Officium - domestic violence, support for abuse victims, criminal justice, support for victims of violent crimes, crime victim rights, crime victim advocacy, criminal injury compensation, personal injury, victim support

domestic violence, support for abuse victims, criminal justice, support for victims of violent crimes, crime victim rights, crime victim advocacy, criminal injury compensation, personal injury, victim supportMy handbook aims to direct people affected by violent crime to all that is best and known from my research and experience. It encourages people to strive to be assertive and not trapped and typecast living as permanent ‘victims’. domestic violence, support for abuse victims, criminal justice, support for victims of violent crimes, crime victim rights, crime victim advocacy, criminal injury compensation, personal injury, victim support It covers matters like trauma, death, disability, the media, the police, going to court and services. It explains how to confidently seek help and if necessary how to pursue a formal complaint. This handbook will be periodically revised to remain up to date with policy, legal and community changes and to include or exclude agencies. It explains the complex, expensive, often degrading and drawn-out CICA compensation process combining easy references and directory listings for selecting the best experts of trauma specialists and solicitors across England, Scotland and Wales. It has three main areas 1) the personal survivor needs, 2) the complex legal CICA process and compensation issues and 3) social / government policy, why, as a wealthy nation we treat victims as we do, and suggest community and national empowerment proposals for the future like setting-up small and regional groups. This handbook aims to break and confront the anguished silent isolation a survivor of violent crime is often placed in by institutions, and an ambivalent society. An inclusive guide has never been achieved before. Others have written with a minimal cluster of précised points and telephone numbers, or a detached often academic perspective, or kept the obvious and common sense parts of a person’s life fragmented - never treating a person as a whole. Instead, referring to people’s needs like shattered glass keeping inter-connected parts of a person’s life isolated. This handbook weaves current political, policy and social issues affecting us all as citizens - especially people affected by violent crime. It is about the important obvious common sense matters people need to know that makes this handbook inclusive. This is a small contribution to the huge struggle for justice domestic violence, support for abuse victims, criminal justice, support for victims of violent crimes, crime victim rights, crime victim advocacy, criminal injury compensation, personal injury, victim supportdomestic violence, support for abuse victims, criminal justice, support for victims of violent crimes, crime victim rights, crime victim advocacy, criminal injury compensation, personal injury, victim support

Use caution!

Unfortunately, there are very few advocacy organisations for people specifically affected by violent-related crime, and there is a cluster of charity-status groups that at this time are definitely not desirable to include. It is both ironic and disturbing that the criminal justice system exists because of victims, but so little qualitative or credible provision exists for victims of violence. It seems everyone fares better except victims – criminals receive free expert legal representation, psychiatric care and re-housing.

At the point of personal tragedy, it is better to secure a statutory and multi-agency combination of services to protect and assist you as they have the power, expertise and duty in law.

Why use caution?

This cluster of generally non-productive groups are scattered around Britain and are best described as the victim club. They should be used with extreme caution if you need help – if at all. Although they communicate with one another, some endorsed by government, they also appear unable to work effectively with each other for the wider good of society. They have complex reasons for being involved and congregate in a cycle of unproductive ‘conferences’. Yet they fail to galvanise local community or national interest, respect or awareness. To say ‘conferences’ exaggerates the usefulness of what takes place or the groups’ importance. Sadly, they generally show an alarming level of ignorance and about the needs of how to productively help victims. This is highlighted in their failure to effectively help individuals transform their personal agony into progressive lives.

The victim club do not generally attract people who wish to be associated with them. The dilemma the victim club appears to have is they are ‘stuck’. They are ‘stuck’ in that many of the key activists carry patently unresolved problems that directly get in the way of their own best intentions. Serious caution should be used if approached or tempted to contact them.

The victim club

A common cluster of factors exists that makes any of these groups very undesirable to use when in deep crisis and include:

General failure to attract well-trained volunteers;
Failure to attract well-trained volunteers fails to produce serious funding;
Failure to provide credible responsive strategies for developing themselves into effective services – some after ten years! For example, some of the victim club state only those that are family and have experienced murder can help those affected by murder. This is silly: many people live in unmarried lifestyles; Many victims of violent crime experienced violence within a family environment. Most families affected by murder state that they want experts to help them, and not another family, especially if they are ‘stuck’ in their personal grief and loss.
The victim club tend to exclude many sections and ethnic minority communities, gay people or single people who are not part of ‘a family’ but remain in need;
The victim club cannot secure the respect of statutory services to help you;
The institutional power the Home Office and Victim Support controls nationally over victims, dictates the national awareness for the health, social and legal needs of a growing large silent minority of victimised people. This puts people in a ghetto and prevents the growth of quality services. Small groups cannot compete without support of the authorities, media and police. It goes against government talk about diversity for choice. There is no real choice for victims within this sector of groups and the victim club are not the agencies to fill this gap at this point in time;
Within the victim club, are some very dysfunctional people and groups. There is no good power in the status of victim, nothing nourishing or productive to be trapped for many years as a permanent angry victim;
To be a victim of violence is a horrendous experience; indeed, an event of devastating life-changing impact. But, this need not mean that to be forever stuck as a ‘permanent victim’ helps people, or is healthy. Many within the victim club cannot develop beyond having a ‘permanent victim’ state of mind, always out of control, always angry. No one benefits from this. The term ‘victim’ is not very pleasant and not a label most victims wish to have pinned on them forever. People wish to progress and reclaim control and have nourishment in their lives, and to do more than survive. This does not belittle the raw anguished horror: it means most people need to progress with quality help;
The victim club would not have to be an unsatisfactory option at all if people affected by violent crime were afforded the same automatic choice of expert statutory services that violent criminals are automatically afforded;

A few tips

Until this cluster of unremarkable and undesirable groups evolve and mature into credible and useful organisations, they should be avoided.

Do not settle for the second-rate when you need the first-rate.
Discuss with your family liaison officer, social care services or some good quality advocacy organisations if you feel the need for help; establish what the agencies can offer you and how. This is your unwanted nightmare and life – select groups carefully! It is not good enough for a group to say ‘we know what it’s like’ as the sole basis for coming into your living nightmare: what else can this group tangibly provide? The aim is to reduce turmoil, not have others increase it!
It simply is not good enough for a newly traumatised person to be contacted by such a group purely because they once had someone dear that has been murdered or gravely injured. In itself, for you, as a bewildered and very vulnerable person confused empathy simply is not good enough. They are more likely to need you more than you need them. Be selective and say no thank you! This applies to State sanctioned groups too.
If any group approaches you with offers of help and cannot prove they have successfully completed police checks, successfully completed a minimum of fifty hours volunteer training, have a clear reason of what they are offering, and you have not requested their visit – then politely avoid them, say no thank you and ask them to leave. It is quality and expert help you deserve and require.

Avoid the victim club if you want to survive and progress! It is better to secure a statutory and multi-agency combination of services to protect and assist you as they have the power, expertise and duty in law.