Victim Services: Supporting people impacted by crime and anti-social behaviour

Our approach

Catch22’s approach to supporting victims is underpinned by its wider portfolio of experience in delivering different public services, from child exploitation services supporting children and young people affected by county lines, to substance misuse and gangs services. This extensive insight provides us with a well-rounded understanding and perspective of the multi-faceted and complex nature of crime and its wider impacts.

Support offered by our victim services is free, independent and confidential, and available to victims and witnesses regardless of whether the crime has been reported or not.

We conduct a conversational, victim-led, needs assessment which helps our caseworkers to assess the level of risk and need. Caseworkers will then co-create a support plan with our service users, so that they feel in control of their next steps.

We offer every victim:

• an allocated worker to act as a single point of contact to simplify their journey,
• an assessment of every victim’s needs which informs their individualised support plan, and
• solution-focused and strengths-based support.

What makes us different?

• We draw on Catch22’s experience delivering a range of services including child sexual exploitation, personal wellbeing, substance misuse and gangs support services.
• We involve victims in the design and continuous improvement of our services.
• We use partnerships and stakeholder engagement to upskill and empower others in our communities to increase awareness of our services for potential or ‘hidden’ victims

Our impact

In 2023-2024:

45,160 victims were supported by our services

99% of service users were satisfied with the service they received

99% of service users reported improved or sustained health and wellbeing after our support

Click here to read our blog posts which showcase a range of topics, from advice for victims to criminal justice policy.

Our services

Leicester Victim First

Victim First is a free, independent and confidential service for victims and witnesses of crime across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Our team recognise that everyone’s needs are different and that is why Victim First is designed to be tailored to the requirements of the victim or witness. Whether or not the crime has been reported, and regardless of when it happened, our team’s priority is to ensure that the victim is given the support to help them move forward.

Victim First is commissioned by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire (OPCC). The team is made up of experienced and professional caseworkers, assisted by dedicated and trained volunteers who support victims in their journey of recovery. It does not matter where you are in your criminal justice journey. Service users are given access to information, practical support, emotional support, advice and where appropriate, an onward referral to specialist support services. Victim First also delivers a Restorative Justice service, and distinct service for children and young people called Victim First Futures.

The Victim First team works with specialist services across the region to ensure that support engages communities that are harder to reach, providing translators and translated materials whenever necessary.

“If I didn’t have professional support, I don’t think I would be where I am today. Chloe has been brilliant. She’s been really helpful in advising me of my options and validating my experience. She is very approachable, easy to talk to and has been such a great source of support during a difficult time. She has gone above and beyond by sending over sources of information as well as advising me on them and making referrals on my behalf.” – Service User

100% of victims feel they have been enabled to cope and recover from the impact the crime had on their lives (Jan-Apr 2024)

Greater Manchester Victims’ Services

Greater Manchester Victims’ Services (GMVS) provide a centre of excellence for victims, witnesses and survivors, by offering a free, independent and confidential service for individuals impacted by crime across Greater Manchester.

Greater Manchester Victims’ Services help victims and witnesses to cope and recover from the impact of crime, regardless of how long ago it happened or whether it was reported to the police. The service works in close partnership with other organisations, such as the police and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to get the best outcomes for victims. We believe a multi-agency approach is crucial in preventing repeat victimisation and allows us to share insights and learning with our partners.

Our team pride themselves on having a victim-centered approach and tailor our support around the victim’s needs and wishes. We undertake a thorough needs assessment and create a support plan tailored to each individual. We understand how hard it can be for some individuals to come forward and access support, and so our approach is always non-judgmental.

We also offer a self-referral gateway that allows victims to directly seek support and gain access to our services. Through this portal, service users can access a range of self-help resources, tools, and materials, as well as submit self-referrals for support directly through the GMVS website.

Greater Manchester Victims’ Services has five priority areas:

1. Taking the service to the victim
2. Stopping repeat victimisation
3. Strengthening local partnerships
4. Digital transformation
5. Service integration and communication

“I feel heard and listened to, I’ve not had that before’. ‘it’s literally all I’ve wanted for the past 9 months but I spent so long being unheard it got to a point where I just gave up.” – Service User

In 2023-2024, 92% of Service Users reported that they feel better informed and empowered following support from GMVS.

Click here to read about HRH The Princess Royal’s visit to the Greater Manchester Victims’ Services

Hertfordshire Beacon Victim Care

Hertfordshire Beacon is a free, independent and confidential service for victims and witnesses of crime across Hertfordshire, commissioned by Hertfordshire’s Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC).

In 2019- 2024 4.5mill+ has been recovered for victims of fraud supported by Hertfordshire Beacon.

At Beacon, we believe that no victim should be left behind. We support victims and witnesses to cope and recover from the impact of crime, regardless of how long ago it happened or whether it was reported to the police or not. Our team of dedicated and trained professionals will support service users every step of the way.

Our Beacon Support Workers use victim-centred and restorative approaches by putting the individual’s needs first. This is completed by conducting a needs assessment which considers the impact and harm caused by the crime, including any physical, emotional, psychological or financial hardships caused. From the needs assessment, our Beacon Support Workers develop a package of support tailored to the individual’s needs.

Beacon hosted its annual Victims Awareness Conference in June 2024, featuring insightful contributions from Hertfordshire Constabulary, the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office, local authorities, and other key organisations.

In 2019- 2024 4.5mill+ has been recovered for victims of fraud supported by Hertfordshire Beacon.

“I feel so much better now I’ve been able to talk. My Beacon Support Worker helped me so much, she listened and cared. She helped me the best she could without even knowing me.” – Service User

Beacon Family Hub

As well as our Beacon victim service, Catch22 launched the Beacon Family Hub in August 2021 after identifying an urgent gap in support for families living in Hertfordshire where there is Child-on-Parent Violence (CPV) occurring within the home.

The Family Hub uses a trauma-informed approach to support the family, providing tools and techniques to lower risk and prevent escalation as well as repairing relationships between all family members. An assessment will be carried out to assess the needs and then a support plan will be tailored to each family. We provide support through different methods to help meet the needs of all parties. This might mean a combination of face-to-face, telephone and email/text support.

A few examples of the support given by our Beacon Support Workers are:

• Emotional Support
• Safety Planning
• Understanding Emotions
• Triggers & Responses
• Anger Management

Young Londoners’ Victim Service

The Young Londoners’ Victim Service is a service designed to support young people between 4-17 years old, who have been affected by crime, reported or unreported, across all London boroughs.

The service provides emotional, practical, and advocacy support to help young people cope and move forward from a traumatic event.

We recognise that every young Persons’ experience is different, which is why we begin with a personalised needs assessment conducted by a specialist caseworker. Together with the young person, our caseworkers create a unique support plan that is tailored to the service user’s individual needs. The aim is to give the young person an active role in their recovery journey, focusing on reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors.

The pan-London service aims to ensure that young people achieve the following outcomes:

• Enhanced ability to cope, build confidence and resilience, enabling them to move forward with daily life
• Improved knowledge and a greater sense of empowerment
• Reduced risk of further victimisation and increased feelings of safety
• Improved health and well-being
• Access to the right support when needed

Working in partnership with a wider multi-agency approach, enables this service to build a holistic, wraparound system of support for young people impacted by crime. We work with 3 key partners to deliver the service; Kooth, Advance and London Youth.  Kooth provide a streamlined online pathway into mental health support for young victims of crime in London.  Advance deliver specialist female-gendered case management support to young women and girls who are victims and witnesses of crime in London. London Youth deliver the Trusted Youth Allies (TYA) programme, which includes a training curriculum and range of resources for community champions across the capital.

“All Londoners who find themselves affected by crime deserve the best possible care and support. Thanks to a £1m investment from the Mayor of London, this new service is designed to reach more young victims of crime than ever. It will provide a breadth of expertise to help them cope, recover and rebuild their young lives.”- Sophie Linden, London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime

Restorative Justice

At Leicestershire Victim First and Hertfordshire Beacon, we offer Restorative Justice (RJ) as part of our service delivery.

Restorative Justice is a voluntary process that provides both victims and perpetrators the opportunity to communicate about the incident, discuss its impact and the harm caused, and ask any questions. The goal is to help bring closure and support victims in moving forward with their lives.

Our services are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for Restorative Justice to take place, guided by trained RJ facilitators. We actively listen to the victim’s experiences, consider the effects on them, and work to identify what is needed for the next stage of their recovery.

“I’ve gone through this healing process, and I have come out wiser in the end.” – Victim First Service User

“I’ve forgiven her [the other party] and I’m moving on and hope we can be friends in the future. Thank you for the support.” – Victim First Service User

Click here or scan the QR code below to listen to Catch22Minutes podcast episode on Restorative Justice. In this episode panelists discuss the importance of restorative justice in allowing victims to be heard and the offender the chance to repair the harm done – all through a supportive, controlled environment.

Contact us

Drop us an email at justice@catch-22.org.uk

If you’d like to find out more about Catch22’s Education provision, please visit our website.