To our nation’s shame, generally, it remains the case that the provision for crime victims and survivors is woefully inadequate and inconsistent. For most it is an experience that compounds the incident that led to being a victim and one that is degrading.

It remains a fact that there exists a service lottery not just by location of where you live, but including your gender, race, class and education to know how to challenge poor services. It is still the case that health and social services fail to routinely accept their duty to respond in a good and timely manner to assess willingly the needs and risks crime victims may be experiencing. It may be people face adjusting to trauma or disability, neighbourhood victimisation, or need for urgent safe re-housing.

Our statutory services have the status in law and duty to care and fail to do what they can unless public attention is directed towards them. For example, the scandal of the treatment of vulnerable residents in a Cornwall Homes for people with learning disabilities, homes for the elderly, negligence resulting in violent child deaths in London, Manchester and Doncaster. Why are directors and home managers not routinely treated as criminals instead too often being disciplined within staff procedures? So even when statutory service do appear, the standard can further leave vulnerable people at increased risk and they are made invisible by the State.

We need government to make a radical improvement in its attitude, priorities, practical delivery of services and national planning provisions for those affected by violent crime. Anyone that is seriously affected by crime violence should be routinely assessed by health and social care services in order to institutionally show constructively they recognise the impact that trauma, new or further disability has made on a person, or family.

The Department of Health (DoH) in this author’s research experience has shown consistent disinterest in the experiences, funding and needs of crime victims, certainly this was the experience while on a tri-ministerial advisory group. It has not engaged in invitations to join senior government advisory groups for crime victims to date. This is lamentable as its power and roles directly relate to the ability of a person to adjust and progress their lives. It is a government’s basic duty to ensure that the public are not patronised with ‘spin’, but instead provided with national and regional policies that are integrated and meaningful to society and individuals. This is the meaning of multi-agency partnerships and seamless services.

When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard,
nor welcomed. 
But, when we are silent we are still afraid.
So it is better to speak,
Remembering, 
we were never meant to survive.
 
Litany For Survival  : Audré Lorde

Where does this leave people affected by violent crime? It appears to leave people left to either sink or swim, and sadly many people do silently sink into abyss of un-treated trauma, economic hardship, alcohol misuse, broken relationships and social isolation estranged from the life that once held meaning and order – but with varying degrees of proper help people could achieve again! My handbook provides a sensible model for government to attempt that is not radical and ensures crime victims are provided with the best of what is left of the welfare state. The DoH’s general resistance to work effectively alongside the criminal justice agencies of government should be a priority for any government to put an immediate end to, because it directly impedes on the well-being of crime victims – and conflicts with government’s rhetoric of seamless, integrated services.

We are witnessing the steady dismantling of our welfare state in Britain. It is already severely diminished in capacity to respond to crucial areas of need, care and risk. It remains the case that the provision for crime victims and survivors is woefully inadequate and inconsistent. The powers exist to serve crime victims, but not the will from central government. The skills are diminishing along with decreasing public services, resources and morale among workforces.

Over decades in the public services, successive governments have eroded a lot of the means for professionals to do their work effectively but service to the public must be maintained. For crime victims public services and access to them too often reinforce an experience of distress, stigma, condescension and social isolation through lack of good support. This where the unfortunate connection emerges with the victim club and this is the responsibility of government who have allowed this imbalance of duty and power to develop. These should not be confused with the superb provision of expert organisations some listed here and more within my handbook.

The voluntary sector, now sometimes called the Third Sector cannot undertake some of the tasks because in law the statutory services have a duty and power to act, even though the organisations often perform better than the statutory services.

We must hope statutory services improve and when they do these will be identified on this site with correct website links, so watch this space! In the meantime, the expert help section will have an increasing number of expert organisations that provide quality guidance for some enquiries, for example women’s services, disabilities, private investigators. It must be understood not all organisations provide direct care or support services.

Each health and social services department throughout Britain has a duty to assess your needs and explain how services are provided and before leaving hospital an assessment of your needs should be provided. It is your right to be assisted by state services and if they decline they should provide useful alternatives to assist your needs.