The CURV Response Strategy was developed following a significant research project, which examined violent crime in Cleveland between October 2017 and October 2022.
The resulting strategy sets out how Cleveland’s violence reduction partnership will work with partners to reduce violent crime across the area.
As recommended in the Government’s Serious Violence Strategy , CURV will take a ‘public health’ approach to tackling violent crime. It means that all agencies will work together to help protect the whole population from serious violence.
Click the booklet to access the strategy!
Thematic Priorities
There are a number of thematic priorities for CURV, which will guide work through its initial three years. They are:
- Research and evaluation. Build a robust monitoring and evaluation framework. Challenge existing ways of doing things. Build an evidence base and make sure improvements are made to work through continuous learning.
- Early intervention. Influence a ‘system’ change by prioritising early years, parent and family-based interventions. Focus on ‘hyperlocalised’ evidenced-based interventions.
- Secondary and tertiary interventions. Support early interventions via an effective communications strategy. Prioritise criminal justice interventions for the under-25s. Facilitate a trauma-informed approach to all work.
- Community engagement. Involve communities and young people in the violence reduction agenda.
- A place-based approach. Map local systems, stakeholders, existing projects and interventions, resources, service provision gaps, and factors, which help to prevent violence. Use intelligence and analysis to identify specific locations to prioritise interventions.
2023: Priorities
CURV’s priorities for 2023 are to:
Build understanding
- Improve information sharing to enable partners to work together more effectively;
- Find out more about the issues facing Cleveland so decisions can made and resources can be targeted successfully;
- Build on existing engagement with all communities in Cleveland.
Undertake evidence-based interventions
- Introduce custody and A&E navigators. Evaluate the pilot robustly so CURV can look at scaling up the scheme;
- Support targeted interventions through direct and match-funding;
- Work with organisations, active in the area of violence reduction, to access other sources of income where they do not quality for CURV funding;
- Work with partners to help expand and enhance already commissioned interventions, which address the underlying causes of serious violence or support factors that help prevent it.
Help create safer public spaces
- Focus on activities that reduce serious violence in public spaces, prioritising areas that contribute to the local economy;
- Work with affected communities to ensure that we support agreed approaches;
- Work with partners to build on existing plans and capitalise on new initiatives to make sure the impact of any joint or collaborative plan is greater.
Monitor, evaluate and gather feedback
- Use evidence to identify ways to reduce serious violence;
- Seek to intervene as early as possible for the benefit of the whole of Cleveland;
- Contribute to national evidence gathering;
- Adopt successful approaches to what is best for Cleveland;
- Use our data to determine what works and justify whether it is worth ‘scaling up’ responses to deliver greater benefits;
- Find ways to gather data in all areas of life where serious violence impacts individuals and communities.