Our strategy through stories
Who best to talk about our work of supporting people affected by crime and traumatic events and the priorities of our strategy than the people who we work with. Hear from them.
Using our voice and influence
We want to become a recognised, trusted and prominent victims’ voice. We want to create changes to the criminal justice system in order to improve victims’ experiences. People like Patricia have been supporting us in this work.
Patricia (not her real name) was assaulted by her son in her home. She is appalled by the lack of action and support from the police who kept cancelling meetings and then closed her case without even informing her. She is grateful for the kindness and support shown by her caseworker at Victim Support and is now hopeful her case will be reopened.
She is now using her voice to influence legislation with Victim Support, such as the Prisoner and Victims Bill.
She said, “Victims don’t seem to have any rights. I hope telling my story makes the police sit up and be a lot more considerate to victims.”
“I won’t ever get over what happened to me, but I just hope that telling my story does some good. Perhaps it will help stop someone going through what I did.”
Enhancing our strengths
We want to ensure that victims can access the services and support they need. This includes strengthening our support on offer, as well as innovating in fast-paced crime areas such as romance and financial fraud. People live Anna have benefitted from the strengths of our services and support.
Anna (not her real name) was a victim of romance fraud sending the scammer and his accomplices £315,000 over a two-and-a-half year period. She met the perpetrator online and within a few weeks he was using fake scenarios to extract money from her. Eventually she blocked him, and Victim Support helped by providing support and assistance in retrieving two-thirds of her lost money from her banks. She is now intent in informing as many people as possible about the dangers of romance fraud and helping others by telling her story.
She said, “Victim Support were there for me when I needed them, and I would recommend them 100%. In the early stages you might not want to talk to anyone but down the line you realise it is nice and, in a way, it’s much easier to talk to someone you don’t know at all.
Delivering quality and innovation
We want to continue to embed quality in our services and support – including tailoring them to meet people’s needs. Michael’s story shows how he was supported with this tailored approach.
50-year-old Michael (not his real name) suffered life-changing injuries, including the loss of sight in one eye, following a vicious seven-hour assault. His assailant battered him with a brick and a hammer in a bid to get his pin number. But the police were unable to find any witnesses to support a charge because locals were so scared of the attacker. The victim eventually moved away and praises Victim Support for helping save his life when he was at his lowest.
He said, “They became my absolute rock. And they would phone me practically every day. It probably wasn’t their duty to call me every day, but they did because they cared so much. They saved my life.”
Reaching victims
We will continue to be a financially stable and strong organisation. That means that we can continue to deliver support to victims who need it.
Martin was viciously attacked by a man wielding a spade after he intervened to stop the man pushing a woman around outside his home. His injuries were life-threatening, and he required plastic surgery. He contemplated taking his own life and now suffers from complex post-traumatic stress disorder but himself and his wife – who witnessed the horrific attack – found such fantastic support in Victim Support they now feel they can move forward with their lives.
He said, “What our caseworkers have is compassion. You think a support worker is there to walk you through things and point you in directions and they do that, but they also do so much more. No matter what time of day it is, or how exhausted they feel, they would be there for you if you needed them, and they do everything possible to ensure that you stay alive.”