Operation Encompass appoints new patron
11th January 2017
Operation Encompass, which is an innovative early intervention scheme which supports children and young people who are exposed to domestic abuse has appointed Dame Vera Baird QC PCC for Northumbria as its patron.
Operation Encompass trains key adults in schools to receive information from the police prior to the start of the school day, ensuring the child is supported in school. The scheme is based on a wealth of research which has identified the impact exposure to domestic abuse has upon children and seeks to mitigate against this.
Dame Vera said: “I am honoured to have been asked to be a Patron of this excellent initiative, by the fantastic founders Elisabeth and David Carney-Haworth. I have seen the benefits of Operation Encompass first hand in the Northumbria Force area, following my request for it to be implemented – and it has been a real difference. As Patron, I want to use my position as a Police & Crime Commissioner to encourage police forces nationwide to fully adopt the scheme.
She added: “Far too many children are affected by domestic abuse, they can literally be in the room when it happens. A fractured home life like this can mean the next day they might go to school without the proper uniform, without eating breakfast, without being able to concentrate. In fact, they might be in danger of being told off when what they really needs is a friendly face and support. Operation Encompass is a fantastic scheme and I am delighted to be an ambassador for the programme.”
David Carney-Haworth said: “We are really pleased that Dame Vera has accepted our invitation to be part of Operation Encompass by being our Patron, she brings a wealth of experience that will help us further promote our work and ensure that more children and teachers benefit from Operation Encompass. We looking forward to working with Dame Vera in the months and years ahead.”
Note: Operation Encompass is a scheme whereby the police inform a child’s school if the child has witnessed domestic abuse at home the night before, enabling the school to ensure that appropriate undertaking and support is in place at the earliest opportunity. In Northumbria (the force where Dame Vera is Police & Crime Commissioner), operation encompass has been rolled out across the force following a successful pilot which went live in Gateshead in 2015. Within six months of the pilot going live, Operation Encompass led to 276 separate incidents of domestic abuse being reported to schools so they could provide children affected by this abuse with appropriate support.
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