Victims and witnesses
Bereavement pack
This pack is for Family Liaison Officers to give to bereaved families and friends following murder or manslaughter. It provides information about decisions and arrangements they may need to make, and explains how the Criminal Justice System works. It also provides contact details for support groups and organisations. Hard copies can be ordered from Prolog on 0870 241 4680 or by email.
- Information for the bereaved
- Information for the bereaved [Welsh]
- Coping with grief leaflet
- Coping with grief leaflet [Welsh]
The Witness Charter page
The Witness Charter is a commitment to witnesses on how they should be treated by the Criminal Justice System. This page provides all the most up-to-date information on the programme, which rolls out nationally from April 2009. It includes the Charter itself, guidance for practitioners, promotional materials and other useful practitioner resources.
Probation victim liaison guidance
This guidance manual, for Probation Victim Liaison Officers, will also be useful to colleagues working with victims and offenders across agencies. It sets out policy on the identification and referral of victims to the Probation Service following the conviction and sentencing of an offender, and the processes during the offender's sentence which victims may be notified about and contribute to.
The Victims' Code of Practice
Since April 2006 criminal justice agencies are required by law to provide minimum standards of service to victims of crime. The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime will ensure all victims are kept up to date on the progress of their case – when someone is arrested, charged, bailed and sentenced. It also provides an enhanced service for vulnerable and intimidated victims.
- The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime
- The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime booklet – public-facing
- Language versions
The Victims' Code promotional items
This is the artwork for various promotional items used to raise awareness of the code within CJS agencies. If you have any queries about the materials please contact us.
- The Victims' Code poster
- The Victims' Code postcard
- The Victims' Code police postcard
- The Victims' Code HMCS postcard
- The Victims' Code CPS postcard
Early findings of WAVES survey
This report sets out the first results of the WAVES (Witness and Victim Experience) survey. It relates how victims and witnesses of crime thought the Criminal Justice System treated them and the support they received.
Vulnerable and intimidated witnesses practice guidance
This guidance is intended to assist those involved in preparing and supporting vulnerable and intimidated witnesses through the criminal justice process.
- Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Guidance on Interviewing Victims and Witnesses, and Using Special Measures
- Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Guidance on Interviewing Victims and Witnesses, and Using Special Measures [Welsh]
- Early special measures discussions between police and CPS guidance
- Special measures meetings between CPS and witnesses guidance
- Vulnerable Witnesses: A Police Service Guide
- Provision of Therapy for Child Witnesses
- Provision of Therapy for Vulnerable or Intimidated Adult Witnesses
- Risk Assessment: Intimidation Scorecard
- Working With Intimidated Witnesses: A Manual for Police and Practitioners
- Action Dispels Fear: Solving the Problem of Witness Intimidation
Young witness support guidance
This guidance has been produced to assist Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs), in consultation with Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs), in reviewing the support services that are available locally for young witnesses who are called to give evidence in court and in developing a specialist Young Witness Support Scheme.
Memorandum of Understanding between LCJBs and local Victim Support
This document approved by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform and Victim Support can serve as a model for Local Criminal Justice Boards and local Victim Support charities seeking to agree a Memorandum of Understanding. It has developed from the work to improve the way local criminal justice agencies work with Victim Support and is based on the benefits observed when relationships are formalised. All Local Criminal Justice Boards must now agree a Memorandum of Understanding with the local Victim Support charity as part of the board's commitment to the Victim and Witness Delivery Plan (Toolkit 3 in particular).
Use of witness intermediaries
The guidance below contains detailed procedural information for criminal justice practitioners and associated guidance for the use of unregistered intermediaries (who will be used only in exceptional cases) together with some FAQs about the scheme. The use of intermediaries to assist vulnerable witnesses who need help with communication in order to achieve their best evidence is now being rolled out across England and Wales following the completion of a successful pilot stage (section 29 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999).
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Being an Intermediary: Guidance for Unregistered Intermediaries
- Intermediaries: Procedural Guidance Manual
- What's My Story? A Guide to Using Intermediaries
- National Registered Intermediary Conference 2008 – Conference Report
- National Registered Intermediary Conference 2007 – Conference Report
Witness security at court
This guidance paper, jointly produced by the Home Office and the then Department of Constitutional Affairs, is designed to offer recommendations and practical steps when considering the issue of witness security. The guidance has been agreed by the senior judiciary, Association of Chief Police Officers and Victim Support.
Young witness pack
The Young Witness Pack publications are valuable tools in preparing young witnesses for giving evidence in court. These versions, based on the NSPCC's, have been produced by the CJS to replace them. Download the bilingual (English-Welsh) version of each item below, or order hard copies for free from Prolog at 0870 241 4680 or by emailing them. Please note these are to be read through with young witnesses, they are not to be ordered for mail-out or promotional purposes.