December 2015

West Essex Hidden Harm

Executive Summary

What is Hidden Harm?

DEFINITION
Hidden Harm refers to crimes that we know
are happening in the UK, but are unsure of the
scale within Essex as they often remain hidden
from view, going unreported to Police and other
agencies, and being unrecognised by the wider
community. The Essex Police & Crime Plan
identifies the following types of Hidden Harm:
Modern slavery - human trafficking, forced labour &
domestic servitude
Sexual violence and abuse
Domestic Abuse
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
Honour based violence (HBV) and abuse (HBA)
Faith based abuse
Forced marriage
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Abuse of vulnerable people, e.g. those with
physical, learning and/or sensory disabilities, those
with mental health problems
Abuse of vulnerable older people, i.e. elder abuse
Abuse of children and young people
Fraud and financial abuse targeting elderly or
vulnerable people
Discriminatory abuse/Hate crime
Online abuse e.g. cyber bullying, grooming
Stalking and harassment

250

OUR APPROACH

Over
people consulted
and engaged in this project

THE CHALLENGE
Gain insights into raising concerns &
accessing help for victims (and those at
risk) of Hidden Harm in West Essex
Identify opportunities for better
commissioning, delivery and promotion for
a Pathfinder in 2016

REFLECTIONS
Hidden Harm is not a widely
recognised concept and there was some
misunderstanding around use of this
terminology in accordance with other agendas
Each harm could be a whole project in
itself with many issues warranting further
investigation
Given the breadth of the subject, duration
and resource for the project, this should be
acknowledged as a high level piece of work

National
Evidence

Local
Evidence

Local
Co-Design

Output

Outcome

Policy & Practice Review

Prevalence Data
Victims Views & Insights

Practitioners, Managers &

Commissioners Insights
Victims Experiences
Prevalence Data
Co-Design Workshops
Sense Checking Solutions

Key Problems Defined

Potential Solutions Identified
Pathfinder Model Developed

Workshop Discussion
Pathfinders Adopted
Delivery Plan in Place
1

Whats the scale of the problem?

PREVALENCE
Prevalence was estimated by applying national prevalence data to the West
Essex population, then comparing this to reported crimes, referrals to support
and numbers receiving specialist help. There is likely to be a high level of under
reported crime and unmet need in the area across the Hidden Harms
There were significant gaps in local data which
limited this exercise

WEST ESSEX
Crime experienced by
children aged 10 to 15
Sexual Offences

Domestic Abuse
(women)
Hate Crime

Prevalence
Estimate (%)

Prevalence
Estimate
(number)

11.8% 7,763
0.2% 595
8.5% 12,973
0.09% 268

Recorded
Crimes by
district of victim Referred to
Victim Support
residence
(2014-15)
(2014-15)

Received
Support from
Specialist
Service
(VS 2014-15 &
CARA, SERICC
2015-16)

5,529
171
957
134

7
41
153
19

38
n/a
817
115

Data shows that young victims (particularly 0-15s, but also 16-24s)
make up a disproportionately high percentage of the total reported sexual
violence crimes in West Essex

A TWO
TIERED
PROBLEM

Rarely encountered by practitioners

who were infrequently trained,
less confident, with fewer support
pathways available:
HBV
Modern Slavery
FGM
Hate Crime

Our survey revealed that some harms

are better recognised, recorded:
Frequently encountered by
practitioners who were regularly/
recently trained, confident, and knew
the support pathways available:
Domestic Abuse
Sexual Violence / Abuse
Abuse of Children & Young People
(inc. CSE)
Abuse of Vulnerable People
These harms were likely to cross social
groups and geographical areas

West Essex makes up

41%

These harms were more likely to be

concentrated in specific communities or
cultural groups
These two-tiers appear linked to
likely prevalence, but this does not
mean that certain harms are not
occurring in the area.
Online Abuse, Stalking & Harassment
were felt to be more widespread but
levels of awareness and knowledge of
specific support were more varied

of the Essex population

However, it accounts for between

the most prevalent Hidden Harms

8-12%

of the victims of
2

Whats the Problem?

Overarching Themes That Emerged
Government strategy suggests a 3-pronged approach: Challenge
From policy, practice literature, and our consultation with local victims
and staff, the golden threads across the agenda were:
These harms mostly require an abusive relationship or act between a
perpetrator and a victim who is likely to be vulnerable in one or more ways
They are not solely concentrated in high deprivation areas and not just
within specific demographic groups
There are a range of reasons why this goes under recognised and under
reported, including:
These harms are often on a continuum - making it difficult for those
experiencing them, communities witnessing them, and services trying
to identify them to be clear at what point something becomes a crime
or requires action
Localised social norms within relationships, families, communities
(by geographical area, religion, ethnicity, culture etc.) and a lack of
awareness of personal rights make it difficult for victims to know if
what is happening to them is wrong

it, Report it, Stop it

Many victims and witnesses of these harms are afraid they will
not be believed or taken seriously, that concerns will not be acted
upon, no specialist support will be offered, there will be reprisals from
reporting it, and that there is significant stigma attached to speaking
to anyone about these issues these are all significant barriers to
reporting crimes or seeking support
Many services and victims did not know where or how to access
specific support for some of the harms
Professionals wanted it made easier for them to do the right thing
across this agenda
Requesting leadership to bring people along with the idea of Hidden
Harm as a priority agenda
Better access to all relevant information, legislation, training and
support pathways
Simplified structures that allow the current silo approach to many of
these issues to be brought together
3

What should we do about it?

We used the insights to work with key stakeholders to co-design a 3 Stage
Pathfinder Model with a series of potential solution actions at each stage

Stage 1: SPEAK UP & SPEAK OUT

An Education & Awareness
Approach to Prevention

Stage 2: NO WRONG DOOR

Improved Information &
Service Responses

Stage 3: COMMISSIONING & PARTNERSHIPS

Ensuring Future Access to Specialist Help

Improve prevention & awareness in schools,

further education and communities

Collate & Promote Information on reporting

mechanisms and available support

Sustainable investment in specialist services

supporting victims of Hidden Harm

To prevent harm, re-victimisation & help earlier

identification of abuse and victimisation

Backed up by appropriate service responses

to inquiries & reports

To ensure quick access & facilitate recovery through

short & long-term therapeutic interventions

Stage 1: SPEAK UP & SPEAK OUT

An Education & Awareness
Approach to Prevention

Stage 2: NO WRONG DOOR

Improved Information &
Service Responses

Stage 3: COMMISSIONING & PARTNERSHIPS

Ensuring Future Access to Specialist Help

Improve prevention & awareness in schools,

further education and communities

Collate & Promote Information on reporting

mechanisms and available support

Sustainable investment in specialist services

supporting victims of Hidden Harm

To prevent harm, re-victimisation & help earlier

identification of abuse and victimisation

Backed up by appropriate service responses

to inquiries & reports

To ensure quick access & facilitate recovery through

short & long-term therapeutic interventions

1.1 Invest in preventative interventions which empower potential victims to prevent harm,
identify harm and take action
Consider suitability of existing programmes to be adopted or scaled up to provide this element
1.2 Establish a programme of mentoring for young victims or those at risk:
Young people as champions or peer mentors within schools/FE colleges
Mentors from local communities
1.3 Take an Asset-based Community Development approach
Community awareness campaigns (co-designed with the community/victims)
The Civic Hack could be used as a catalyst to develop one or more of these programmes

Stage 1: SPEAK UP & SPEAK OUT

An Education & Awareness
Approach to Prevention

Stage 2: NO WRONG DOOR

Improved Information &
Service Responses

Stage 3: COMMISSIONING & PARTNERSHIPS

Ensuring Future Access to Specialist Help

Improve prevention & awareness in schools,

further education and communities

Collate & Promote Information on reporting

mechanisms and available support

Sustainable investment in specialist services

supporting victims of Hidden Harm

To prevent harm, re-victimisation & help earlier

identification of abuse and victimisation

Backed up by appropriate service responses

to inquiries & reports

To ensure quick access & facilitate recovery through

short & long-term therapeutic interventions

2.1 Make it easy for victims

Develop the Essex Victims Gateway and/or Frontline as the go to online
directory and access method (e.g. 1 minute referral) for the full range of
services for Hidden Harm, providing:
Agency and self-referrals mechanisms
Information on available services in West Essex
Rights-based information, self-diagnosis and self-help tools
E-resources to support learning and awareness in community groups
and for the wider public
Access to online support e.g. for young people

2.2 Make it easier for professionals to do the right things

Rationalise the broad range of training programmes into an
Introduction to Hidden Harm - with common issues, how to respond
appropriately to disclosure, reports or suspicions, provide information,
route people to support
Incorporate Hidden Harms into a single meeting framework - reducing
the number of single issue meetings, supported by regular bulletins with
updates on legislation, research, training and available services
Host multi-agency events (one-stop shop) - where professionals and
service users can attend to have all their needs met on one day (e.g.
Harlow MAC model)
Explore potential demand and role for a jointly-commissioned triage
function for Hidden Harm learning lessons from Hate Crime Reporting
Centres. This could provide a single point of non-police based reporting,
information & facilitated access to support

Stage 1: SPEAK UP & SPEAK OUT

An Education & Awareness
Approach to Prevention

Stage 2: NO WRONG DOOR

Improved Information &
Service Responses

Stage 3: COMMISSIONING & PARTNERSHIPS

Ensuring Future Access to Specialist Help

Improve prevention & awareness in schools,

further education and communities

Collate & Promote Information on reporting

mechanisms and available support

Sustainable investment in specialist services

supporting victims of Hidden Harm

To prevent harm, re-victimisation & help earlier

identification of abuse and victimisation

Backed up by appropriate service responses

to inquiries & reports

To ensure quick access & facilitate recovery through

short & long-term therapeutic interventions

3.1 Invest in a short-term resource to help existing specialist provision become more sustainable
and effective in the long-term
Accessing alternative funding sources, attracting private investment, etc.
Making better use of specialist services from Victim Support, through better promotion to Hidden
Harm victims, encouraging easy pathways for self or agency referral
3.2 Fill identified gaps in the current system. For example:
There is only one childrens worker at Victim Support to cover Essex
Victim Support have a shortage of local volunteers
Older victims may be underserved
There are long waiting lists for CARA in some areas
Improve the online and telephone support offer whilst victims are waiting to be seen face to face

3.3 Make best use of existing funding

Conduct mapping exercise of current and
planned spend across key partnership
commissioners for victims, and those at risk,
of Hidden Harms
Use this data to ensure a strategic approach
to future commissioning and maximise impact
of investment

What should we do next?

IMPLICATIONS FOR COMMISSIONERS

Commissioning of services for victims of Hidden Harm in Essex is
fragmented, with no overarching strategic plan or joint commissioning
arrangements in place
Improve data collection and collation to inform future Vulnerability
Assessments and JSNA updates
Some harms are large in scale and services could not support all
victims, whilst other harms are much smaller scale and often remain
more hidden. This presents a challenge in commissioning specific
specialist services and requires flexibility in a range of existing services
to be equipped and encouraged to support victims of a range of Hidden
Harms e.g. through having the right sets of skills, training and multiple
access points to support
Conduct a stock take of existing and planned commissioning for
victims of Hidden Harm in West Essex to identify overlaps, gaps and
opportunities for efficiencies through pooling budgets and/or aligning
commissioning functions
For this agenda to be more widely recognised and taken forward as a
priority it requires more visible leadership across the partnership

NEXT STEPS
Agree the Pathfinder(s) to take forward

Determine scale and delivery costs

Agree key performance indicators

and outcomes
Create a Delivery Plan of key actions
for a Hidden Harm work programme
agreeing who will take this forward
8

Company Details
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Registered Address Gothic House, Avenue Road, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 8TG
Email Address info@tonic.org.uk

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