Diversionary Caution Scheme – Domestic Abuse

This Invitation to Tender (“ITT”) has been issued by The Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex who are seeking to award a Contract for the provision of Diversionary Caution scheme – Domestic Abuse. The Requirement will be tendered as a single supplier. The Contract Term shall be for a period of four (4) years with the option to extend by a further two (2) x Twelve (12) month extensions. The anticipated commencement date of the Contract is 17th November. Any changes to this commencement date will be communicated to all bidders through the contracting authority’s e-Procurement Portal Following the success of Project CARA (Cautioning and Relationship Abuse), all UK Forces now have dispensation to deliver Conditional Cautions for eligible standard risk Domestic Abuse (DA) cases. However, Forces must demonstrate adherence to CARA principles within the Intervention provided.Our aim is to ensure that our stakeholders obtain the best value for money to maximise the benefits to front-line operational performance. CARA is a recognised and award-winning early intervention program for low risk, first time offenders of domestic abuse who have received a conditional caution. The program promotes awareness of domestic abuse, self-reflection, and behavioural change - helping offenders to recognise the impact of their actions on partners, children, and relationships. Launched initially in 2011 as a pilot with Hampshire Constabulary and the Hampton Trust, CARA has since been adopted in nine UK regions. A Cambridge University study from 2012-2014 indicated that CARA participants were 35% less likely to reoffend in DA incidents compared to a control group. Additionally, CARA regularly performs Impact Reports, where they analyse organisational progress, stories of change and offender feedback – as seen below, results from 2023/2024 highlight general Police usage alongside benefits of the self-reflection and behavioural change aspects of CARA. From August 2024, all UK Police Forces received dispensation to deliver CCs for eligible standard-risk DA cases when using a CARA-compliant intervention - avoiding submission of these to the CPS. January 6th ’25 Sussex launched Conditional Cautions for standard-risk DA. There were 10 referrals in this first month and whilst this may be inflated due to cases held awaiting launch date, uptake is expected to increase over time.