3.24 Embedding officer learning and wellbeing in rape and serious sexual offences cases (Project Bluestone - pilot)

Academic team: Dr Emma Williams, Dr Nicky Miller, Richard Harding, Jennifer Norman, Rachel Ward
Policing partners: Avon & Somerset Police
Status: Complete

Project Bluestone combines academic learning with professional practice and brings together leading academics from across the UK to work alongside police officers. CPRL are leading on pillar 4 - the role of learning and development and officer wellbeing in rape investigation which seeks to explore the relationship between the learning delivered at Avon and Somerset for rape investigators, their developmental requirements and officer wellbeing.

Working across five different workstreams, the project aims to help tighten the grip on offenders and address the falling conviction rates for rape and sexual offences. The five workstreams are:

  • Suspect focused investigations
  • Challenging and disrupting repeat offenders
  • Victim engagement
  • Learning development and wellbeing
  • Review of data and performance

Under this workstream we aim to improve the learning process by using iterative learning, blended learning models and reflective practice. Officers' wellbeing is also explored.

Outputs

TitleOutputs typeLead academicYear
CPD and reflective practice: Improving investigations and wellbeing in rape and serious sexual offencesArticleMiller, N2022
Linking professionalism, learning and wellbeing in the context of rape investigations: Early findings from Project BluestoneArticleWilliams, E2022
Critical reflection: The importance of case reviews and reflective practice in rape and serious sexual offences investigationsArticleNorman, J2022
A new way of thinking about case review and learningPresentationWilliams, E2021
Review of learning and development and officer wellbeing in the context of RASSOPresentationWilliams, E2021
Time to reflect during challenging timesPause point documentWilliams, E2021
RASSO learning and development guidanceReportWilliams, E2021
Supervisors guide to reflective practice during the case reviewBookletWilliams, E2021

News

Welcome Clifford as our new policing professor

Our new Professor of Policing and Research, whose role includes becoming Academic Director of our Centre for Policing Research and Learning (CPRL), is Clifford Stott MBE.


As the Centre’s lead, a significant part of his role will be working with academics across and beyond the Faculty, as well as CPRL’s police force partners, to generate research and learning relevant to theory, policy and practice.

2nd March 2026