Victim’s Advocacy Service feedback

Overview

Reducing the impact of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and hate crime is a priority for Kensington and Chelsea Council and the Safer Kensington and Chelsea Partnership.

The Council has, for many years, commissioned Victim Support to provide a free and confidential Victim's Advocacy and Advice Service to those residents affected by these crimes. The Council is committed to continuing and improving support to victims of anti-social behaviour(ASB) and hate crime and is seeking views on the Advocacy Service which will inform a re-commissioning process in line with Procurement best practice.

Who does the Victims Advocacy Service support?

All residents of Kensington and Chelsea, aged 18 and over, who are affected by ASB and/or hate crime.

What is anti-social behaviour (ASB) and hate crime?

The Safer Kensington and Chelsea Partnership have adopted the following definitions of ASB and hate crime:

Anti-social behaviour (ASB): is a broad term used to describe the day-to-day incidents of crime, nuisance and disorder that make many people’s lives a misery. Kensington and Chelsea residents and business owners tell us that ASB affects their quality of life, has a negative impact on the look and feel of the borough and increases the fear of crime. ASB includes, but is not limited to:

• Begging
• Busking
• Drug use and dealing
• Graffiti
• Litter
• Noisy neighbours
• Noisy vehicles
• Public drunkenness
• Rogue landlords
• Rowdy behaviour

Hate Crime: Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.

Why your views matter

As part of the re-commissioning process, the Council are keen to hear the views of current or previous service users, organisations which have previously referred their service users or tenants to the service, as well as residents of Kensington and Chelsea who may have not accessed the service but have been impacted by ASB and/or hate crime and have a view on what would assist in these circumstances.   

Specifically, we would like to hear about:

• Your previous experience of accessing the service and quality of support provided.
• Your views on the support package on offer and if there are any gaps to be addressed in the service going forward.
• What support you feel would be helpful from an independent service when you may have experienced ASB and/or hate crime.

The survey will help the Council improve the services it commissions to meet the needs of those affected by Hate Crime.

If you have any queries, require a paper copy of the background information or require assistance in other languages, please contact the Community Safety team via commsafe@rbkc.gov.uk or 07739315256.