
Serious Violence Duty
What is the Duty?
Introduced on 31st January 2023, the Serious Violence Duty (SVD) covers requires specified authorities: Police, Local Authorities, Fire and Rescue Authorities, Youth Offending Teams, Integrated Care Boards and Probation Services to work together to formulate an evidence-based analysis of serious violence in a local area and then formulate and implement a delivery plan detailing how they will respond to those issues.

Implementation & Collaborative Efforts
The VRP has supported each of the seven local partnerships across the region to meet the requirements of the Duty, by raising awareness and providing regular briefings on the Duty, sharing best practice across the region, providing data to develop needs assessments, contributing to or delivering on key areas of their plan to tackle violence, and providing key information and resources into local partnerships.
To date, around 4,000 professionals have benefited from webinars, presentations and briefing packs from the VRP on the Serious Violence Duty, it’s implications for specified and required authorities and communities, and how we can strengthen the role everyone can play in preventing and reducing violence.
Visit our training and events page to access training on the SVD

Regional & Local Initiatives in the West Midlands
Serious Violence Duty Funding from the Home Office has been used to deliver a range of activity that responds to the findings within local needs assessments, including:
- Delivering more prevention initiatives for children and young people available in schools across the region
- Increasing media and social media activity communicating with communities about what is happening in their area to tackle violence
- Increasing the support available for parents and carers who are concerned about the risk of their children becoming involved in violence
- Improving the range of data available to understand why violence happens in the first place
- Developing a youth led regional campaign
- Delivering a programme of workforce development training programme that enhances the role everyone can play in violence prevention and reduction.
