Rape Crisis England & Wales

LXCL:One ticket per attendee

General Admission

Join this webinar to learn more about changes to requests for third party materials in criminal cases, which come into force from 12th January 2026. Please note that this webinar is aimed at professionals who support survivors of sexual violence who may be subject to requests for their third party material (e.g. school/medical/local authority/education records) during a police investigation. We are hosting a separate session for data holders who may receive third party material requests from the police - such as counsellors and service managers - on 29th January. In this webinar, Maxime Rowson (Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Rape Crisis England &amp; Wales) and Harriet Bland (Solicitor at Centre for Women&rsquo;s Justice), will cover: <ul fr-original-style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px; box-sizing: inherit;"><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">The history behind the changes to third party material requests, including counselling records</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">The impact on survivors of sexual violence of excessive requests for third party material</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">The changes to law and practice, coming into force in January 2026</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">What constitutes a &lsquo;counselling record&rsquo;, under the new legislation</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">The new higher legal threshold for counselling record requests, and how it should be applied by police officers</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">What constitutes a &lsquo;reasonable line of enquiry&rsquo;</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">The difference between &lsquo;consent&rsquo; and &lsquo;notification&rsquo;</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">What to consider when survivors&rsquo; third party materials are being requested by police</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">How to spot a &lsquo;credibility trawl&rsquo;</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">The data minimisation principle</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">The procedure for police requests for third party material, and how data holders can respond</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">What might happen if survivors or data holders refuse &nbsp;a request</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#232333;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;" style="list-style-type: disc; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; box-sizing: inherit;">When third party material may be disclosed to the defence</li></ul> ContextFor several years, Rape Crisis England &amp; Wales (RCEW), Centre for Women&rsquo;s Justice (CWJ) and others have been campaigning against excessive and disproportionate requests for sexual violence survivors&rsquo; third party material from police. Our successful campaign - &#39;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-involved/keep-counselling-confidential/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Keep Counselling Confidential</a>&#39;, in partnership with the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) and Rights of Women, led to an amendment of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, which sets out a new higher legal threshold for police requests for sexual violence survivors&rsquo; counselling notes.&nbsp; A new &lsquo;Victim Information Requests: Code of Practice&rsquo; has now been published, providing practical guidance to the police (and other authorised persons) in England and Wales, when making third party information requests about a victim/survivor, including the new provisions for counselling records. This Code of Practice will come into force on 12th January 2026, alongside new forms for third party information requests.&nbsp; This webinar will tell you all you need to know about the changes, and what these mean in practice, for survivors of sexual violence and their supporters. We will also provide you with materials to take away following the webinar. Cost: &pound;20 per attendee For further information please contact <a fr-original-style="" href="mailto:policy@rapecrisis.org.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">policy@rapecrisis.org.uk</a> &nbsp;

Join this webinar to learn more about changes to requests for third party materials in criminal cases, which come into force from 12th January 2026. Please note that this webinar is aimed at professionals who support survivors of sexual violence who may be subject to requests for their third party material (e.g. school/medical/local authority/education records) during a police investigation. We are hosting a separate session for data holders who may receive third party material requests from the police - such as counsellors and service managers - on 29th January. In this webinar, Maxime Rowson (Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Rape Crisis England &amp; Wales) and Harriet Bland (Solicitor at Centre for Women’s Justice), will cover: <ul><li>The history behind the changes to third party material requests, including counselling records</li><li>The impact on survivors of sexual violence of excessive requests for third party material</li><li>The changes to law and practice, coming into force in January 2026</li><li>What constitutes a ‘counselling record’, under the new legislation</li><li>The new higher legal threshold for counselling record requests, and how it should be applied by police officers</li><li>What constitutes a ‘reasonable line of enquiry’</li><li>The difference between ‘consent’ and ‘notification’</li><li>What to consider when survivors’ third party materials are being requested by police</li><li>How to spot a ‘credibility trawl’</li><li>The data minimisation principle</li><li>The procedure for police requests for third party material, and how data holders can respond</li><li>What might happen if survivors or data holders refuse  a request</li><li>When third party material may be disclosed to the defence</li></ul> ContextFor several years, Rape Crisis England &amp; Wales (RCEW), Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) and others have been campaigning against excessive and disproportionate requests for sexual violence survivors’ third party material from police. Our successful campaign - '<a href="https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-involved/keep-counselling-confidential/" target="_blank">Keep Counselling Confidential</a>', in partnership with the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) and Rights of Women, led to an amendment of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, which sets out a new higher legal threshold for police requests for sexual violence survivors’ counselling notes.  A new ‘Victim Information Requests: Code of Practice’ has now been published, providing practical guidance to the police (and other authorised persons) in England and Wales, when making third party information requests about a victim/survivor, including the new provisions for counselling records. This Code of Practice will come into force on 12th January 2026, alongside new forms for third party information requests.  This webinar will tell you all you need to know about the changes, and what these mean in practice, for survivors of sexual violence and their supporters. We will also provide you with materials to take away following the webinar. Cost: £20 per attendee For further information please contact <a href="mailto:policy@rapecrisis.org.uk" target="_blank">policy@rapecrisis.org.uk</a>

Webinar: Update on law regarding police requests for sexual violence survivors’ third party materials including counselling records (for ISVAs and others supporting survivors)