Written Statement - “The Right to be Safe Strategy” – 4th Annual Report

Today I published the 4th Annual Report on the Welsh Government’s “Right to be Safe Strategy”.  

The Right to be Safe Strategy was launched in March 2010 with the aim of tackling all forms of violence against women and domestic abuse. The Strategy identified four key priority areas which needed to be addressed:

• Prevention and raising awareness of violence against women and domestic abuse;
• Providing support for victims and children;
• Improving the response of criminal justice agencies; and
• Improving the response of health services and other agencies.

The six year Strategy was supported by a three-year implementation plan which contained 89 actions for delivery.   Work has been undertaken on all 89 actions in the implementation plan, with 81 actions completed.  The 8 outstanding actions will be taken forward as follows:

1. Actions 1.1, 1.2, 1.13, 4.3 and 4.8 through the National Training Framework;
2. Action 3.3 through the All Wales Criminal Justice Board;
3. Action 4.7 through the 10,000 Safer Lives Project; and
4. Action 5.19 will be taken forward as part of the response to the Review of Services report, published in April 2014.

I am grateful to all stakeholders, in the devolved and non-devolved public service and those in the Third Sector, who have contributed to delivering on these actions over the past four years.

The landscape has changed significantly since 2010 when the Strategy was first published. In the context of the legislation I will be bringing forward this month, which seeks to end violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence, I believe this is the right time to take stock.

With the vast majority of the actions completed and the remaining few being taken forward as I have outlined, this will be the last Annual Report on the Right to be Safe Strategy.  

We will now consider how best we take forward Welsh Government strategy in this area, set against the backdrop of the forthcoming Bill.  In the interim, I will be approving a focused work programme which will ensure the valuable work begun by the Right to be Safe Strategy continues.

The report can be accessed online.