Rape and Sexual Assault‎ Victims Taskforce: terms of reference - February 2018

Purpose

The Taskforce will be chaired by Dr Catherine Calderwood, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Scotland. The CMO will provide national leadership to drive improvement in the provision of healthcare and forensic medical services for adults and children who have experienced rape and sexual assault. The Taskforce will have wide representation from experts, including health, justice, social work and the third sector partners.

Key Drivers

• Feedback from people who have experienced rape and sexual assault
• Programme for Government
• Recommendations contained in a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HM inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland: Strategic Overview of the Provision of Forensic medical Services to Victims of Sexual Crime, March 2017)

Remit

The Taskforce's remit:

• is not gender specific
• includes children and adolescents
• excludes health and social care services for perpetrators of sexual crime (of any age)

The Taskforce will:

• provide the necessary leadership to support continuous quality improvements in the provision of healthcare and forensic medical services for people who have experienced rape and sexual assault

• listen to feedback from people with lived experience, to enable the health and wellbeing needs of individuals and those who support them are being met

• publish a high-level work plan to set out how the Taskforce will facilitate a consistent, person-centred and trauma-informed service is delivered across Scotland

• establish four sub-groups initially, to take forward the areas where gaps have been identified and which have been prioritised as requiring initial focus for development (workforce, clinical pathways, design and delivery of services and quality improvement, which includes Information Management and Technology)

• link strategically with other developments and expert groups across justice, education, health, equality and others, as appropriate

Key priorities

• to provide clarification and understanding of the roles and responsibilities of all the agencies involved to enable effective governance, management and continuous improvement of a high quality, coordinated, responsive and trauma informed service centred around the individual

• to promote the delivery of a consistent national service provided by a gender balanced, sustainable and flexible workforce that is appropriately trained and supported

• to provide the support to Health Boards, Police Scotland, COPFS, Local Authorities and other partner agencies, to work collaboratively to deliver services which meet local needs, with some particular aspects of the service delivered and managed regionally and nationally

• to facilitate the improvement of people's health and wellbeing by ensuring timely access to integrated, multi-agency services informed by best practice, to reduce any further trauma, harm and re-victimisation for affected individuals and those close to them

• to support NHS Boards to work with Police Scotland and other partners to deliver services that will meet the new National Standards for Health Care and Forensic Medical Services, developed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland

• to consider the Information Management and Technology system needed to support the delivery of healthcare and forensic medical services to this vulnerable group to ensure that services are equitable, safe and person-centered across the whole country

• to develop systems to capture the data and provide the intelligence to demonstrate continuous quality improvement

Governance

• this ToR should be read in conjunction with the attached governance diagram and accompanying narrative

• the CMO is accountable to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, for delivery of the Taskforce's work. The Scottish Ministers will report to Parliament on progress as appropriate

• the CMO will also provide updates to the Scottish Government's Health and Justice Collaboration Board (jointly chaired by Paul Gray, Director General for Health and Social Care and Paul Johnston, Director General for Education, Communities and Justice) as required. This Board provides national strategic leadership to accelerate progress on priority issues where health and justice issues intersect

• the Design and Delivery of Services sub-group will cease to exist once it has delivered the work under its remit. A Planning and Implementation Group, chaired by the National Coordinator will then work with Health Board Nominated Leads, Regional Chief Executives and others to support implementation of the agreed model

• the Network Board will provide a multi-agency, professional reference group in relation to forensic medical services under the remit of the Taskforce. They will advise and support the Taskforce and its sub-groups on areas where they hold specific expertise

• the Rape Crisis User Reference Group will ensure that views of people with lived experience inform all aspects of the work of the Taskforce and its subgroups

Publication

Minutes of each meeting and other relevant documentation will be published on the Taskforce's webpage.

Membership

Taskforce membership is provided at Annex A.

Timing

The Taskforce will meet every two months. Secretariat support will be provided by the Scottish Government.

The Terms of Reference and membership of the Taskforce will be reviewed after a period of 12 months.

Taskforce - Annex A.pdf

File type

3 page PDF

File size

160.9 kB