Sophie Rollo was awarded a commendation from the Police and Crime Commissioner for leading the development of a support service for victims of crime by children.
The East Riding Youth Justice Service (ERYJS) team manager was tasked with leading the project, from which hundred of victims have since benefitted from a compassionate, tailored support service. Victims also have the opportunity to influence the outcomes for perpetrators which has boosted confidence in the justice system and acts as a demonstration their views are important in the process.
Alongside the work with victims, the scheme has also seen children complete more than 400 hours of meaningful reparations, including repairing harm and taking accountability for their actions, including through restorative justice methods.
A recent inspection by HM Inspectorate of Probation labelled Sophie’s work as ‘inspirational’ and stated they had ‘never seen anything like this elsewhere in the country in terms of support offered to victims. As a result of the inspection, the model for the project is being promoted nationally as an example of effective practice.
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Leo Hammond visited Sophie at the ERYJS base in Beverley to present the commendation.
Sophie said: “I’m really honoured. It’s obviously lovely for the work to be recognised and it’s great for our victim staff as well because they work really hard every day to support victims in the community to make sure their voices are heard.
“We make sure that victims have a personalised service and decide how much support they want. They know they can share their views and their voice and that gets delivered in our decision-making panels for children.
“It’s lovely to get positive feedback from victims because we know we’re a lot to support them in the local community and it’s lovely to be recognised by inspectors for being outstanding in our work.”
Sophie was nominated for the commendation by ERYJS’ Georgia Ewen whose submission included: “Sophie’s leadership has not only transformed victim support within the East Riding Youth Justice Service but has also delivered measurable improvements in accountability, rehabilitation, and community safety, setting a standard of excellence for services across the country.”
To watch a video from Sophie’s commendation, click play below.
To see more from the Commissioner's commendation scheme, click HERE.
