Victim & Witness Care Officer   

Reference no: Surrey BL TCL349985   

Pay rate £12.76 per hour PAYE   

Hybrid role 

Recruitment Vetting 

Temp to Permanent contract after the initial 14 weeks 

Point of contact for victims and witnesses throughout Criminal Justice process or via self-referral

Key responsibilities: 

• Act as a single point of contact for victims and witnesses including professional witnesses  
• Provide practical advice to victims and witnesses, give support and assist victims in the cope and recover phases of their experience  
• Manage and maintain contact throughout the victim and witness journey, including incoming and outgoing phone calls, text messages and emails in order to ensure they are supported, informed and updated, via agreed timescales and their preferred method of contact. Updates will include the progress of their case, any changes in bail or custody status and explanations of the result of the case, ensuring compliance with the minimum requirements of The Witness Charter, No Witness No Justice and The Victims Code of Practice  
• Ensure that case updates are maintained to the highest standard and kept up to date at all times, with a record of every incoming and outgoing communication on each case, detailing decision making and identifying vulnerabilities of individuals and risks to the effectiveness of the case  
• Respond promptly to enquiries from victims, witnesses to assist with concerns and reduce any negative effects of their victim experience or their Criminal Justice experience as much as possible  
• Advise victims of the support services available to them and give advice on suitability of these, referring as necessary and making contact with support services as appropriate  
• Liaise with and respond to and queries from partner agencies such as external support agencies, CPS and court officials to assist with the smooth progression of the case  
• Undertake an initial and ongoing needs assessment along with effective questioning to victims and witnesses in order to identify their needs and support them through the judicial process where relevant. Ascertain the need for special measures and relevant support options and assist them with practical and emotional arrangements after completion of the needs assessment such as arranging childcare, arranging interpreters, liaising with employers and assisting with travel arrangements   
• Ensure that all victims are offered the opportunity to make a Victim Personal Statement and that they are given a full explanation about the purpose of this and their rights under The Victims Code of Practice  
• Support victims and witnesses in attending court, ensure the consequences of non-attendance at court are understood and explain the consequences of communicating hidden barriers which prevent court attendance at short notice 

“Role Requirements” – to give yourself the maximum chance of success please try and ensure your CV addresses the following essential criteria: 

• Good working knowledge of computer and the ability to produce clear, concise and accurate records 
• Demonstrable experience in dealing with people in a customer focussed environment or supportive network for at least a period of approximately 12 months 
• Demonstrable experience of supporting and encouraging customers to take personal action, along with the ability to adapt communication accordantly is critical. Ideally, including experience of dealing with vulnerable victims / witnesses 
• Experience of being self responsible for decision making 
• Demonstrable experience of working within a team of people and sharing knowledge 
• Ability to cope with pressure, work unsupervised and manage time effectively with the skill to deal with several issues at once 
• Ability to maintain professional knowledge and expertise to remain current as procedures and technology advance with a willingness to embrace and make suggestions for improvements in relation to criminal justice legislation, policy and initiatives 

NB: Please feel free to apply to us direct via [email protected] by quoting the job reference and job title exactly. SEE DETAILS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS AD. 

If you have previously applied to one of our vacancies and have already sent the required supporting documentation to us, please make this clear when you re-apply as this will help speed up your application. 

To help speed up the process of uploading your CV to the client we would suggest that you send us your CV in Word format (or equivalent) if possible, rather than as a PDF. 

NB: Police Vacancy - only for candidates with a minimum of 3 years continuous UK address history. 

Please note that this vacancy is subject to a strict security vetting procedure. 

If you are successful in securing this role, please note that for the entire duration of this contract, regardless of extension you will be working this role at the PAYE rate that has been advertised. For absolute clarity, we only work on a PAYE basis, rather than entertaining umbrella pay terms, we do not offer Ltd/umbrella or outside IR35 rates. If you wish to understand PAYE vs Umbrella more, please let us know and we can send you some additional information for clarity.