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home History of Victim SupportThe first Victim Support scheme was set up in Bristol in January 1974. This was an experimental project to investigate the needs of victims of crime and how these might best be met. The project was designed and managed by a committee drawn from a wide range of professional backgrounds, but the main work was carried` out then, and now, by selected and trained volunteers.
The problems found were more extensive than had been expected. Victims and their families reported emotional, practical and financial problems, indicating that support was already long overdue. It was clear that while their needs remained unmet, the spread of fear, anger and general alienation would continue. A BBC Open Door programme reported on the achievements of the Bristol volunteers in helping victims to cope with the problems caused by crime, and this resulted in new initiatives in many other areas.
In 1979, there were around 30 groups using the name ‘Victim Support’, but there was little knowledge about their practice or the principles that guided their work. There were numerous requests for information, and people in many other areas were seeking advice about establishing new services for victims in their towns and counties.
In 1989 Victim Support set up a project based at 7 Crown Courts throughout England. The Victim/Witness at Court provided a support service for victims and witnesses attending these centres. Co-ordinators managed teams of trained volunteers who provided practical advice and emotional support to the client group. The Home Office later agreed to provide additional funding which resulted in all the Crown Courts in England and Wales having a witness service.
Victim Support schemes have been accompanying victims to the magistrates’ courts since the organisation was first set up in 1974. However, further down the line in February 1999, the Home Secretary announced an increase in funding to Victim Support in order to extend the Witness Service into all magistrates’ courts.
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Copyright ©2003 Victim Support Wandsworth. All rights reserved. |
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