Witness Care Units
Thames Valley
Together with Thames Valley Police the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) established three Witness Care Units (WCUs) in the Thames Valley during 2005, providing practical help and support to victims and witnesses appearing at the Area's courts. These units are based at Reading, Oxford and Aylesbury.
The launch of the WCUs in the Thames Valley means that victims and witnesses now receive one-to-one support to help them through the sometimes difficult process of giving evidence in court.
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire has three Witness Care Units (WCUs); one based in the Trials Unit at St Albans; another within the Criminal Justice Unit (CJU) Central and West at St Albans and a third in Stevenage, for CJU North and East.
Deborah Fox is the Police Manager and the lead on Victim and Witness Care; Julie Shilston is the Police Witness Care Manager for the Trials Unit based in St Albans and Emma Downes is the Police Witness Care Manager for the CJU.
The WCUs within CPS Hertfordshire have now been established for some time and they ensure a key focus on the needs of victims and witnesses to support them throughout the process in attending Court. Victims and witnesses across Hertfordshire now receive one-to-one support, ensuring their needs are assessed at vital stages of the process and that they are informed of progress of cases in an effective and timely manner.
Bedfordshire
Together with Bedfordshire Police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) established three Witness Care Units (WCUs) in Bedfordshire during 2005, providing practical help and support to victims and witnesses appearing at the Area's courts.
The launch of the WCUs in Bedfordshire means that victims and witnesses now receive one-to-one support to help them through the sometimes difficult process of giving evidence in court. The WCU managers are Heather Willison (Luton Crown and Magistrates Courts) and Sue Frazer (Bedford Magistrates Court), whose main aim is to ensure the best service provision for victims and witnesses, to assist offenders being brought to justice.
No Witness, No Justice
The WCUs have been set up as part of the No Witness, No Justice project, a joint police / CPS initiative that aims to ensure that witnesses are better informed, better prepared and better supported throughout any court proceedings.
Each WCU is staffed by a team of witness care officers, who provide a single point of contact for victims and witnesses throughout the life of a case; from when the defendant is charged through to sentencing.
Supporting Witnesses
Witness care officers carry out a full needs assessment with witnesses to identify what support they need to enable them to attend court.
The needs assessment is an opportunity for witnesses to flag any issues that may prevent them attending court to give evidence, such as difficulties over childcare or transport provision, medical problems or disabilities, language difficulties, or concerns over intimidation. Some witnesses may simply need reassurance about what to expect when they get to the court.
The witness care officer will co-ordinate the support needed to address these concerns and assist the witness in attending court.
They can explain how the criminal justice process works and what the witness can expect to happen when they go to court. They can also provide relevant phone numbers for witnesses to call to find out information such as bus and train times so they can get to court, local child minding agencies, or even someone who can help look after the family pet for the day. Where appropriate they can manage referrals to local agencies that are able to provide specialist assistance, such as Victim Support, women's refuge groups or interpreters.
Keeping Witnesses Informed
The witness care officers will provide updates about the progress of the case, and at the end of the trial make sure that victims and witnesses are told about the result and sentencing, thanked for their help with the case and offered further support if they need it.
