Earlier this year, LimeCulture was funded by Ministry of Justice & HM Court and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to develop and deliver Section 28 Pre-Recorded Cross Examination (PRCE) training for Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs).
The Government has committed to the national roll out of an additional special measure – Pre-Recorded Cross Examination (PRCE) – across all Crown Courts in England and Wales. Known as section 28, the special measure allows victims to have their cross-examination pre-recorded earlier in the process and outside the courtroom.
In response, MoJ and HMCTs are keen to ensure that the ISVA workforce are able to access consistent training on Section 28 that will assist them to effectively support their clients with information about Pre -Recorded Cross Examinations.
Between June and November 2022, LimeCulture delivered 24 bespoke training sessions with content tailored specifically to ISVAs on section 28.
Gemma Kirby- Head of Sexual Violence Training and Quality Assurance said:
“In the last 5 months, we have delivered this bespoke training to more than 550 ISVAs, which is a fantastic uptake. It shows how keen ISVAs are to continue to learn and develop through attending training that will assist them in their roles and ensure they provide victims and survivors with accurate information when engaging with the Criminal Justice process.
Those who have attended the training have come from 101 different ISVA services across England and Wales. So, it’s been brilliant to deliver a national training programme that has allowed us to provide consistent messaging to the entire workforce of ISVAs.
We’re delighted with the excellent feedback that has been given by the ISVAs about the quality of our training and how much they have appreciated attending training that enable them to support their clients in making informed decisions about the court process”
Moving forward, the section 28 training will be incorporated into LimeCulture’s accredited ISVA Development Programme to ensure the legacy of this bespoke training continues and so that any new ISVAs have access to the same materials and consistent messages on supporting clients around section 28.
LimeCulture would like to thank the 60+ ISVAs who contributed to the development of the training by attending focus groups to share with us their knowledge and experiences of supporting clients with section 28 pre-recorded cross examinations. We would also like to thank officials from the Crown Prosecution Services, Ministry of Justice and HMCTs for their involvement in the development of the training material.
LimeCulture would like to give a special thanks to Jan Fantom our unflappable Training Coordinator, who skilfully managed the bookings for each of the 24 sessions. Some of the sessions were so popular that they were fully booked within 3 hours so Jan has been busy!
We would also like to thank our team of trainers – Jo Palmeiro, Ruth Mann, Claire Hilton, Gemma Kirby, Harriet Smailes, Holli Waterson, Liz Lewis and Charlotte Bond- their professional backgrounds as prosecutors and ISVAs provided a useful combined perspective in which to share their knowledge and up-skill the delegates to support their clients.