Police-CPS joint national rape action plan – Final Report 2024: Annex on Activities and Actions

Publication, Sexual offences

Actions 1 – 20 directly below are from the JNAP Refresh, for which the commentary will be new updates published with the final report.

Our People

	Activity	Commentary
1	12-month learning and development programme delivered across CPS to deliver continued professional development for our people.	The CPS has updated all training for RASSO staff which includes both refresher as well as induction training for new joiners of our RASSO units. This has been in conjunction with delivering learning and development on case strategy and Rape misconceptions and assumptions.
2	Develop lessons-learnt guidance across our organisations to be built into quality assurance processes to enable learning from cases, including cases that have gone well, and embed reflection points to aid learning and development.	The Joint Operational Improvement Meeting guidance and the Rape Scrutiny Panel guidance have both incorporated reflective practice principles.
3	Deliver work in partnership between CPS and NPCC to improve data quality on protected characteristics to enable deeper insight and continuous improvement across our organisations.	This work has been picked up by the NPCC Diversity Equality and Inclusion Coordination Committee, which has developed the Protected Characteristics Recording Data Standard.
4	Continue to hold quarterly discussions with the Senior Responsible Officers and the Victims’ Commissioner, Domestic Abuse Commissioner and London Victims’ Commissioners - so that senior stakeholders can inform and scrutinise our work.	Bi-monthly meetings have taken place with the Joint National Action Plan Steering Group to discuss, agree and progress the JNAP work. Regular meetings with the Victims’ Commissioner, London’s Victims’ Commissioner and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner take place to consult and inform on work in the RASSO area.
5	Hold discussions regularly with the police’s National Rape Working Group and the CPS’s external consultation group to inform and scrutinise our work.	Regular meetings with the Police National Rape Working Group and the CPS External Consultation Group have taken place. Stakeholder expertise and insight have informed important areas of the JNAP and wider RASSO work.

Building a strong case as early as possible

	Activity	Commentary
6	Early advice and case conferences take place across police forces and CPS Areas to drive our commitment to building strong cases as early as possible.	We have produced two learning podcasts on building effective collaborative working and early advice, to ensure all investigators and prosecutors who work on rape cases, can access and benefit from them.
7	Further review the terminology and process to significantly reduce the number of cases pending response further investigation (PRFI) following an action plan.	We have established a new PRFI process for early advice referrals and have disaggregated PRFI data for charging decision and early advice case volumes, which are published in the quarterly CPS data summary. We have produced joint escalation guidance to support the reduction of PRFI volumes for cases referred to the CPS by police for charging decision.
8	Expand delivery and learning on the suspect-centric approach through Operation Soteria.	Completed and incorporated into Police and CPS adult rape National Operating Models (NOMs).
9	Testing and developing the new national operating model through Operation Soteria.	Completed with NOMs launched in July 2023. The independent academic evaluation of Operation Soteria for the CPS is available here and the policing year one report is available here.
10	Further embed bad character applications into training and development materials across our organisations.	As part of the revised RASSO learning packages in the NOM informed by the findings of Operation Soteria and other best practice insights, we have created a podcast on Bad Character which is available to CPS staff. We have incorporated the practical application of bad character in case studies used within training course materials.
11	Update the joint police and CPS National Protocol on the investigation and prosecution of rape cases and test it aligns with the relevant file standard guidance in order to promote consistency of approach to rape investigations and prosecution across England and Wales.	The Police and CPS NOMs were developed to provide standardisation and consistency of approach to rape investigations and prosecutions across both organisations. We will review the requirement for a joint National Protocol on rape cases once we have implemented and fully embedded the complementary NOMs.
12	Improve understanding and use of forensic evidence in rape cases including through the development of a forensic evidence toolkit and increased prosecution team engagement with forensic medical examiners.	We have created a forensic evidence toolkit, developed with experts and frontline practitioners, which has been made available to staff.
13	Deliver further work to update guidance, training and compliance to reflect the Attorney General’s guidelines on disclosure and improve practical application of the principles alongside producing an information sheet for victims on this important issue.	CPS Disclosure training is regularly reviewed and has been updated in line with the latest changes to the law, policy and guidance specifically the Attorney General’s guidelines on disclosure. A victim’s guide is available on the CPS website which provides information on types of evidence that can be collected during the investigation including digital evidence and third party material.

Working together to improve our engagement with victims

	Activity	Commentary
14	Launch and evaluate pilot on capturing evidence of psychological injury. This will raise awareness of the existence of psychological injury at an early stage of the investigation to inform case-building and decision-making	The Metropolitan police have identified cases for this pilot with the Havens, that include a summary of psychological findings report. The project will be evaluating the impact of these reports as the cases move through the criminal justice system. This activity will continue to be monitored through the Joint Rape Improvement Group. The date for completion of this work is dependent on timeliness of case progression.
15	Design and deliver a new and enhanced communications offer for victims of rape and serious sexual assault.	This activity is being delivered through the CPS Victim Transformation Programme as part of an enhanced service offer for victims of RASSO. To date, new Victim Liaison Officers are now in place in every CPS Area to act as consistent points of contact for victims and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs); the CPS now offers all adult RASSO victims a pre-trial meeting with a member of the prosecution team. This is in addition to the introduction of specific email inboxes which will enable victims and ISVAs to contact the new Victim Liaison Officers with any queries throughout the process.
16	Pilot and evaluate new approaches to improve the quality of ABE interviews.	A review report detailing different approaches to ABE interviews was completed in April 2024 for internal consideration. The recommendations and next steps from the paper will be considered through the Joint Rape Improvement Steering Group and aligned with wider government activity.
17	Pilot, test and evaluate the use of Victim Familiarisation meetings.	Following testing, all adult victims of RASSO are entitled to the offer of a meeting with a member of the CPS prosecution team before trial.

Joint commitment to scrutiny of our decisions and learning

	Activity	Commentary
18	Develop joint learning and training products reflecting the findings of Operation Soteria learning and academic evaluations.	Learning and training products have been developed and incorporated into Police and CPS National Operating Models.
19	Use insight from the Rape Data Tool and Operation Soteria academic deep dives to design a programme of work recognising the distinct circumstance apparent in cases of domestic abuse rape and develop policy proposals using that insight.	Operation Soteria Bluestone academics are researching the policing and prosecutorial approach to Domestic Abuse rape cases, with insights and findings to be shared with the Operation Soteria Home Office, NPCC, College of Policing Joint Unit and CPS in Spring 2025.
20	A programme of workshops on VAWG across NPCC and CPS leaders to shape the work in this area.	A series of workshops with stakeholders, to inform the CPS VAWG strategy, has been completed. The VAWG Strategy works to develop initiatives that improve the cross-cutting response to VAWG crimes, Timescales for publication of the VAWG Strategy will be aligned with the Government VAWG Strategy.

Actions 1 – 24 directly below are from the original JNAP, commentary for which has already been published through the JNAP refresh. To give a whole-picture overview of all that the JNAP has achieved, these actions will also be published with the final report.

Supporting Victims

	Actions	Commentary
1	Improve the quality of our communications with victims to ensure they are timely and sensitive to their needs at every stage of the criminal justice process.	Three new letters have been developed; No Further Action letters were published in Dec 21 and two further letters (“Hello” and “at the point of charge”) in March 2022. They are being piloted in Operation Soteria in pathfinder areas.
2	Improve our communication and liaison with ISVAs and equivalent services throughout the investigation and prosecution process to ensure victims receive information and support they need.	Jointly with the police, a National ISVA Framework was published in June 2021, outlining a set of standards around multi-agency partnership working, effective processes and supporting victims in order to improve our communication and liaison with ISVAs and support providers.
3	Take steps to increase awareness of currently under-utilised special measures such as clearance of the public gallery (Section 25(4)(a) YJCEA 1999).	The CPS and NPCC published a Section 25 Information sheet for ISVAs and police on increasing awareness to clear the public gallery available since December 2021.
4	Provide victims with clear information about the various stages of the criminal justice process through the production of online and offline information products (e.g. ‘digital walkthrough’).	A new guide for victims of rape and serious sexual assault was published in October 2021. The walkthrough outlines all the steps involved in the prosecution process.
5	Improving our staff's understanding, mainly through joint learning and development, of the neurological impact of trauma to promote improved decision-making and victim care.	CPS has delivered training on proportionality and disclosure and launched a standalone training course for all prosecutors entitled “RASSO: impact of trauma”.

Casework Quality and Progression

	Actions	Commentary
6	Launch and embed new guidance on early investigative advice to ensure we jointly build strong cases from the outset.	Jointly with the police, an Early Advice Memorandum of Understanding was launched in July 2021, which sets out the approach to obtaining and providing early advice and outlines how the CPS and investigators will work together more closely from the outset of rape and serious sexual assault (RASSO) cases through increased use of Early Advice.
7	Work with local police force and CPS areas to identify best practice models that promote closer joint working during investigation process. This includes the evaluation of ongoing early advice pilots in the South East and London and the increased use of Microsoft Teams to facilitate charging consultations.	Jointly with the police, an Early Advice Memorandum of Understanding was launched in July 2021, which sets out the approach to obtaining and providing early advice and outlines how the CPS and investigators will work together more closely. The EA model promotes closer joint working during the investigation process and further EA models have been tested in the South East and through Operation Soteria. The wider action to improve joint working has passed to the Joint Case Progression working group. The Case Progression Toolkit was developed and launched in November 2021 which sets out several tools to help aid police/CPS communication including optional use of Early Case Planning Conferences and Case Management Panels.
8	Build on existing local RASSO action plans, to ensure that all police force and CPS areas have local action plans tailored to their local area and covering report to prosecution in court.	All CPS and Force areas have RASSO action plans in place. Compliance is monitored on a quarterly basis through provision of the RASSO Quarterly Assurance Report and discussion at Area Performance Reviews (APRs).
9	Identify best practice to ensure that all police force and CPS areas have effective joint monitoring and escalation mechanisms in place for live investigations.	The Joint Case Progression working group developed the case progression toolkit which included a refresh of Prosecution Team Performance Meeting (PTPM) into the Joint Operation Improvement Meetings (JOIM) and updated Joint Case Progression Escalation principles. The JOIM has been developed to replace the PTPM as the primary local operational improvement meeting between CPS and police. These were shared nationally in November 2021. The JOIM guidance recommended a separate RASSO specific JOIM which commended to all Areas and Forces in February 2022.
10	Ensure all police force and CPS Areas have effective joint performance management meetings to analyse data to identify and address local issues related to investigation and prosecution.	The Joint Operational Improvement Meeting (JOIM) has been developed to replace the Prosecution Team Performance Meeting (PTPM) as the primary local operational improvement meeting between CPS and police. Its purpose is to identify joint priority areas for focussed activity to drive improvement in disclosure, effective case progression and other areas. The JOIM will identify and share good practice and adapt to local casework trends and issues. RASSO JOIMs will be the new forum for monitoring RASSO cases in line with the 28/56/90-day review periods and will be the place for escalation of non-responses. Identifying best practice will continue and be part of the Operation Soteria pathfinder work.
11	Improve effectiveness of action plans, and action plan follow up, with good communication, clear timelines and robust escalation points.	The Joint Case Progression Working Group developed a case progression toolkit which was rolled out in November 2021, this included action plan tracker tools for Areas and Forces to use as part of their agreed JOIM forums. The Action Plan processes continue to be tested by the Pathfinder Areas and will result in strengthening the process for following up and escalating action plans.
12	Significantly enhance collection, sharing and drawing insights from currently available data to support better understanding and monitoring of RASSO throughout the CJS.	The cross-criminal justice system (CJS) rape data tool to collect, share and analyse joined end-to-end rape data tool has been completed. The CPS and police set up a cross-agency RASSO working group in August 2020 to develop a cross-CJS rape data tool to collect, share and analyse joined end-to-end rape data. Data sharing agreements across the CJS were established for the first time. The proof-of-concept tool, developed jointly by CPS and A&S police, links 2016-20 A&S cross-CJS rape data from the point of reporting to completion in court. Avon and Somerset are planning to extend the tool to include 2021 data and input completed data monthly to provide insights across Operation Soteria. The MoJ have set up a cross-CJS project team to manage the roll out of the tool. An 8-week Discovery Phase has been carried out by the Police Digital Service to scope the roll out of the tool across police forces. The analytics tool is the first to enable tracked linked data across the CJS. There has been support across the CJS and with Ministers for its roll out more widely, starting with Operation Soteria areas.
13	Review police and CPS decision making in those Police Force and CPS areas that have seen the sharpest rises in the conviction after contest rate and ensure that decision making is sound. Capture and feedback learning to staff any relevant learning.	The CPS has supported in the development and design of the Government’s scorecards (Delivery Data Dashboards) and reviews and disseminates learning on these. All CPS Areas were included in a national RASSO enhancement programme deployed across the CPS. This rolled out a national ‘baseline’ across all CPS Areas. In addition, through new internal CPS governance this work is being progress through a newly established Performance and Data subgroup.

Digital Capability and Disclosure

	Actions	Commentary
14	Provide additional jointly delivered RASSO specific learning and development to help investigators and prosecutors balance the needs of an investigation with the right to privacy (connected with Action 23 under Our People & Expertise).	Training ‘podcasts’ on Digital Devices and Third-Party Material have been launched. They have been shared on the police Knowledge Hub and across all prosecutors. These resources are mandatory for all CPS prosecutors.
15	Take further steps to help victims understand why digital evidence and third-party material is relevant to investigations and casework, how we decide what data to collect, how we collect it as part of a criminal investigation and prosecution, and how it might be used (Connected with action 7 under Supp Victims).	CPS published a new guide for victims of rape and serious sexual assault in October 2021. The walkthrough outlines all the steps involved in the prosecution process and the reasons why it is collected. A Commitment to rape victims and a CPS Policy Statement on how we charge and prosecute rape cases were published.

Our People and Expertise

	Actions	Commentary
16	Identify, share and encourage adoption of best practice in respect of the elements of investigative teams and CPS units handling RASSO cases.	We conducted an analysis of each CPS Area’s RASSO Unit workload, examining how they are managed and work with their police counterparts to make sure all Areas are meeting the same high standards. As a result of that analysis, elements of best practice were identified that are supporting national improvements to ensure consistency of casework quality and approach in handling RASSO cases. The work continues to be tested through Operation Soteria and through the RASSO enhancement activities within CPS.
17	Convene a RASSO advocacy round table meeting to discuss best practice and ensure good practice is captured and reflected in relevant learning and development products.	Extensive insights were captured through RASSO advocacy questionnaires which were distributed to approximately 800 members of the external RASSO advocates list and CPS in-house RASSO advocates. A high number of responses contained substantial feedback which were analysed and recommendations shared with thematic leads.
		A roundtable with legal stakeholders was held in August 2022, and the feedback from this stakeholder event and the advocacy survey has been used in the development of this JNAP 2022 update.
18	Pilot an offender-centric investigation model, commencing with pathfinder in Avon and Somerset working with CPS South West and pilot extending to a further four police forces and CPS areas.	A perpetrator-centric model was launched in January 2021 with the South West as a pathfinder area. Further CPS and police force areas have been identified under Operation Soteria for rollout. Operation Soteria has been rolled out in nine CPS areas and 19 police force areas.
19	Develop an online RASSO platform “Knowledge Hub” for both Police and CPS to share learning, training, discussion forums and best practice.	The Police Knowledge Hub is accessible to both CPS and Policing colleagues. It has been agreed that CPS and Police will both have their separate hubs due to the logistics of developing a joint hub which will be kept up to date with links to facilitate users accessing each other’s hubs.

Stakeholder Engagement

	Actions	Commentary
Completed 20	Consult with the police’s National Rape Working Group and the CPS’s external consultation group at key stages of the development process.	A regular pattern of quarterly meetings with the Police National Rape Working Group and the CPS External Consultation Group takes place. Their expertise and insight have informed important areas of the JNAP and RASSO work.
21	Convene an annual joint national RASSO conference to showcase best practice.	Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was not possible to hold a national in-person conference in 2021. However, the police and CPS jointly held a series of national webinars in summer 2021 providing updates and delivering training and learning for frontline investigators and prosecutors to support the RASSO work. The range of webinars supported ongoing learning for police and prosecutors including on the working with ISVAs, special measures and casework quality. The webinar programme had over 830 registrations. A national face-to-face conference was held on 15 June 2022. This was attended by over 250 delegates, including our partners from the third sector.
22	Convene a joint parliamentary roundtable to launch the Joint Action Plan.	A Parliamentary roundtable was hosted in July 2021 to improve transparency and understanding of the Joint National Action Plan.
23	Hold quarterly meetings with members of the JNAP Senior Steering Group including the Victims’ Commissioner, Domestic Abuse Commissioner and London Victims’ Commissioners - so that senior stakeholders can inform and scrutinise our work.	Bi-monthly meetings take pace with the Joint National Action Plan Steering Group to discuss, agree and progress the JNAP work. Regular meetings with the Victims’ Commissioner, London’s Victims’ Commissioner and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner take place to consult and inform on work taking place in the RASSO area.
24	Convene a roundtable of legal professionals to learn from their experience and to inform our work particularly on Digital Capability and Disclosure and Casework Quality and Progression sections.	A legal Professionals roundtable meeting took place to consult on the JNAP and gain insight from their experience to help shape the Joint National Action Plan. A further legal roundtable was held in the development of this JNAP refresh.

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