Our Work

Our criminal justice work aims to develop trusted relationships and collaboration across the criminal justice sector, supporting the development of good practice and data sharing, whilst also promoting evidence-led approaches to reducing violence; particularly violence involving young people under the age of 25. We commission targeted resettlement, pre-court diversion and focused deterrence services to support children, young people and adults who are at risk of/involved in serious violence and criminality in the West Midlands.  This work includes a pilot project supporting children and families impacted by parental imprisonment in Birmingham.

Working with health providers and Integrated Care Boards we aim to strengthen the data provided by health services to enhance our understanding of violence and its root causes.  In addition, we deliver a range training for health professionals.

We work closely with the sector to support their understanding of their role in violence prevention and commission specific services into Accident and Emergency (A&E) settings.  For example the Navigator Programme which places lived experience mentors in A&E to provide specialist support to children and young people when they have experienced violence, with the aim of preventing further incidents.

The VRP’s exploitation work aims to ensure that there are robust and effective systems in place across the region to prevent, identify and respond to vulnerability and exploitation. The delivery aims to influence the development of regional pathways, policies and protocols to ensure a coherent and consistent response to safeguarding those most at risk of or experiencing exploitation and build a community of practice and sector led improvement frameworks.

Working with education partners and stakeholders across the region we promote a whole life course approach to violence and harm prevention, which includes offering intervention, training and character education at the earliest opportunity (early years and foundation stage) right through to post-16 and further and higher education. We work with partners to develop trauma informed approaches and inclusive education, reduce exclusions and increase attendance.

VRP universal prevention programmes already reach thousands of professionals and children each month, with the aim to increase our reach this year. We offer support to school leaders to develop long-term violence prevention plans for their settings, to minimise reactive approaches and enhance consistency.

Precious Lives

The Precious Lives project sees a team of trainers, who have real life experience of knife crime either as a victim, offender or professional, speak to young people in order to help them understand the consequences of carrying or using a knife. The trainers share their experiences and pass on the lessons they’ve learnt to the class.

The sessions are designed to be hard hitting and impactful with an emphasis placed on connecting with the young people and delivering a message.

If you are interested in having Precious Lives delivered within your organisation then please contact us.

Recognising the critical role sport can play in the lives of children and young people, we work with national charity Streetgames as well as sports providers across the West Midlands with the aim of:

• Growing the number of high-quality sport providers in the West Midlands most deprived and vulnerable communities, which contributes to the prevention of violence.
• Enhancing the confidence, competence and capacity of the sport workforce to ensure high quality delivery which is pro-social in its approach, and embeds the principles of trauma informed practice.
• Increasing the number of vulnerable children & young people who are meaningfully and successfully, referred into sport through evidence-based, multi-agency referral pathways.
• Developing and growing the evidence base for sport as a violence reduction intervention.

By embracing trauma informed practices, we can provide more inclusive support, education and intervention for children and young people; one that cultivates empathy and emotional safety in order to support the reduction of trauma-related responses, which can go on to reduce the risk of violence. Our approach seeks to:

• Equip the children and young people’s workforce: We offer regional awareness-raising and evidence-based training programmes for professionals. The training aims to increase understanding of trauma, it’s potential impact(s), and how we can support recovery from trauma.
• Collaborative leadership: We work with key partners and stakeholders to streamline trauma informed practice across the region, for example, delivering a large training project within West Midlands Police focused on trauma informed policing.
• Sustainable implementation: We support organisations to go beyond an awareness of trauma to create environments that strive to promote meaningful, culturally sensitive and sustainable trauma informed practice that can enhance outcomes for children, young people, their families and the community

The VRP are committed to ending male violence against women and girls by working with VAWG partnerships across local areas to ensure effective approaches to violence prevention and reduction, and by supporting local area action planning to respond to the bespoke needs of places and ensure a focus on VAWG.

Through our education work we work in partnership to provide education to children and young people around misogyny, consent, healthy masculinity, healthy relationships and more. As well as this work in education, we deliver VAWG training to professionals to support them in their role to identify and prevent VAWG.

The funding for the VRP and other key programmes of work has been agreed for a further year, up to the end of March 2027.  We are working hard to support the ongoing sustainability of violence prevention work across the region and as part of this we are:

• Supporting system leaders to understand and apply a public health approach to violence prevention
• Creating a wealth of regionally specific research about interventions to prevent and reduce serious violence
• Monitoring the impact of projects and interventions to support the development of a local evidence base
• Delivering training to build (and leave) capability and capacity in organisations
• Ensuring a partnership approach to serious incidents in communities
• Producing toolkits and resources to support professionals and communities in their role to prevent violence
• Supporting local violence reduction partnerships
• Sharing good practice and evidence emerging nationally, regionally and locally