Further support provided to victims that are experiencing court delays

Earlier this month the Victim Care and Advice Service (VCAS) was fortunate enough to have two Restorative Justice Practitioners seconded to their team of Victim Care Officers to enable an improved end-to-end service for victims of crime.

As part of a five month scheme the two new practitioners will work alongside the Criminal Justice Victim Liaison Officer and help to deliver more co-ordinated and seamless support to victims whose cases are going through the criminal justice system.

The two seconded members of staff enhance the continuity of support for victims following a charging decision or other outcome by helping victims realise the importance of their role, better understand criminal justice procedures, and know the rights they are entitled to.

Following initial focused work VCAS have implemented in Peterlee and Seaham, there has been an increase in referrals as well an improvement to the information supplied to victims.Therefore, VCAS are keen to roll out this approach across the force and establish victim and witness hubs in each locality.

The addition of the Restorative Justice Practitioners will enable this roll out and work in partnership with VCAS Victim Care Officers in order to signpost to appropriate referral pathways and make sure the support available is maximised.

VCAS is commissioned by the Office of the Durham Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner to provide free,independent and confidential support for victims and witnesses of any crime,and their families, across County Durham and Darlington.

VCAS has a team of Victim Care Officers based in local police stations who can support victims at any point including immediately after the initial report of a crime. In addition, VCAS can offer support to victims of crime who choose not to report to the police. VCAS also aim to provide victims with a single point of contact and deliver consistency and continuity throughout the victim/witness journey. 

There is also a VCAS member of staff located in the control room at Police Headquarters who can provide immediate advice and support to victims over the telephone and refer to other services where appropriate.

While the COVID pandemic has had a significant impact, often resulting in court cases being delayed, VCAS is working hard to ensure victims have the support they need throughout these disrupted processes.

VCAS are currently working with the Durham Constabulary Witness Care Unit to engage with victims and witnesses whose cases are going to trial, to ensure they are kept fully informed of progress, encouraged and supported to maintain their engagement and to act as a single point of contact should they have any needs as a result of delayed processes.

Mark Warcup, Manager of the Victim Care and Advice Service for Durham and Darlington said “We are delighted that we have been able to strengthen the VCAS team particularly through the support that we are able to provide at a time when many court cases have been unavoidably delayed due to the COVID pandemic.

“We want to reassure those victims and witnesses in those cases that they can still be supported through these unprecedented times. We want to give them the confidence and reassurance they may need to help them remain positively engaged with their case.

“The two restorative justice staff members also add additional support to victims through a range of restorative approaches, perhaps getting answers to questions they have that can only be answered by the offender, or in other ways which will help the victim recover and move on from their experience”.

For further information or if you have been a victim of crime please visit https://victimcareandadviceservice.uk/ / 0303 040 1099 / info@vcas.uk

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