The London Sexual Violence Needs Assessment 2016

MOPAC and NHS England jointly commissioned MBARC to undertake two needs assessments:

• Sexual Violence Needs Assessment Report 2016
• Sexual Violence Against Children & Young People Needs Assessment 2016

They were designed to:

• better understand the scale of these issues
• the service response
• the extent to which this response provided the range of support victims and survivors needed to cope and recover

These reports were informed by Dame Elish's independent review into the investigation and prosecution of rape in London and the Paediatrics review 2015 by NHS England. In light of the recommendations and findings from these two reports, MOPAC and NHS England wanted to better understand whether commissioned and statutory services available for victims and survivors of sexual violence were effectively meeting the specific needs and demands in the Capital.

The needs assessments also provided an opportunity to hear directly from victims and survivors about what they required from service providers. Implementing the findings of the reports will be a critical area of work for MOPAC going forward and will form a key part of the Violence Against Women and Girls priority area in the new Police and Crime Plan. The assessments provide MOPAC with a strong evidential framework of the challenges London is facing and the uneven access to service provisions that will be addressed with criminal justice partners and other relevant partners.

To address these gaps, the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) is working with NHS England to develop a new model for sexual abuse services in London, in partnership with existing providers.

Victims of sexual abuse or exploitation have already suffered unimaginable distress at the hands of their perpetrators, and it’s crucial the support they receive as they begin their recovery is streamlined, easily accessible, and tailored to their needs. As I finalise my Police and Crime Plan for the capital, I am putting victims at the heart of my strategy, as well as setting up a new scrutiny group to ensure that improvements are made to safeguard our capital’s vulnerable young people. By developing existing services, we can build on the work already being done to prevent sexual abuse from happening, and offer victims in all areas of the capital enhanced, tailored support.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London