Description
The Serious Violence Duty (SVD) came into effect on 31st January 2023. The Duty requires Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs), police, justice agencies, health, education, and local authorities to collaborate and plan together to reduce and prevent serious violence in their local areas. The Duty applies to FRAs that operate across England and Wales although the guidance allows for the delegation of this responsibility to local Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs).
The Duty now makes up part of statutory FRS provision. Furthermore, the Duty aligns with existing FRS legislative duties, including the current Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) and the Duty to Collaborate as contained within The Policing and Crime Act (2017). Enhancing policies, training, data sharing and collaboration will empower FRSs to tackle serious violence while delivering core prevention, protection, and emergency response functions.
FRSs occupy positions of trust in many local communities and are well established to play a vital role within local partnerships to reduce serious violence.
The fire sector already does much to support the aims of the Duty and educating children and young people is one part.
How To Use
The activities, lesson plans and resources collated in this bundle have been drawn from across the blue light sector to facilitate a collaborative approach to addressing concerns in line with the Serious Violence Duty.
The primary role of FRSs in fulfilling the Duty centres on well-established work that FRSs are already undertaking with Children and Young People (CYP), such as providing support to early interventions designed to keep young people safe and away from violence. Consider these suggested resources to help your planning locally and to address your target audiences.
The resources in this bundle may relate to the following areas highlighted in the Duty:
- youth nuisance
- violence against the person, which may include both knife crime and gun crime; and
- areas of criminality where serious violence or its threat is inherent, such as in county lines drug dealing.