Expertise and credentials

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 purpose is to provide specialist help and services, to support people to cope until they feel they’re back on track with their lives. We work in a way that suits them and ensure their voices are heard through their support and beyond.

As an organisation, victims, those close to them and witnesses to the crime are our focus and over the years we have developed unrivalled expertise as to their needs and aspirations and their journey through the criminal justice system.

Last year, following our help and support:

  • 77% of people felt better able to cope
  • 75% felt safer
  • 78% said their wellbeing had improved.

We are local

Our services are delivered locally through skilled staff and volunteers who are deeply rooted in these communities. We adapt our services to meet local needs and pride ourselves on being responsive to these needs and priorities.

Find out more about services in your area.

Our local services benefit from secure technology, consistent quality standards and the ability to share insight and best practice. Our national research enable us to research and evaluate what works and innovate based on evidence.

Find out more about our 24/7 Supportline and live chat services.

We are independent of the government, the police, local authorities and the criminal justice system. This is hugely important as we know some victims may distrust the criminal justice system and others, particularly those from some minority communities or people with mental health conditions, face barriers in reporting to the police.

We work closely with all these organisations and other specialist partner agencies to achieve our new vision: a world where there are fewer victims, but who have stronger rights, better support and a real influence in the criminal justice system.

Our quality policy sets out how we achieve excellence in service delivery in line with our funder’s requirements and the commitments that we make to our service users.

Led by our senior management team, it shows how we aim to continually improve our services, act on feedback, support our people, and manage our relationship with partners.