In this blog, Chloe Thatcher, a specialist caseworker supporting children and young people (CYP) at Victim First Futures, shares some advice and strategies on how best to support the needs of the CYP cohort, whether you are a friend, family-member or a trusted adult.
Victim First Futures is a service that supports victims and witnesses of crime in Leicestershire and Rutland. Comprising a team of specialist caseworkers supporting children and young people who are under 18. The service provides tailored assistance to meet the needs of every individual. When it comes to supporting young people, one of the key approaches taken by Chloe and other caseworkers at Victim First, is to work with children and young people in their own homes, community spaces or schools, allowing them to express their support needs and build a rapport on their own timeline, and in their own safe space.
Chloe highlights the importance of working with the entire system surrounding children and young people, including friends, family and trusted adults, so that young victims have consistency in their support network. It’s important to create a space that allows open and honest sharing of incidents, as well as have the tools required to respond and deal with a disclosure. Here are just some of the ways you could approach this.
Advice for friends of CYP victims
It can be challenging for friends to provide support, especially when dealing with sensitive issues like bullying. Friends play a crucial role in young people’s decision-making and healing processes, so it’s important to be equipped if a friend comes to you telling you they have been a victim or witness of a crime. Here are three key pieces of advice to help you.
- Remind them they do not deserve this treatment: Reinforcing the idea that mistreatment is never OK will help to build their self-esteem and reassure them that they are not the problem. It’s important to explain to young people that they should never be in danger or feel unsafe. They need to know that it’s not their fault, and that they deserve to be safe and supported. Understanding a situation from another person’s perspective can lead to treating yourself with the same kindness and care that you would offer a friend.
- Make sure to support your friend to tell someone: Helping your friend also includes supporting them to reach out for help. It is important to remember that you can’t always help your friend alone. You can be supportive and empathise with your friend but sometimes a problem might be too big and need professional help. Make sure to support your friend to tell someone. That doesn’t have to be the police or a teacher, it can be any adult you trust, or a support organisation like Victim First .
- Look after yourself: Taking care of yourself is important, especially when you’re helping a friend who has shared something tough. It can be hard to carry that weight alone, so make sure you have someone you trust to talk to. Being gentle with yourself can really help you feel better overall.
Advice for Trusted Adults and Parents
Here are three strategies for trusted adults and parents to use when communicating with a young person that has been a victim or witness of a crime.
- Utilise tools like the ‘Worry Monster’: The “worry monster” allows children to write down their worries and “feed” them to the monster. Here is how it works: For Younger Children: When a child has a worry, they write it down on a piece of paper and put it inside the worry monster. Every night (or at the end of each week), the worries disappear as the parent empties the worry monster. The child believes the worry monster has “eaten” the worries, which helps relieve their concern. If the parent finds anything concerning, they can discuss it with the caseworker.
For Older Children: Older children write their worries and place them in the monster, then present the monster to their parent. This approach helps reduce the anxiety of bringing up new worries directly to parents and normalises the process of expressing concerns. The method can be flexible and adapted to what works best for the family. Some families may prefer simply writing the worries and not showing them to the parent. Tools can vary as well—boxes, bags, or any available container can be used to collect the worries. - Foster openness: Being open and non-judgmental when communicating with children and young people helps them feel safe and understood. Just as caseworkers create safe spaces for young people to express their emotions, parents and trusted adults can adopt the same approach at home to support their children effectively. Making time for regular conversations about concerns during meals, car rides or before bed, encourages openness. You can do this by asking open-ended questions and validating their feelings by acknowledging and accepting their emotions.
- Reach out to support services: Wherever you are based there are support services commissioned to help all victims or witnesses of crime to cope and recover, regardless of how long ago it happened, or whether it was reported to the police. If you have any concerns for children or young people you can make a referral to a service by looking up your local service and reaching out.
By incorporating some of these suggestions and strategies, friends and trusted adults can play a significant role in supporting the wellbeing of children and young people who are victims or witnesses of crime, alongside the work of specialist caseworkers at victim services like Victim First.
To find out more about Victim First and make a referral, either for yourself or someone else, visit: Victim First | Catch22 (catch-22.org.uk)