Putting victims at the heart of change
Case study from the Victims Transformation Programme
Partner - Victim Centre of Excellence
“As part of our Victim Centre of Excellence team, I lead on our work regularly engaging with victims of crime: making sure that the CPS and our changing service to victims is directly informed by their feedback and experiences. This year, as we refresh the service we offer to people who have been bereaved by crime, I worked with the charity Victim Support to establish a reference group made up of bereaved family members.
“Meeting with victims and family members in these forums, we shape our services and resources around their feedback and their needs. We are guided by them in things like the language we use; the trauma-informed training we provide to staff; and the resources we develop to simply explain the criminal justice system.
“Though I know the CPS still have a lot of progress to make, this work helps me to be confident that we are making the right changes. We don’t make assumptions; we ask victims what they need and what would have made their experience better. Our reference groups give victims and family members a space to have their voices heard.
“At times, it can be challenging to hear what they have been through. Yet it’s been a privilege to lead on this work. I’m grateful for every group member who has been brave enough to share their experience – they are helping us to make it better for victims and bereaved families in the future.”