Victim care officer

Victim care officers give practical and emotional support to people who've been affected by crime.

Also known as: Witness support officer

• Starter salary£21,000 a year
• Experienced£30,000 a year
• Typical hours30 to 37 a week

What you'll do

As a victim care officer, you would:

• assess clients' needs and risks to their safety, and provide support
• advocate for your client at meetings or hearings
• support clients throughout the legal process
• help clients to work with all relevant services, including the police
• keep accurate records on a case management system
• train and supervise volunteers

Working environment

You could work in an office or at a client's home.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
• sensitivity and understanding
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to understand people's reactions
• excellent verbal communication skills
• knowledge of psychology
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

How to become a victim care officer

You can get into this job through:

• volunteering
• applying directly

Volunteering

Volunteering with an organisation that works with vulnerable people is a good way to get into this type of work. Charities like Victim Support offer different roles, depending on what you want to do. You can also search for volunteering opportunities in support work through Do It and NCVO .

To volunteer in a victim care role, you'll need:

• to be 18 or over
• to be of good character
• a caring nature and non-judgemental attitude

As a volunteer, you'll receive training, which will help you to develop your communication and listening skills, as well as the knowledge and understanding required to support victims of crime.

You may need between 1 and 2 years' experience as a volunteer before being able to apply for paid work.

Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs if you have experience from related work, like:

• social services, working with vulnerable adults or children
• community or advice work
• counselling

Experience of working in the justice system, for instance with the police, courts or prisons, would also be useful.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks

Career path and progression

With experience, you could become:

• a senior victim care officer, dealing with complex cases
• a unit or area manager, with responsibility for a number of centres, staff and volunteers
• an independent advocate specialising, for example, in working with victims of domestic abuse

You might also move into witness care, with a greater focus on the legal and judicial system.

You could continue your professional development by taking further training in a particular area, for example the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support Worker Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship.

Career tips

The ability to communicate in a second language used in the community could be useful in some situations.

Guides for this industry

• Administration: pay, interviews and getting started →

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