Who we are

Victim Support is an independent charity. We are dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales, and we put them at the heart of our organisation. Our support and campaigns are informed and shaped by them and their experiences.

We provide specialist services to help people cope and recover and to empower them to ensure their voices are heard individually and collectively at a local and national level.

What we do

Our services help people affected by all types of crime and we provide free confidential support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for people affected by crime and traumatic events — regardless of whether they have reported the crime to the police or when it occurred and for as long as it is needed.

Most of our services are delivered locally through skilled staff and volunteers who are deeply rooted in their communities. We adapt our services to meet local need and pride ourselves on being responsive to local demands. These services are closely linked into the National Homicide Service providing a dedicated, comprehensive service for those bereaved by murder and manslaughter and our national Supportline.

We are an independent charity and our unrivalled national overview gives us the ability to share best practice and innovate in our services as well as champion victims’ rights from a strong evidence base.

Our vision

A world where there are fewer victims, but who have:

• Stronger rights
• Better support
• Real influence in the criminal justice system.

Our values

Everything we do is underpinned by our values which drive our organisational culture; what sort of organisation we are, what we stand for and how we behave. We are:

Empowering

• We work with people to shape the support that they receive, to develop their resilience and the skills to achieve their rights
• We treat everyone with dignity and respect
• We will ensure that the way we run Victim Support at every level is informed by people with lived experiences of crime and harm  and we will continue to develop the ways we involve and consult service users.

Inclusive

• We are committed to ensuring that all of our services are equitable and accessible to all; that our employees and volunteers reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, and that equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded across our organisation
• We will continue to develop channels to engage and consult with staff and volunteers to ensure their experience and voice is heard in the running of Victim Support and the delivery of our services via the Staff Consultation Forum and the Volunteer Panel

Collaborative

• We will work together locally in a positive Multi Agency approach to best meet the needs of individual people affected by crime
• We will work closely with other like-minded organisations nationally and locally to campaign for improvements in the criminal justice system and to develop our respective and collective organisational strength
• The environment affects us all now and for the future. We will work together and with other organisations to make Victim Support a healthy place to work and visit. We are committed to continually improving our environmental performance, promoting the well-being of our teams and ensuring that we minimise any adverse environmental impact from our activities.

Independent

• We are an independent charity. This enables us to work alongside people to represent their interests, access the services they need, exercise their rights and support them to speak out.