Victim Notification Scheme complaints and 'asks': FOI release

Information requested

1. Any complaints received by the Scottish Government regarding the Victim Notification Scheme. Please limit the time period from 1 December 2018 to the present day.

2. The ‘asks’ that were presented by Victim Support Organisations in a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice on 28 July 2020 and any details provided by the organisations on those demands including examples of complaints or victim experiences that are referred to in the letter. (Note: a link to the letter I am referring to can be seen here:
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/minutes/2020/11/victimstaskforce-papers-september-2020/documents/paper-two-joint-letter-from-cabinet-secretary-justiceand-lord-advocate-to-victim-support-organisations/paper-two-joint-letter-from-cabinet-secretaryjustice-and-lord-advocate-to-victim-supportorganisations/govscot%3Adocument/Victims%2BTaskforce%2B-%2BSecretariat%2B- %2B7th%2BMeeting%2B-%2B2020-09-09%2B-%2BPaper%2B2%2B- %2BJoint%2Bletter%2Bto%2BVictim%2BSupport%2BOrganisations.pdf).

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide all the information you have requested as the Scheme is administered by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), therefore the Scottish Government is not in receipt of official complaints.

An exemption under section 17 of FOISA applies as the information is not held by the Scottish Government. You therefore may wish to redirect your request to SPS. However, the Victim Notification Scheme for victims of mentally disordered offenders (VNS MDO) which commenced in September 2017 is administered by the Victim Notification Scheme Administration Team within the Scottish Government. We have received no complaints within the time period you specify.

I have attached the 'asks' that were presented by Victim Support Organisations (VSOs) at a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and the Lord Advocate on 28 July 2020. Regarding your request for further detail provided by VSOs on their list of 'asks', they did not provide any details on the demands (asks) alongside the list of asks they submitted. They did, however, provide a paper for the June Taskforce which covers some of the same areas as the 'asks'. I include a link to that paper which has been published on the Scottish Government website:
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/minutes/2020/06/victimstaskforce-papers-june-2020/documents/paper-1-victims-voices-evidence-paper-on-impact-of-covid19/paper-1-victims-voices-evidence-paper-on-impact-of-covid19/govscot%3Adocument/AMENDED%2BAND%2BFINALISED%2BVERSION%2BJune%2B2020%2B- %2BVT%2BPaper%2Bfor%2B10.06.20%2BEvidence%2Bfrom%2BVSOs.pdf.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI - 202000109946 - Information Released - VSO Asks

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