Victim Support is an independent

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

that provides specialist practical and emotional support to victims and

witnesses In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

Activities

;Support for victims of crime: Trained volunteers and employees offer free, independent, confidential and personalised support to victims and witnesses of crime and traumatic incidents. In 2017, the charity had contact with over 800,000 victims of crime across England and Wales to offer information and support. The charity offers a range of support around safety, information provision, validation of their thoughts and feelings, developing coping strategies for daily life and connecting the services users with support networks as well. Examples of support specifics can be: supporting people to make their home secure after a burglary, understanding their rights and entitlements within the Victim's Code of Practice, support with the Criminal Justice System, applying for compensation, help with re-housing or accessing mental health and other specialised services through the NHS. ;Supportline: A free 24/7 telephone helpline offering confidential support and advice to anyone affected by crime in England and Wales - 08 08 16 89 111. ;Specialist services: *The national Homicide Service, helping families in England and Wales who've been bereaved by murder or manslaughter *Local services helping victims of any crime, including domestic or sexual violence, anti-social behaviour and hate crime *Local services for young victims of crime, including specialist support for children who have experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault and grooming *Restorative justice programmes ;Research: Victim Support's research team look into the issues facing victims of crime and make recommendations, based on evidence, on how to tackle those problems to government. police, criminal justice and other organisations. ;Fundraising: The charity is funded by public donations along with funding awards made by grant-making bodies and services commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioners. ;Volunteering: Volunteers are trained to work directly with victims and witnesses of crime or to be a fundraiser.

History

;Victims' services: The first Victim Support scheme was set up in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

in 1974. The charity's founders included staff from the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (now

NACRO Nacro is a social justice charity based in England and Wales, established in 1966 from the previous National Association of Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Societies, it became the largest criminal justice-related charity in England and Wales. In th ...

), the police and probation services. By 1986, every county in England and Wales had at least one Victim Support scheme. Victim Support registered as a charitable company in 1987 and in 2008, all local services merged to create a single national federation in England and Wales. ;Homicide Service: Since 1985, the charity has run the Homicide Service, supporting people bereaved by murder or manslaughter. ;Witness Service: The charity set up the national

Witness Service The Witness Service (also known as Citizens Advice Witness Service) is a service in England and Wales for witnesses who have to give evidence in criminal courts. The Witness Service offers practical and emotional support and is a free service. The ...

in 1989 and supported its development to cover both all

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...

centres and all the

magistrates' courts A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrate's Cour ...

in England and Wales. The Witness Service was run by Victim Support until April 2015. ;Supportline: In 1998, Victim Support's free national telephone helpline for victims and witnesses was established. Since the

2017 Westminster attack On 22 March 2017, a terrorist attack took place outside the Palace of Westminster in London, seat of the British Parliament. Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old Briton, drove a car into pedestrians on the pavement along the south side of Westminster ...

and the other terrorist attacks that year, the Supportline has been provided 24/7.

Officials

*Chair: Andrew Tivey *Chief Executive Officer: Katie Kempen

Notable Former Officials

*Former Chief Executive: Dame

Helen Reeves Dame Helen May Reeves DBE (born 22 August 1945) is a former Chief Executive of Victim Support in the UK. She retired in 2005 after 26 years with the organisation. She has said that " believe an entirely new way of thinking about crime is neede ...

DBE. Dame Helen served the charity for 26 years, retiring in 2005. Other notable figures who helped Victim Support become a major force for victims in the early years include: Kathy Hobdell MBE, Ron Chick MBE, Sue Tomson, Kay Coventry, Sarah Cawthra, Jane Cooper, Martin Wright and John Pointing.

Research reports

"Survivor's Justice"
December 2017
"Responding to terror attacks"
November 2017
"Victim of the System"
April 2017
"Understanding Victims of Crime"
April 2017
"VS Insight Report: An Easy Target? Risk factors affecting victimisation rates for violent crime and theft"
April 2016
"Waiting for Justice: How victims of crime are waiting longer than ever for criminal trials"
June 2015
"Suffering in silence: children and unreported crime"
December 2014
"At risk, yet dismissed: the criminal victimisation of people with mental health problems" Report
October 2014
Summary"Left in the dark – why victims of crime need to be kept informed"
July 2011.
"Criminal neglect: no justice beyond criminal justice"
2002 *Rights for Victims of Crime, 1995

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1974 establishments in the United Kingdom British victims of crime Charities based in London Crime in England Crime in Wales Organisations based in the City of Westminster Organizations established in 1974 Operation Yewtree