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1 Section A: The organisations and groups within the partnership Lead applicant RAPPAW Police volunteer scheme Contact - Jane Swinburne Jane.swinburne@herts.pnn.police.uk Phone Address To provide support to our County s most vulnerable victims of crime, seeking to restore their trust and confidence. By introducing a volunteer with a dog of suitable temperament to comfort witnesses during the interviewing process and reducing stress in traumatic situations. Additionally providing aftercare to vulnerable victims within the community, with regular visits. We currently provide support to the elderly, victims of domestic abuse and children who have suffered abuse. Partner 1 Taking the Lead Unincorporated association in the process of being registered as a charity Contact - Susie Gordon - susiegdn@icloud.com Phone Address To extend the understanding of the benefit that assistance and therapeutic dogs can have in a wide range of settings and to work in partnership with organisations that share such understanding for the benefit of individuals and the wider community. Partner 2 Pets as Therapy Registered Charity Contact - Lynn Prentice lynn@barkbusters.co.uk Phone Address To relieve sickness, suffering and distress and to promote good health, especially but not exclusively amongst children and elderly people, through the advancement of education in relationships between people and companion animals. Partner 3 North & East Herts NHS Trust (Lister Hospital) NHS Trust Contact - Dr Jan Reiser

2 - jan.reiser@nhs.net Partner 4 Phone Address - The Lister is a general hospital in Stevenage. RAPPAW has recently linked in with the Safeguarding Team on Bramble ward, a children s ward. We have secured agreement that RAPPAW volunteers and their dogs can support children who are being witness interviewed about abuse and/ or supporting children who have undergone medical examination following an abuse allegation. ACHIEVE police cadets in social care action Hertfordshire Police Cadet Scheme Contact - Rob Scott - Robert.scott@herts.pnn.police.uk Phone Address - The scheme whose full title is: -Alzheimer s & Cadets Helping Intimidated Elderly Vulnerable Victims Engage via Community Action RAPPAW Engagement, seeks to engage the police cadets with the elderly in Hertford. Rob Scott has harnessed agreement with three care providers Quantum, Sanctuary and Network Homes, who support visits with police cadets and RAPPAW volunteers to enhance quality of life.

3 Section B: Partnerships & Stories What the partnership is achieving and learning 1. Your partnership s project or initiative. Believed to be the first such initiative in the UK (and, possibly in the world), RAPPAW is a novel initiative designed to support vulnerable victims and witnesses in both the short and longer term in a number of ways. Volunteers support distressed child victims by supporting them in the witness interview process. By helping the child become more relaxed they are better able to give their evidence and in turn enables the delivery of justice. Offering sessions with a dog of suitable temperament to a child post the medical examination following a report of abuse, can help a child that is extremely disturbed by the experience to recover. Continued visits by RAPPAW to the vulnerable in the community, regardless of an offender in the criminal justice system, helps restore confidence and potentially reduce repeat victim victimization, to which our vulnerable victims (particularly the elderly) are more likely to be prone. 2. How did your partnership come about and develop? The partnership developed initially through introductions made by Jonathan Trower during his year as High Sheriff when he introduced Susie Gordon to the then Chief Constable. Susie is a retired veterinary surgeon and has had a life-long interest in the therapeutic impact of dogs. Her conversation with the Chief Constable led to her meeting Chief Superintendent Jane Swinburne, who (in addition to being a senior police officer) also has a passion for dogs. Together they saw the potential for using dogs to build rapport between witnesses and interviewing officers and providing much needed vulnerable victim aftercare, hence RAPPAW was created. To ensure this scheme did not interfere with justice support was secured from the Crown Prosecution Service. Procedures were agreed with Legal Services, the Force Insurers and the Constabulary s Health and Safety team. Police Officers and staff who give their free time as volunteers were selected. Dogs needed be of suitable temperament, guidance and assistance from Pets as Therapy was sought in assessing the volunteers and their dogs. Lister Hospital has a special suite for the examination and interviewing of victims of assault and enthusiastically volunteered use of the suite as part of the RAPPAW scheme. 3. Impact. Please describe what outcomes you are achieving, your impact or how you are making a difference. 1. Expedites rapport building RAPPAW is a unique service to vulnerable victims and witnesses in Hertfordshire. It helps interviewing officers obtain clear evidence from witnesses, enhancing the prospect of a successful investigation and prosecution. Building rapport prior to formal interview is a difficult and lengthy process. (Victims are often so traumatised they refuse to be interviewed). 2. Enhanced victim support at very little cost Each volunteer s start-up cost is 30. In 4 months RAPPAW has deployed 50 times and given over 100 hours of time to the vulnerable. 3. Reduced stress

4 Crucially, the scheme reduces stress of already traumatised victims; and who may be required to re-live the events to assist the investigation or are left alone in the community distressed sometimes for years after the event. Victims, their relatives, appropriate adults and mediators have been consistently positive about RAPPAW: The 4 year-old girl was shy and timid. On meeting the dog she moved towards the dog straight away. Using the dog immediately opened up a conversation other than the reason she was there. She gave the dog treats and stroked her and relaxed further. The little girl then walked the dog back to reception. She clearly left happier and calmer than when she arrived. This is doing so much good for Ruby (9 yrs) and is also a friendly face to talk to for her mum who was also a victim of domestic abuse I have never seen Peter smile before, the difference Sydney (the Labrador) made was incredible. 4. How partnership working is helping you to achieve more. RAPPAW is quintessentially a partnership project. 1. More enhanced service to the County s most vulnerable Introducing dogs to support vulnerable witnesses (particularly children) in devastating circumstances such as witness interviews about their abuse. Further support is also offered after a medical examination following abuse allegations, which can be mortifying for a child. Providing aftercare to vulnerable victims who are often alone in the community, helping build confidence. Such support can often reduce a reliance on other care service providers and keep the elderly independently living for longer. Working with Pets as Therapy (PAT), not only ensures suitability of the dog s temperament, but also supports the charity itself. The RAPPAW selection process allows each RAPPAW volunteer to become a PAT volunteer in their own right. A number of RAPPAW volunteers also perform PAT duties at Care homes and hospitals in the County. 2. Extended service The co-operation of the (NHS) health service extended the availability of the scheme to their interview suite at Lister Hospital. 3. Accessing new resources The continued RAPPAW support after the conclusion of the investigation and any trial extends the impact of the scheme. Taking the Lead, is developing other strands including the provision of companion dogs for solitary elderly people at home; and arrangements for PAT dogs to visit elderly people at home and in residential homes. 4. Complimenting other projects RAPPAW supports the work of Project ACHIEVE Care, working with Hertford Police cadets in their support of the elderly in residential homes in the County 5. How you are making sure that the partnership is working effectively. 1. Feedback forms Each RAPPAW deployment is reported by the police investigator, the Appropriate Adult, and the RAPPAW volunteer. The reports are anonymised and shared among partners so that each can read the impact on participants, including the RAPPAW dog, and assess from these different standpoints. The openness of the processes with frequent sharing of information has been key to ensuring that the scheme is taken forward jointly with continuing trust and confidence in each partner. 2. The RAPPAW newsletter: RAPPAWter The partners volunteers and supporters are kept abreast of progress through RAPPAWter (newsletter) 3. Assessments, Training Days and Briefings There have now been 2 joint assessment days where partners assess, train, observe the dogs in different work situations and learn from each other.

5 It is imperative that those officers and staff that regularly deal with the vulnerable know all about the scheme. It is these people who will identify those in need of RAPPAW s services. Whilst this has been an extensive commitment with face to face briefings being delivered across force by C/Superintendent Swinburne, without this understanding referrals for those in need into the scheme would not happen. To maintain effective partnership working regular updates are provided to partners. C/Superintendent Swinburne has briefed the Hertford cadets at the inception of their ACHIEVE scheme. C/Superintendent Swinburne and Susie Gordon have also been invited to brief the Hertfordshire Criminal justice Board on the RAPPAW s progress. YouTube videos and VLogs have also been made to brief and update the wider community. 6. What you are learning from each other. Wider awareness within the Police While the key individuals and volunteers involved in launching RAPPAW understood the beneficial effect that the introduction of dogs could have, this view was not necessarily shared by the wider Police family and investigating officers. In the light of experience, all those involved have seen the impact and are converts. RAPPAW deployments 50 in just 4 months is testament to the value the Constabulary and the witnesses themselves are feeling this service provides. This includes close working links with key teams within the police, Beacon the Police Commissioner s Victim Service Team, Child Protection, the dedicated elderly liaison officer and Safer Neighbourhood Teams. Expanding into regular visits and dog ownership Taking the Lead has learned from the elderly victims that even just a few visits can impact loneliness, and is developing plans for a wider visiting dog service to people who have not been through the RAPPAW process. In addition a scheme is to be explored for supported dog ownership. Increasing the number of partners We have plans for a Public Event to share and celebrate the achievements for RAPPAW; and a conference of existing partners to reach out to new partners.