Victim Services provides support to victims of crime in New South Wales. They assist victims in recovering from trauma and navigating the criminal justice system. Key services include counseling, compensation applications, and a unit assisting families of missing persons. Trauma-informed practices are important to avoid re-traumatizing victims. Challenges include understanding trauma responses, reducing re-traumatization in the criminal justice system, and recruiting experienced counselors and report writers trained in trauma.

1. VICTIMS SERVICES
Trauma Informed Care

2. OVERVIEW OF FORUM
• Role of Victims Services
• Key concepts in trauma informed practices
• Impacts on victims accessing services
• Counsellors and Authorised Report Writers
• Managing Trauma in the Workplace
• Trauma in the Criminal Justice System
• Continued challenges

3. ROLE OF VICTIMS SERVICES
We provide support and information to victims of crime
in NSW.
We assist victims in their recovery and as they move
through the criminal justice system.
We oversee the Charter of Victims Rights.

4. SERVICES PROVIDED
• Victims Access Line
• Approved Counselling Scheme
• Compensation and Financial Assistance
• Restitution
• Families and Friends of Missing Persons Unit

5. IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING
TRAUMA MODELS AND APPROACHES
• Trauma is a response to an event or series of events that happen to
individuals
• Responses to trauma are understood as normal reactions rather than
evidence of individual pathology
• Services to people who have experienced trauma such as victims of
crime should be designed in support people in their recovery and not
re traumatizing
• Services should be welcoming and staffed by trained workers who
have an understanding of trauma and its impact.

6. KEY CONCEPTS IN TRAUMA INFORMED
PRACTICES
• A traumatic event is one where an individual experiences,
witnesses or been exposed to an event that involved actual or
threatened death or serious injury to themselves or others
• Responses include intense fear, helplessness, and powerlessness
• For victims of crime, this includes people who have experienced
child abuse, sexual abuse, interpersonal violence, and domestic
violence as primary or secondary victims
• The impact of traumatic events maybe pervasive and impact on all
aspects of a person‟s life and well-being

7. COMMON TRAUMA SYMPTOMS- WITHIN
PTSD DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA
Re-experiencing
• Recurrent re experiencing of the trauma, ie flashbacks, nightmares,
intrusive thoughts and nightmares
• Intense psychological or physiological reactions to internal or external
cues that represent some aspect of the trauma

8. COMMON TRAUMA SYMPTOMS- WITHIN
PTSD DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA (CONT)
Avoidance
• Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated to the trauma
• E.g. thoughts, feelings, conversations
• Activities people and places
• Impaired memory of aspects of the trauma
• Reduced interest or participation in usual activities
• Feelings or detachment /estrangement from others
• Restricted range of affect
• Sense of shortened lifespan

9. COMMON TRAUMA SYMPTOMS- WITHIN
PTSD DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA (CONT)
Arousal
• Persistent feelings of intense arousal
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Frequent irritability or angry outbursts
• Impaired concentration
• Hypervigilance
• Exaggerated startle response
James A. Peck Trauma-Informed Treatment Best Practices 2009

10. ACCESS TO SERVICES

11. IMPACTS ON VOC ACCESING SERVICES
How does this impact on victims of crime accessing
services?
VICTIMS ACCESS LINE
• Information and referrals
• Emotional support
• Crisis intervention
• Provides assistance with claim processes including counselling and
compensation
• Receives concerns about the Charter

12. VICTIMS ACCESS LINE –A FIRST POINT
OF CONTACT WITH VICTIM SERVICES
How does it operate – aim, staffing, roles and
responsibilities
• Case management and claims management
• After Hours service
• Core understanding of trauma and a client -centred approach to service
delivery.

13. WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR
COMPENSATION AND COUNSELLING?
A person injured by an act of violence in NSW.
They could be a:
• Primary victim
• Secondary victim
 Family victim

14. APPROVED COUNSELLING
• 350 Approved Counsellors in NSW
• Initial 10 hours approved
• 12 further hours can be approved
• Families of homicide victims have 20 hours approved.
• Average of six hours per client

15. % Offences claimed in counselling and compensation claims lodged 2009/2010
45
43
40
35
33
32
30
25
25 24
23
Counselling
Compensation
20
15
10
5 4
3 3 3 3
2
0.4 0.4 0.6 0.6
0
Assault Assault - Domestic Robbery Homicide Home Abduction Other
Sexual Violence Invasion

16. COUNSELLING APPROAH-
ADDRESSING TRAUMA
• Focused on the impact of the acts of violence
• Short to medium term based on counsellor‟s assessment and client‟s
consent to participate in counselling – client driven
• Evidence based and centred on an assessment around impact of
trauma on the person‟s wellbeing and functioning
• Recognition of “secondary” and family victims of trauma
• Streamlining the application process

17. WHO ARE THE COUNSELLORS AND
HOW ARE THEY SELECTED?
Victims Support and Rehabilitation Act 1996
• Support of Professional Bodies
• Evidence of training and experience working with a range of crime types
and client groups
• Maintaining standards
• Role of Professional Advisory Panel

18. COMPENSATION PROCESS
Compensable injury to be over $7,500
Injuries include:
• Numerous physical injuries
• Psychological or psychiatric disorder
• 2 offence-based injuries – sexual assault and domestic violence
• Determined on balance of probabilities
• Requires supporting material including medical reports
• Time limit for lodging applications is 2 years
• Section 23A
• Urgent payments (interim awards)

19. REFORMING THE PROCESS TO MAKE IT
MORE STREAMLINE
• Use of “Smartforms”
• Claims managers/ case managers
• More assistance „in house‟
• Increase in claims - managing the process for clients as sensitively as
possible - telling bad news

20. COMPENSATION CLAIMS FOR
PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURY
• A challenging process for applicants who have experienced trauma
• Guide for applicants
• Role of Authorised Report Writers ARWs
• Training for ARWs
• Maintaining quality of the service

21. FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF
MISSING PERSONS UNIT (FFMPU)
In NSW approximately 11,000 people per year are reported missing to
the Police
1800 227 772
02 8688 5423
9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Monday to Friday
www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/missingpersons

22. SERVICES PROVIDED BY FFMPU
• Crisis and ongoing counselling
• Information and referrals about searching agencies
• Advocacy and liaison with State and Federal Police
• Support and information on media and legal issues
• Support during times of reunion
• Publications, consultation and training for service providers

23. PROMOTING CONNECTEDNESS
A resource for service providers who find themselves working with
families and friends of missing persons in a variety of settings
Trauma informed guide to providing support – working with the
ambiguous loss experienced by this client group
Staying beside the client and the story they have about what has
happened and what they need to do in managing this liminal state of
being

24. MANAGING TRAUMA IN THE
WORKPLACE
Vicarious Trauma - July 2010 all staff participated in training
• 51%increased awareness of VT
• 24% increased capacity to manage VT
• 88% felt more able to identify VT happening to them
• 88% felt more able to manage their VT
• 77% felt VS positively supported staff to manage VT
– Staff had slightly elevated cognitive disruption
– Most common VT symptoms of staff were re-experiencing, avoidance
and arousal symptoms

25. MANAGING TRAUMA IN THE WORKPLACE
• Strategies:
– Worked with EAPS to ensure they have experience and
understanding of VT to provide appropriate counselling
– Promotion of Well- Being Activities
– Regular debriefing of staff
– Development of a VT policy and management strategy

26. MANAGING TRAUMA IN THE WORKPLACE
• Accidental Counsellors
• Management of VT
– Supervision
– OHS
– Managers Training

27. CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
• Retraumatisation
• Charter of Victims Rights
• Legal Proceedings– eg use of alternative evidence processes

28. CONTINUED CHALLANGES
• Recruiting experience counsellors and ARW‟s
• The Criminal Justice Systems understanding of trauma responses
• Reducing retraumatisiation in CJS
• Research on what works for victims

29. Mandy Young
Director
(02) 8688 8056
Mandy_young@agd.nsw.gov.au
Lynn Mitchell
A/Manger Policy and Service Delivery