Plymouth-born scheme receives prestigious King's Award

A Former Devonport police sergeant and a Torpoint headteacher's scheme to support child victims of domestic abuse has been recognised by the King in his recent birthday honours - although they have said they wished the work they did was not necessary.

Operation Encompass, initially launched in 2011 was the brainchild of David Carney-Haworth and his wife, Elisabeth Carney-Haworth and it ensured that information gathered by police at the scene of a domestic incident where children were present, was passed onto that child’s school before 9am the following morning.

Since then the scheme has won praise from education experts, ministers, domestic violence practitioners, child psychologists as well as police and crime commissioners. By 2017 the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary recommended that each police force take up the Plymouth-born scheme, saying it was: "an excellent example of sharing information between agencies to protect vulnerable children, because it involves forces working in collaboration with local authorities and nominated ‘key adults’ or contacts in schools."

In 2019 Operation Encompass won the overall prize at the very first World Class Policing award at a prestigious ceremony in London. The scheme beat off competition from 54 finalists, drawn from more than 100 outstanding entries from across the globe. Operation Encompass was rolled out in Northern Ireland in 2020 and then in Gibraltar in 2022.

In 2019 the couple were both awarded OBE's for their work creating and expanding the scheme across the country. In May this year, with moments before the Government went into recess for the General Election, the scheme was formally passed into law and is now a statutory scheme which all police forces have to carry out. This builds on the landmark Domestic Abuse Act, which formally recognises children as victims in their own right when they see, hear or experience the effects of domestic abuse, which David and Elisabeth had been pushing for for a more than a decade.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK, equivalent to an MBE. It recognises outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and, following his accession, His Majesty The King emphasised his wish to continue the Award.

Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho KCVO OBE, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, noting that six of the Kings Awards went to voluntary charities in Cornwall, which included Operation Encompass as the couple are based there, said: "I am delighted and proud to see six of Cornwall’s finest voluntary groups recognised with these awards. The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest accolade any voluntary group can receive, given to those local voluntary groups that are truly outstanding and which break new ground at a local and sometimes national level.

"Cornwall’s voluntary sector delivers invaluable support to our communities, selflessly, compassionately and with huge energy, reaching out to everyone in need. These six winners reflect the tremendous range and reach of the sector and this national recognition is hugely well deserved. My congratulations and thanks to our six exceptional winners; I salute you all!"

Representatives of the groups will receive the crystal award and certificate from Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho over the next few months. In addition, two volunteers from each group will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace next year, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.

David Carney-Haworth said: "Operation Encompass was born from the suffering of one child in Cornwall. Over the past fourteen years the charity has grown into a national and global scheme, with thousands of children receiving support each day.

"Whilst there have been many achievements during the past fourteen years - winning the inaugural World Class Policing Award, having Operation Encompass placed on a statutory footing, having the government recognise how we achieved children recognised as victims in their own right in the Domestic abuse Act and initiating a unique teachers' helpline - we are uncomfortable with the notion of feeling proud of what we have achieved.

"How can you be proud when all that you are doing is enabling support for the child victims of domestic abuse? Their suffering should simply not happen.

"We are extremely grateful to receive the King's Award for Voluntary Service and this emphasises that all we have achieved has been done by volunteers.

"Operation Encompass has changed the landscape of information sharing and has firmly placed children at the very heart of safeguarding, but there is still much more to do."

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