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Victim support

Victim Support

Our friendly and dedicated Victim Support Officers are always sensitive to your situation. That’s why they can arrange to meet with you at a location that’s convenient for you - whether that’s our office, your home, or a neutral territory.

We see it as our role to help in any way we can, from offering housing advice to attending court with customers. Above all, we provide an unbiased, non-judgemental approach and continued support for as long as our customers need it.

We completely understand that many victims of domestic abuse do not want to move and would simply prefer to feel safe and secure in their current home. In these situations we can offer a variety of practical solutions such as fitting window locks, strengthening doors or other security measures dependent upon the situation. We can also help with any associated stress by liaising with other agencies, such as the Police and Sunderland City Council, on your behalf. You can also benefit from referrals to professional support bodies such as counselling services.

If you are a victim of anti-social behaviour (ASB), here’s what we can do for you:

  • offer support through our Victim Support Officers
  • provide advice over the phone or meet in private and at a place you choose
  • give you time to think before you have to make a decision
  • offer continuous support, whatever action you decide to take
  • explain the options available fully and the action we can take to deal with the problem
  • work with you to create a support plan to make sure we meet all of your needs during this difficult time
  • do anything we can to help you collect proof, even if that means providing equipment to monitor noise and fitting security cameras in order to gather evidence
  • provide emotional support, help and advice, even if it’s outside our normal working hours
  • give you housing advice
  • liaise with other partners, such as the Police, Wearside Women in Need and Sunderland City Council on your behalf
  • recommend or refer you to other organisations that can give you support, counselling and advice
  • ensure swift action against the people responsible for anti-social behaviour
  • take preventative action to stop anti-social behaviour becoming more serious
  • where necessary, set up projects to prevent anti-social behaviour in the first place
  • offer you a face to face interview either on your own or with support, and if you prefer we can book this with someone of the same sex as you, or with someone who has personal experience or knowledge and awareness of lesbian, gay and bisexual issues.

Remember, our Support Coordinators are here to help from the moment they are notified of a problem. And they continue to offer support until our customer feels they no longer require it.

A forced marriage is where one or both people do not (or in cases of people with learning disabilities, cannot) consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used. It is an appalling and indefensible practice and is recognised in the UK as a form of violence against women and men, domestic/child abuse and a serious abuse of human rights.

Find out more from gov.uk.

 

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