The recent summer disturbances across the country fuelled by an ongoing hateful rhetoric will lead to an increase in incidents of hate crime. This 2.5-hour workshop will support you to provide a robust, evidence-based approach to understanding hate crime, supporting victims, reviewing policies, and meeting the Regulator of Social Housing 'Consumer Standards Code of Practice'.

Session outline:

• What is hate crime and recent developments
• The extent, nature and impact of hate crime
• Barriers and pathways to reporting
• Supporting from a victim's perspective
• Good practice on updating policies and procedures
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Social housing tenants are four times more likely than owner-occupiers to be victims of hate crime. Social housing providers have significant local influence, involvement in multi-agency partnerships, a legal obligation to respond to hate incidents and crime and meet the standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing.

Hate crime continues to be widely misunderstood, often being subsumed within anti-social behaviour, despite it having a more significant impact on its victims than non-hate motivated offences. Under-reporting is still a cause for concern and how service providers respond to allegations of hate crime, provide support, and undertake casework can make a huge difference in the well-being of victims, communities and fostering good relations in wider society.

• In the year ending March 2023, there were 145,214 hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales. 70% of hate crimes were racially motivated. There was an 11% increase in transgender hate crimes.
• Whilst the increase in police recorded hate crime has partly been attributed to better recording methods used and greater awareness in reporting hate crimes, there is still an issue with under-reporting.
• Generally, hate crime victims do not report immediately but often at crisis point, at which point how a housing provider understands, responds and supports from a 'victim's perspective' is crucial.
• There is growing evidence of the phenomena of 'triggers' and 'spikes', namely an event, for example, Covid-19, leading to a spike in hate crime reporting.