A decision tool built for one team’s casework

• ClientA sexual violence service. The client is not named here; delivery is described by sector to protect client confidentiality.
• The problemAdvocacy and counselling staff were making high-stakes judgements in cases where culture, faith and family expectations shaped whether a survivor disclosed, what support they would accept and what safety looked like for them.
• What we didA Cultural Decision-Making session for the team, delivered with a decision support tool built around their own casework and recording practice.
• Who took partIndependent sexual violence advisers and the counselling team, about 21 staff.
• What it producedA bespoke decision support tool the service keeps and uses, alongside a shared method for reaching and recording decisions. The team asked for a follow-on reference resource on faith, language, mental health and safeguarding.
• Why it matters for governanceWhen a case is reviewed, the question is how the decision was reached. A recorded method shows that cultural factors were considered rather than assumed, and that the service can explain its reasoning.

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