National Witness Service - Grant Competition

Tender description

Please see below Additional information: The Witness Service (WS) has been available in all Criminal Courts in England and Wales since 2003. The core purpose of the Service is to meet emotional and practical needs of witnesses, 44% of whom are also victims (2023/24), and support them to give their best evidence. In 2023/24, the current WS supported approximately 80,000 witnesses. Of these, about 28,000 were classified as vulnerable or intimidated. The key elements of the support offered by the current Service are: - To provide information to witnesses about their rights and the process of giving evidence, including the role they play in the Criminal Justice System; - To arrange and conduct pre-trial visits to court buildings (PTVs), helping witnesses to familiarise themselves with the court building and calm anxieties ahead of the day of giving evidence; - Greet witnesses on the day in Court, acting as a generally supportive presence and supporting HMCTS staff in guiding witnesses through court buildings (including the use of separate entrances and waiting rooms for witnesses) and relaying messages to witnesses from the court room. For most witnesses, this is the extent of the support they receive - with approximately 2 in 3 witnesses supported by the Witness Service receiving only support on-the-day with no prior referral. A third of witnesses need additional support, including those who are vulnerable and/or intimidated, and are typically referred to the Witness Service in advance of trial by police-run Witness Care Units. Additional support for vulnerable and/or intimidated witnesses can include: - Outreach Support - where Witness Service volunteers will reach out to witnesses ahead of trial to help them prepare for their day in court, answer questions and provide reassurance and emotional support; - Accompanying witnesses in giving evidence. This includes providing emotional support to witnesses when giving evidence in the court room, at a remote link site or other court-approved locations, when given judicial approval; - Post-trial, sign-posting witnesses to further support services. The sourcing exercise will be carried out on the MOJ e-sourcing portal, Jaggaer, which will provide a central repository of documents and full audit trail. To apply, interested parties must create or log into an account on Jaggaer to start an application. The site address is: https://ministryofjusticecommercial.bravosolution.co.uk. For assistance with Jaggaer please contact: esourcing@justice.gov.uk or 0845 0100 132. The application is an online process and divided into the following sections which will all need to be completed: Qualification: Applicant shall provide responses to eligibility criteria. Technical: Applicant shall provide responses to technical-based criteria, illustrating the proposed activities, plans, resources etc. Commercial: Applicant shall provide a breakdown of funds applied for.