Tees Valley Sexual Violence Forum: an overview: Jill Radford

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Tees Valley Sexual Violence Forum an
overview Jill Radford

• The forum meets on Friday lunchtimes, every 4-
  weeks at the University of Teesside
• It is open to representatives of any local
  agency whose work includes responding to
  sexual violence and
• Any individual with an interest in or
  experience of working in this area
• For details of the next meeting, please contact
  the Chair j.radford_at_tees.ac.uk
• This presentation reviews the work of Tees
  Valley Sexual Violence Forum between 2002 and
  2006

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The Local Where we are
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History of Feminist Activism Around Violence
Against Women in Tees Valley

• Locally feminists were active around sexual and
  domestic violence since the 1970s
• 4 Womens Aid Refuges were founded in the 1970s
  
• Cleveland Rape Crisis Centre was founded in 1981
  - later known as CRSACS and CREATE

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Local Experience of Forum Working

• Cleveland Domestic Violence Forum, one of the
  earliest, was formed in 1992
• Chaired by Womens Aid - an active forum, with
  many achievements including hosting a 3-yr Zero
  Tolerance Campaign
• 1996-7 Cleveland abolished
• 1997-8 Domestic Violence Forums founded in the 4
  new Unitary authorities and in
• 2000 Darlington, Co. Durham (2000)

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By 2002, Cleveland Rape Crisis Centre was

• 21 years old - the largest in UK 25 workers
• Income generating supported by grants
• Providing counselling, advocacy and support
  sexual violence and drugs eating disorders
• Training voluntary and statutory services
• Researching the attrition crisis (Home Office)
• Responding to Setting the Boundaries
• In negotiation with Cleveland Police and NHS
  establishing a SARC for the region
• Broad-based and working in partnership with
  voluntary and statutory agencies

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Rape Crisis in Crisis

• As a consequence of the insecure and inadequate
  funding regimes which characterises the voluntary
  sector ...
• In Nov 2002, Cleveland Rape Crisis (CREATE) was
  suddenly closed and declared bankrupt
• The closure of such an established key service
  became a major issue at the Changing Law,
  Changing Practice Conference, where in
  consequence

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Tees Valley Sexual Violence Forum was founded
with the closure of CREATE, in December 2002.
There was a crisis re sexual abuse counselling
services across Teesside. Subsequently SEARCH
extended its services in Hartlepool and expanded
to cover Stockton Redcar Women's Aid, with
workers from former CREATE established a sexual
violence counselling service covering Redcar and
East Cleveland. Women's Support Network stepped
in to continue to provide a sexual violence
counselling and advocacy service in
Middlesbrough. All these organisation are
providing an excellent service across Teesside
but funding remains a constant issue.
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International Week of Action Against Violence
Against WomenRape Changing Law Changing
Practice Conference Nov 2002

• MDVF and University of Teesside
• Speakers
• Harriet Harman MP, QC, Solicitor General
• Vera Baird MP, QC, Redcar
• Alane Aitken Womens Support Network
• Kay Davies CREATE - freedom from sexual violence
  
• Chair Professor Jill Radford

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Tees Valley Sexual Violence Forum - an
inauspicious and auspicious start

• Originated in a major crisis the collapse of
  the regions rape crisis centre
• At a major Conference
• Attended by over 100 people, including MPs,
  Womens Voluntary sector, police, CPS
• Addressed by a government minister the
  Solicitor General

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Tees Valley Sexual Violence Forum Aims

• from these origins a 3-point agenda emerged
• Re-establishing rape crisis services for the
  region
• Engaging with the draft Sexual Offences Bill, now
  the Sexual Offences Act 2003
• Making a state of the art Sexual Assault
  Referral Centre a reality
• Meetings at the University, Friday lunch-times,
  every 6-weeks-ish.

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NISAAAsian Womens Health
MDVF
Ex- CREATE workers
Jill R Uni
SECOS
MBroRefuge
Barnardos Bridgeway
Redcar Cleveland W. Aid
My Sisters Place
M.P. Redcar
Black Womens DV net
Uni Researchers
ClevelandPolice
Nat. Council Women
Womens SupportNetwork
N.Tees W. Aid
Hospital Dr.
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Forum Achievements -1

• Audit of local counselling services
• Supported bids for emergency measures
• Supported bids for new services in S.Tees and
  development of services in N.Tees
• Services now in place, but on a much smaller
  scale than previouslyNow Law
• Engaged with the SO Bill as it went thru
  Parliament - via MP
• Monitoring its impact - still seeking funding for
  a research project

• Rape Crisis Services
• Sexual Offences Act2003

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Forum Achievements - SARC

• Slower Progress -
• Cleveland Police commitment 500k (2002)
• Health authorities slower rape not a health
  priority - commitment secured 2005
• Representation on - SARC planning committee with
  Cleveland Police and NHS - and sub groups
• Consultation Survey
• Public education and awareness raising
• Lobbying MPs
• Planning in final stages, Jan 2006, but hit a set
  back and lost the proposed building
• Awaiting news re another building - June 2006

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Tees Valley Sexual Violence Forum with the
University of Teesside Sexual Violence Services
Consultation Survey Report February
2004 Professor Jill Radford Sue
Alderson Section for the Study of Gender
ViolenceSocial Futures Research Institute School
of Social Sciences and Law University of Teesside
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• INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY EVENT
• BIG CONVERSATION SEXUAL AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
• Saturday MARCH 27th 2004, UNIVERSITY OF TEESSIDE
• SEXUAL OFFENCES ACT 2003
• PLANNING-TEESSIDE SEXUAL ASSAULT REFERRAL CENTRE
  (SARC)
• DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, CRIME AND VICTIMS BILL 2003
• Keynote Speakers
• Professor Liz Kelly CBE
• Vera Baird Q.C. MP
• Dari Taylor MP
• Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal,
  QC (video)
• Salma Castle NISAA
• Professor Jill Radford Chair

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Other Forum Activities

• Opposed licence application from a local lap
  dancing club failed
• Series of complaints re police responses to rape
  complaints - brought to the forum by young women
  from across the region - followed -up
• being pressured to withdraw complaints by
  officers from outside the investigation team
• Police - public statement that young women
  going out drinking provoke it

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Challenges Talking Shop

• Although talking shop is a common criticism of
  forums Tees Valley Sexual Violence Forum
  talks a lot we find it a necessary and
  productive activity that facilitates strategic
  thinking interventions
• As a Forum, we have chosen to operate like a
  think tank / policy advisory or pressure group
  and networking forum
• As a Forum we dont aspire to run services
  ourselves but aim to identify gaps and promote
  the development of new services

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Challenges

• No money, no bank account, no written
  constitution, or named officers (other than
  Chair)
• These have been discussed occasionally and no
  doubt will be again but theres always been
  more pressing concerns
• Including maintaining autonomy- avoiding being
  co-opted or appropriated by statutory authorities
  - a danger currently facing domestic violence
  forums

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Conclusion

• As a Forum we have achieved such success as
  weve had because of
• Historical idioscyncracies
• Feminist Activism
• Prior experience of forum working
• Commitment and talents of all involved
• Diversity within the region