Victim Support for children

[purpleme12]

Has anyone's child used victim support?
What is it like? What help did they give? Was it just talking?

@purpleme12. Pm me if you wish to discuss. I am an ex volunteer.

It can be more practical than just talking. The support worker can take the child on a visit to the court for example so that they get an idea of what the court looks like and where different people sit, what they wear. They can see the special measures equipment like screens or video links. Generally the support worker will make an initial assessment of the child's needs and then use games and talking to ensure that the child understands the process of giving evidence in court and can talk over any fears they have about giving evidence, even if that is unrelated to the day in court, for example they might be worried about what will happen to the offender, or concerned about what their family might think about what they say, or who might find out about it. The support worker will never have conversations with the child about the details of the offence that they are witness to or the content of what they might say on the day, as this can be argued by the defence as coaching the witness. I'm happy to answer any questions that you have if I haven't covered it, I also used to volunteer for the Young Witness Service, Victim Support.