The Commons Education Committee inquiry has reported that all schools in England should have to teach sex and relationships education (SRE) – this is an issue that Vera Baird has campaigned about for many years.
The Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner said: “Young people learn so much at school and from each other.
“It’s important we teach them about sex education, how good relationships can be formed and how they should be maintained.
“Some youngsters will come from homes were they witness domestic abuse, so relationship education will show them that abuse is not the norm and there is help out there.”
The Commons Education Committee investigated SRE as in 2013 Ofsted found that more than a third of schools were failing to provide age appropriate SRE.
The Committee has now urged the Government to take action; the coalition Government has said it would consider the findings carefully.
Vera Baird said: “The Committee has made it clear that action needs to be taken and that Personal, Social and Heath Education (PSHE) needs to have the same importance as other subjects.
“I am pleased that the Shadow Education Secretary, Tristram Hunt has agreed that Labour will make age-appropriate sex and relationship education compulsory in all state schools.”
The Committee’s recommendations include:
· The Department for Education developing a ‘work plan’ for introducing age-appropriate PSHE and SRE as statutory subjects in primary and secondary schools.
· The Government endorsing and publishing updated guidance on SRE from subject specialists.
· Ofsted resuming regular surveys of PSHE provision.
· Schools consulting regularly with parents on SRE provision, with parents retaining the right to withdraw their child.
· SRE to be renamed Relationships and Sex Education.
Vera Baird said the recommendations were to be welcomed, but added that she hoped parents would see the long term value of SRE and not withdraw their children from such lessons.
Category: Media
Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner welcomes findings of Commons Education Committee
Vera Baird addressing national conference on the Investigation and Prosecution of Rape
Northumbria’s Police & Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird QC, will be addressing a national conference in London on Wednesday 28th January, which will be focusing on the Investigation and Prosecution of Rape.
The conference, which is being hosted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), will hear from experts in this field, including Director of Public Prosecution, Alison Saunders, Professor Liz Kelly from London Metropolitan University and Vera Baird QC.
Mrs Baird will be speaking about the innovative Court Observers Panel that she has established in Northumbria. The panel, which began its work this month, will now be present at all adult rape trials at Newcastle Crown Court.
It is made up of people with relevant expertise on the topic, drawn from the voluntary and community sectors, including lawyers, and then given special training to take part.
The panel will report back to Mrs Baird in her role as Northumbria Police & Crime Commissioner, particularly noting the unacceptable appearance of any myths and stereotypes in court, such as the suggestion that victims have in some way contributed to what has happened; for instance, by the way they have dressed.
The Court Observers Panel will also consider whether the complainant\’s needs are being properly considered in each case, whether the impact of sexual abuse on the ability to testify is being properly taken into account during proceedings and any sense of the victim being tried rather than the defendant.
It will work as part of a new system in tandem with the Rape Scrutiny Panel, which will be similarly drawn from the voluntary and community sectors. The Rape Scrutiny Panel also begins work this month and will examine case files where it has been judged that no crime has been committed, or which were said not to have achieved the required threshold of evidence to be sent to the Crown Prosecution Service. They will also examine failed prosecutions, to look for ways to improve the process for future occasions.
Vera Baird said: “Having to give evidence in a rape trial is very traumatic, and it is important that the courts appreciate this and ensure that the needs of the victim are always considered and that inappropriate questions are myths are dealt with.
“I\’m delighted to have the opportunity to share Northumbria’s innovative panel experiences at the CPS. I’m hopeful that delegates present will want to see similar panels in their communities.
“I want these innovations to increase confidence in the process, encouraging victims and witnesses to report incidents, whilst assuring defendants that any improvements in the system will protect them too.”Commissioner Asks Public Advice on the 2015/16 Police Precept
Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner is asking for the views of local residents on the amount of money households are asked to pay for its policing service.
“As your Commissioner I have to set the police precept – the amount everyone pays directly for policing on their Council Tax bill – and I want to ask your views about whether I should increase the precept this year?” the Commissioner Vera Baird said.
The maximum amount it can be raised by without a costly referendum is 1.99% which would bring in an additional £630,000 a year for policing in Northumbria.
Currently someone living in a Band D property pays £1.67 per week in council tax for their police service – most residents living in Northumbria have a council tax Band A property and so only pay £1.11 per week.
The rise would mean a Band D property owner would pay an extra 3p a week to £1.70. For those living in a Band A property the increase would be an extra 2p a week bringing the cost up to £1.13.
An alternative to this is to increase the precept by 1.5% which would increase a Band D payment by 2p a week to £1.69p bringing an extra £470,000 each year for policing in Northumbria. The Band A payment increase would be less than 2p a week and just under £1.13 a week.
The third option would be to have no precept increase and accept a freeze grant from the Government of £389,000. However, this grant would only be paid this year and as the precept would remain the same, it would have to be looked at again next year
The Commissioner said: “Our force has suffered tremendously from Government cuts to grants with £45.8m lost in the past four years and a further £11.8m lost this year.
“These cuts have had a more serious effect than if we raised more of our funding through the council tax and the financial challenge the force faces now is its worst, though the Chief Constable and I are doing our very best to preserve the high standards of policing that we are used to here.”
Northumbria Police currently has the lowest police precept of all the 43 police forces in England and Wales, the average across the country being £3.30 per week.
Vera Baird said: “We need every penny we can get and I’m asking if people would be content to pay a maximum increase of 3p a week on a Band D property to protect our local policing. I want to hear what local residents think is best for Northumbria.”
To take part in the very short on line survey/consultation, which takes less than a minute to complete and is open until 31 January 2015, go to: www.surveymonkey.com/r/policeprecept
Northumbria Police – Top 100 employer for LGBT people.
Northumbria Police has been recognised as one of the top 100 employers for lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain.The news, which was welcomed by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird, comes as it was revealed Northumbria Police ranked 85th in the 2015 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index – the first time the force has been ranked in the top 100.
The Workplace Equality Index i…s an effective way to measure organisations’ efforts to tackling discrimination and creating an inclusive workplace for lesbian, gay and bisexual employees. Organisations participating are actively demonstrating commitment to sexual orientation equality.
Assistant Chief Officer Bernie McCardle said: “This is a huge achievement for us, the force constantly strives to improve as an equal opportunities employer and create a workplace where people can be themselves without fear of discrimination or prejudice.”
Northumbria Police has been able to achieve an inclusive workplace through activity in our Joint Equality objectives with the Police and Crime Commissioner. Examples of activity include; development of inclusive Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGB&T) policies and procedures, support and sign posting through an internal LGB&T network group, introducing equality led procurement practices and delivering of diversity and victim led training.
The force regularly supports events within the region that celebrate LGB&T communities and officers and staff, including the force’s volunteers, regularly attend both the Newcastle and Sunderland Pride Festival and take part in the Pride Parade as well as flying the rainbow flag to recognise International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) and supporting LGB&T History Month.
Vera Baird has six advisory groups including one which is dedicated to LGBT issues. This group meets with her and her office to discuss any concerns they have and what is going well in the force region.
She said: “I am delighted that Northumbria Police has achieved a place as one of the top 100 employers for lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain and this is a testament to the work which has been carried out by the force.”
Director of human resources Joscelin Lawson added: “This achievement highlights the efforts we have gone to in order to make the organisation an even better place for lesbian, gay and bisexual people to work. The force aims to create a workplace where diversity can be celebrated.”
RSPB PRESS RELEASE – Police Commissioner fund helps protect Northumberland wildlife sanctuary
PRESS RELEASE – Police Commissioner fund helps protect Northumberland wildlife sanctuary
A community fund, set up by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird QC, has awarded the RSPB a grant of £2,000 to help prevent wildlife crime at its Coquet Island reserve.
Situated a mile off the coast of Amble, Northumberland, Coquet Island is home to tens of thousands of breeding seabirds during spring and summer including the UK’s only colony of roseate terns. As a result, the island is designated as a wildlife sanctuary and landing on it is prohibited without consent.
The RSPB will use the grant to upgrade the island’s outdated CCTV system so wardening staff can monitor the island effectively for illegal activity such as egg theft and disturbance of roseate terns.
Although surrounded by sea, Coquet Island’s wildlife is at risk from wildlife criminals. In 2004, rare roseate tern eggs were stolen and in July 2012 two brothers from Amble caused reckless disturbance to breeding roseate terns when they landed on the island.
Paul Morrison, Warden at RSPB Coquet Island, said: “This generous grant from the Police and Crime Commissioner means that we will be able provide greater protection for the UK’s rarest seabird and make staff feel more safe and secure when working on the island.
“It is also a powerful endorsement of the RSPB’s view that wildlife crime is a serious issue that needs to be tackled head on with the right resources.”
Vera Baird QC, Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, said: “Tackling wildlife crime is an important priority and I am pleased that we have been able to support the excellent work of the RSPB to help protect some of the UK’s rarest seabirds on Coquet Island. Northumbria Police and I will continue to work closely with the RSPB to help protect rare birds and to stop the theft of birds eggs.”
For further information and to arrange an interview, please contact:
Chris Collett, Regional Communications Manager, 0191 233 4317 / 07885 834889Open Letter to Mike Ashley re Ched Evans.
Open letter from: Vera Baird QC, Police & Crime Commissioner for Northumbria
To: Mr Mike Ashley, Sports Direct
Mr Mike Ashley
Newcastle United Football Club
St James Park
Newcastle upon Tyne
5th January 2015.
Dear Mr Ashley,
I am writing to you following media speculation that Oldham Athletic Football Club has received reassurances from its biggest sponsor, Sports Direct that they will not withdraw £1m sponsorship if Oldham sign Ched Evans, despite Oldham\’s main stand sponsors Verlin Rainwater Solutions saying it will end its association with the club if Evans signs.
As the owner of a great football club Newcastle United, you know the pride that fans have in their club, the players and the heritage of the club. My office works closely with Newcastle United Foundation and has funded a number of initiatives working with young people to help them understand what is right and wrong. Your football players are an inspiration and we are well aware that players are role models for thousands of young people, like the ones we have met and talked to at events. This pride will be the same for the young people who live in Oldham.
As you know, the passion of football is in Newcastle’s blood and I know passions also run high at Oldham Athletic; the team of my home town and one which I have watched many times, especially when I lived there as a young person.
Footballers are role models and it is wrong that Oldham Athletic are considering signing Ched Evans, who is a convicted rapist.
I have a strong commitment to rehabilitation of people who have accepted their guilt and served their penalty and giving work to these people is part of that. However, Ched Evans does not seek rehabilitation from his criminality. He denies the crime and supports the use of a website which persecutes his victim – www.chedevans.com
The Lord Chief Justice said there were no grounds whatsoever for an appeal and it is clear that Evans had sex without consent when no reasonable man would have thought she was consenting because she was too drunk to do so –https://www.crimeline.info/case/r-v-ched-evans-chedwyn-evans
There is no clash of evidence which could justify any attack on her character. Nothing could justify the hounding which has caused her to move house five times (http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/dec/28/ched-evans-rape-victim-change-name-move-house-father) and which Ched Evans has been called on to disown or stop but, having failed to do either, has condoned.
He should not be taken on as a footballer with the high profile heroism that young people attach to such figures. It is tantamount to saying that sexual abuse is okay as long as you can play football. If Oldham Athletic decide to appoint him, I would urge you to withdraw Sports Direct sponsorship at the club.
Sports Direct needs to speak out now, before any board meeting. Your stance needs to be unequivocally clear – that there is no place in British football for unrepentant convicted rapists.
Taking the right decision today will show all victims of rape that the trauma they face in reporting such a crime isn’t in vain.
Yours sincerely
VeraVera Baird QC
Police & Crime Commissioner – NorthumbriaThe unacceptable situation at Yarl’s Wood calls for an independent inquiry.
It is right that Labour has committed to hold an inquiry.
![\"Yarl\'s](\"https://verabaird.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Yarls-Wood-300x204.jpg\")
Photo: Getty: A security guard at the gates of Yarl\’s Wood.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, is right to have pledged the next Labour government to hold an inquiry into allegations about events at Yarl\’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre. The allegations of sexual assault by male staff against the all-female detainees are very serious and there are strong inconsistencies between the responses of the private security firm Serco who run the facility and the Home Office regarding what has actually happened there.
What is certain is that the Home Office has recently reappointed Serco to operate, maintain and manage the centre for eight more years – a contract worth more than £70m. It is unacceptable that the continued holding of pregnant women, trafficking victims and people who may have been tortured continues indefinitely. An inquiry should have been held by the government into the situation before any contract was awarded. This is why the shadow home secretary has made a clear statement on how Labour will address these issues.
In the spring of this year, Rashida Manjoo the UN Special Rapporteur, was on a fact-finding mission into violence against women and girls. She was turned away at the gates of Yarl’s Wood. As she rightly said at the time: “If there was nothing to hide, I should have been given access.”
What goes on within the facility should be transparent and the scraps of information about reported incidents there are a cause for great concern.
These include:
- Claims that a detainee who died last March had initially been denied medical assistance. There were further allegations that staff at the centre refused NHS offers to help other women distressed by the death.
- The upholding in January 2011 by the High Court of claims by two families that they had been unlawfully detained. The Judge at the time noted that “no one can seriously dispute that detention is capable of causing significant and in some instances long lasting harm to children.”
- A hunger strike in 2010 when more than 50 women at the centre refused food in protest at their indefinite detention. Some of these women also claimed they had experienced racial and sexual abuse.
- Allegations in 2013 that a photo suite within the facility’s Avocet accommodation wing had become a clandestine venue for sexual relations between officials and women residents. One detainee also claimed that many younger new female arrivals were targeted by male staff almost as soon as they arrived.
- Staff were reportedly sacked for engaging in sexual activity with a detainee, while another staff member was allegedly sacked for not reporting the matter after they were informed about what had occurred.
The government had a responsibility to address and investigate these issues before awarding Serco a contract worth £70m.
Furthermore, we need to know why Serco and the Home Office differ so markedly on reports of the number of abuse cases which have occurred. Figures from Serco show that sexual contact complaints are almost eight times higher than the Home Office admitted in a freedom of information response dated 21 November. Serco also said it has received 31 complaints while the Home Office has indicated it is only aware of four.
The Home Office says that only one case has been substantiated, yet Serco says it has sacked 10 staff members over alleged inappropriate behaviour.
These are serious discrepancies and this presses the case for an open and transparent investigation to clarify the extent of alleged sexual misconduct inside Yarl\’s Wood.
I\’m pleased the shadow home secretary has committed to finding out the truth. She has also pledged to use some of the additional 1,000 staff that she recently announced Labour would introduce to speed up the backlog of asylum claims which has risen by 70 per cent in the last year.
It is not acceptable that applicants are spending years in detention, wasting money and their own lives.
It is very difficult to understand why the Home Secretary has rewarded this contract to Serco. Theresa May had the opportunity to give Yarl’s Wood the fresh start that it needs, but failed to take it. It is ironic that a firm that overcharged the Justice Secretary by nearly £70m has been awarded a similar sized contract by his colleague.
The women who arrive at Yarl’s Wood deserve to be treated with the respect and courtesy that would be afforded to anybody else, not to be fearful of possible intimidation or sexual abuse.
Action is needed at Yarl’s Wood. I’m sorry that the women currently there will have to wait for a Labour government in May for this to happen. The coalition has let them down, but Labour has now pledged that it won’t.
- Claims that a detainee who died last March had initially been denied medical assistance. There were further allegations that staff at the centre refused NHS offers to help other women distressed by the death.
A Labour Government will put women’s safety centre stage
The Labour Women’s Safety Commission launch a new report today, as well as announcing a series of regional summits on girls’ and young women’s safety ![\"Launch](\"https://verabaird.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Launch-of-document.jpg\")
To mark International Human Rights Day and the end of the 16 Days of Action, Vera Baird QC, Chair of Labour’s Women’s Safety Commission and Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, will launch her latest report: ‘Placing Women’s Safety Centre Stage’.
It concludes that:
- Refuges continue to close across the country and some areas now have no refuge provision at all;
- Local authorities are struggling to provide women who have left abusive relationships with the basic amenities they need to start a new life;
- All regions have lost services supporting children living with domestic abuse, despite these children often being at high risk of abuse themselves;
- More than 40 per cent of domestic violence survivors do not meet the evidence threshold to access legal aid and struggle to get justice;
- Prosecutions and convictions for domestic and sexual violence have fallen under this Government
The report makes a series of recommendations to the Labour Party, including:
- Establishing a new Commissioner with responsibility for tackling violence against women and girls and tasked with develop minimum standards of service provision at all levels;
- Introducing a statutory obligation on Government, local authorities and other responsible bodies at the local level, to develop integrated domestic and sexual violence strategies;
- Sustaining the Rape Support Fund and establishing a new national refuge fund to provide vital support for women and children in need;
- Ensuring better access to legal aid by widening the categories of evidence to support an allegation of domestic abuse and banning charges for such evidence.
Report author and Labour Police and Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird QC said:
“Previous Labour Government’s spent energy, time and resources on tackling violence against women and girls. This report reveals that the clock has gone back. There is growing uncertainty about the levels of protection and support available – and no promise on prevention for the next generation. Our report has a series of recommendations on how the next Labour Government can reverse the last five years’ decline and put tackling violence against women and girls at the heart of a modern welfare state.”
To mark the launch of this report, Vera Baird QC will be visiting Highgate Wood School in Haringey with Labour’s Shadow Minister for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls Seema Malhotra MP in the first of a series of girls’ safety summits, which will ask girls how safe they feel their communities are and explore the attitudes of young people towards domestic and sexual violence.
Seema Malhotra MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls said:
“It is crucial that the legacy of domestic and sexual violence is not passed on to a new generation. Yet, one in six teenagers in relationships say they’ve experienced sexual violence and one in three teenage girls say they’ve had to put up with unwanted groping or harassment in school itself.
“Labour wants to know what is influencing young people’s attitudes towards violence and abuse in relationships and the best place to start is by talking to young people themselves. That is why, over the coming months, we’ll be going out across the country to speak to young women in a series of women and girls’ safety summits – and stepping up our campaign for compulsory sex and relationships education.”
Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary said:
“The safety of women is far too important to turn a blind eye. Yet this report serves as a clear reminder that the Government is continuing to pursue a chaotic agenda of funding and policy changes, without ever evaluating their cumulative impact on women’s safety. Vulnerable women need to know what to expect when they turn to authorities for help and it’s time for a more co-ordinated approach. That’s why Labour has committed to appointing a new Commissioner with responsibility for tackling domestic and sexual violence, to integrate the protection of women and girls across the Government and across the country too.”
Ends
Photo – Vera Baird QC, Police & Crime Commissioner for Northumbria and Chair of Commission, Catherine West and Seema Malhotra MP, Shadow Minister for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls.
Notes to editors:
The report can be found on the Your Britain website: http://www.yourbritain.org.uk/agenda-2015/policy-review/everywoman-safe-everywhere
Leading Labour’s commitment to women at the next General Election – Northumbria’s Police & Crime Commissioner
Vera Baird QC, Police & Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, will today release the findings of a report which will influence the next Labour Government’s agenda on delivering for women across the north east and United Kingdom.
In 2011 the Labour Party asked Vera Baird to lead ‘Everywoman Safe Everywhere’ Commission and come up with recommendations for the next Labour Government. An interim report was produced in 2012 with the final report being published today (Wednesday, 10 December, 2014).
The research covered many areas affecting women – from legal aid to services for victims of domestic violence.
The report asks the next Labour Government to do more than just reverse the last five years of decline by putting tackling violence against women and girls at the heart of our modern welfare state.
It proposes a statutory obligation on Government and local authorities to develop integrated domestic and sexual violence strategies and the establishment of a new Commissioner to tackle violence against women and girls, to drive their implementation and bring national standards of service to all.
The report encourages reforming how services are commissioned, refocusing on the practical need for specialist women-centred services with a track record of success.
Vera Baird said: “I was delighted to be asked by Yvette Cooper to lead this Commission, as it’s allowed me to put the changes we’ve implemented here in Northumbria on a national platform.
“The work happening in our region can be used as a model of good practice by the next Labour Government. The main job for Ed Miliband and his team is to develop an integrated domestic and sexual violence strategy. If we get it right from day one of the next Labour Government we will change lives for a generation.”
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has already accepted one of the report’s recommendations for a new national refuge fund, to provide the safe places that women and children need and national Rape Support Funding on a three-year cycle, to give rape crisis centres real security.
Vera Baird added: “The Shadow Home Secretary’s actions show how Labour take women’s issues seriously and we are committed to providing safe places for women and girls when they need it most.
“The Commission’s recommendations are about fixing this issue, in all its myriad forms, including forced marriage, trafficking, slavery, harassment, honour crimes, FGM and prostitution; putting them at the heart of the modern public services that Ed Miliband’s Premiership will deliver. Next we should work on a strategy with the Department of Education, to prevent violence against women and girls in coming generations so we can also drive a lasting legacy of culture change.”
![\"Yarl\'s](\"https://verabaird.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Yarls-Wood.jpg\")