Government and Victim Support pilot improved services for victims of crime
03 Aug 2006
The national charity Victim Support will run the pilots from its local branches in three areas – North Yorkshire, City of Nottingham and Salford in Greater Manchester.
The £1million in new funding comes after the Government outlined plans for piloting enhanced victims services in its Green Paper, Rebuilding Lives; supporting victims of crime, published in December. The pilots will provide improved, immediate and practical support tailored to victims' needs.
Gerry Sutcliffe said:
"I am delighted to announce the pilot sites today. We have consulted widely and worked closely with Victim Support to develop this initiative. I have seen at first hand how dedicated the staff and volunteers at Victim Support are and I am confident that together we will improve the support for victims of crime.
"This Government has done more than any other to ensure victims' interests and needs are put at the heart of the criminal justice system. These pilots form part of our continuing work to rebalance the system in favour of victims and the law abiding majority. What remains clear, however, is that there is still more to do to encourage real public confidence in the work of the police, courts and prosecutors and I believe that these pilots will help us to achieve more in these areas."
Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of Victim Support, said:
"The pilots are a new project for us, and represent a commitment by the Government to improving support for victims and confidence in Victim Support to deliver this.
"We believe that more can be done to enhance the services available for victims of crime, and are looking forward to working in close collaboration with the Government to build on this exciting initiative."
The pilots will ensure that the majority of victims are initially contacted by telephone, followed by an assessment of their needs. Victims will then be offered a 'menu' of services based on their needs including practical help (for example the fitting of new locks or childcare), emotional support or counselling, installation of security devices and/or assistance with medical costs. Staff and volunteers will establish and oversee contact with relevant agencies on the victim's behalf.
As well as providing these new services to victims, the pilots will collect data to measure the demand and benefits of the new services, along with the longer term cost implications. They will provide an out-of-hours hotline for victims to complement the expansion of the existing Victim Supportline.