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Range of support the LD ISVA provided
The LD ISVA provided a range of types of support to clients. Each client needed
extra visits, more frequent visits, and more face-to-face discussions than clients from
a general ISVA caseload. Extra time was dedicated to seeing clients who struggled with phone conversations face-to-face, to assessing communication needs and to communicating at a more suitable pace and/or using pictures. The ISVA’s smaller caseload enabled her to spend this extra time with clients.
LD ISVA: Having more face
to face appointments has been brilliant. It has enabled certain people to engage, whereas before they definitely wouldn’t. I wouldn’t have had the capacity [for face-to-face meetings] before, with
70 people on my caseload.
For each client, the LD ISVA was asked to name the top three types of support she offered. The most commonly cited types of support were with the CJS, emotional support, and safety-planning. The figure below shows the commonest types of support. The support provided around the CJS and with healthy relationships is outlined in more detail below.
Figure 3: most common types of support provided
4a CJS: additional challenges when client has an LD
Clients’ LD meant that the LD ISVA needed
to supply extra support around the criminal justice process. All aspects of the process took more time than usual, and clients faced more challenges and obstacles getting though the system. The below outlines how the LD ISVA supported clients with police interviews and FMEs and in court.
i) Police/CJS challenge 1: Clients were sometimes unable to do police interviews without adaptations, such as an intermediary. The LD ISVA had to flag up with police officers that they needed to arrange these adaptations.
Getting an intermediary appointment could take months. The LD ISVA supported clients during this delay. She spent time liaising with different services and agencies to explain why certain processes (such as arranging interviews with intermediaries) needed to be sped up, while others (such as giving evidence) needed to be slowed down. While liaising, the LD ISVA took time to make sure these services kept clients’ wishes at the centre of any decisions made.
LD ISVA: The things we would try to do for someone, like
giving them choice like, ‘are you ready to do a video interview now? Let’s try to arrange in next couple weeks then.”. It’s not like that if there’s an intermediary involved. “When is there time
the intermediary can do it? Two months’ time. Right that’s when we’re going to do it and hopefully, you’ll still feel in a place at that point to be able to talk about
it. It’s really difficult for people sometimes.
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