learning, which barristers who appear for the CPS in court are expected to complete. In addition, all staff in CPS Victim Liaison Units are trained regarding timely and good quality communications to victims.

We are considering how compliance with the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code) might be improved and monitored. Plans to engage with and obtain the views of victims and victims’ groups and criminal justice agencies are being developed