Victim Support - UK

[CCADP]

www.victimsupport.org.uk/


Victim Support is the independent charity which helps people cope with the effects of crime. We provide free and confidential support and information to help you deal with your experience.

Support for the Relatives of Murder Victims

Contact details:
Support for the Relatives of Murder Victims
230 Bedford Road
Kempston
Bedford
Bedfordshire MK42 8PP

tel: [phone]
fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail] and [e-mail]

***********
Victim Supportline
0845 30 30 900

If you have hearing difficulties, please call 18001 0845 30 30 90 or you can call our minicom (or text telephone) number on 020 7896 3776.

We can also give you information by letter and by email. Our email address is [e-mail]

a supportline volunteer answering a callWe know that people don't just need help during office hours. We also know that when you're feeling bad, the idea of having to deal with a stranger - even one who is there to help - can seem too much to cope with. And there may be times when you don't want to leave your home to get help. The Victim Supportline can give you information and emotional support anonymously and in confidence.

We are just a phone call away and because it's just a phone call, you're in total control of what's happening - you can end the call at any time, and no one needs to know who you are, or where you're calling from, unless you want them to.

If you do want to talk, our trained volunteers are there to listen. If you want further help or information we can refer you on or point you in the right direction. And if you decide you want to get more direct help from your local branch of Victim Support, or from the Witness Service, we can put you in touch with them too.

We are open:

* 9am - 9pm Mondays to Fridays
* 9am - 7pm weekends
* 9am - 5pm bank holidays

You can call the Victim Supportline on 0845 30 30 900.

Non-mobiles are charged at the local rate, but the number will appear on your itemised bill. If someone else will see your home telephone bill and you don't want them to know you've phoned Suppportline, you may prefer to use a public telephone. Or you may prefer to use a mobile, but please be aware that the number will also appear on the bill and the call will be charged at the usual rate by your provider.

If you are feeling desperate and need to speak to someone outside of the Supportline hours, you might like to contact the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 for the cost of a local call. Or you can email: [e-mail]
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[CCADP]

fomc.org.uk/
Families Of Murdered Children UK


Practical & Emotional
Support for the
Families & friends of
MURDER VICTIMS

HELP-LINE No:
01698.336646

HELP-LINE No: 01698.336646

24hr Line:
......07775626779......

EVERYONE IS SOMEONE'S CHILD
We have been there We can help
Help line : 01698.336646
24hr Line:
07775626779
Registered Charity No: S.C.O.22577



NO DEATH SO SAD

At some time in our lives most of us go through a crisis or tragedy, but no one expects to go through the shock of their child, or any other family member being murdered.

Murder can happen to anyone, of any age, at anytime and, can very often lead to you or a

member of your family becoming very ill.

For most of us, the worst time is when all the fuss has died down, but the strong feelings we have remain with us.

Everyone expects us to return to a normal life and continue as usual, but you know in yourself that you will never be the same again.

Outside the world goes on as before while inside you feel alone and that no-one seems to understand the pain and anger you are going through.

We all have difficulty taking in what has happened,

Everything seems so unreal, some people describe “being in a dream” or feeling that it was happening to someone else, and not to them.

You may find that you have painful pictures or intrusive memories of things that happened.

You may dream about it. You may find yourself going over every detail again and again feeling the need to know every detail in an effort to try and understand why it happened to your loved one.

Strong feelings of anger are common; you may feel upset by an apparent lack of understanding by those around you or those in authority.

Murder makes us aware of how unsafe and vulnerable we really are. This can make us fear for the safety of ourselves and those we love.

No matter what actually happened or what we did or did not do we often feel guilty that maybe we could, or should have done more for them or, why you should be alive when they are not.

You may feel helpless and totally out of control of your feelings and what's happening to you.

The sense of loss is overwhelming and can leave you tired and worn out.

Deep feelings of sadness, anguish and depression are with you constantly.

You may feel faint or ill and hopeless or, that you are going mad.

These feelings may cause you to worry that you may have a physical illness when in fact its your body showing signs of emotional distress.

It is important to understand that these feelings are normal reactions to what has happened.

Although your feelings may be very intense and difficult to put up with, they are the reactions of normal, ordinary people.

If you have other children it is important that you talk to them, as they can often feel isolated, or abandoned, as they to have lost a loved one.

[CCADP]

Restorative Justice UK
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/justice/victims/restorative/

The Government's Restorative Justice Strategy

Restorative justice provides an opportunity for victims, offenders and sometimes representatives of the community to communicate about an offence and how to repair the harm caused. Victim participation is always voluntary, and offenders need to have admitted some responsibility for the harm they have caused. This can lead to the offender making reparation - either to the victim, if the victims wishes, or the wider community, for example by repairing property, cleaning premises and removing graffiti. A restorative process can take place in a number of ways, including:

* Indirect – the offender and victim do not meet face to face, but communicate for example through a facilitator, or letters which the facilitator passes back and forth.
* Direct - guided by a facilitator, this can take place with just the victim and offender or in the form of a conference with supporters for each party in attendance. If appropriate community representatives may also attend.
* Family Group Conferencing - similar to direct facilitation except the process focuses on the family as a support structure for the offender. This is particularly used with young offenders.

The Government supports restorative justice because it can help meet a range of objectives. It can give victims a greater voice in the Criminal Justice System, allowing victims to impress upon the offender the real impact of their actions, receive an explanation and more meaningful reparation. For victims, research suggests that at least 75% of those who take part are glad they did so.

Restorative justice can empower community members to find local solutions to local problems and help to build stronger more cohesive communities. Community members can act as volunteer facilitators, become involved in identifying local reparative projects and act as supporters for victims and offenders participating in restorative justice.

Restorative justice also holds offenders to account, and can allow them to take responsibility for their actions and identify interventions to help them stop offending. International studies and early evidence from the UK about the effects on re-offending is encouraging but inconclusive. There is a need for further research, in particular regarding the effects on re-offending for different offence types.

The Government's strategy aims to facilitate further use of restorative justice in the Criminal Justice System, where we know it works well and to ensure a good quality of service to victims. We will also continue to develop our understanding of where restorative justice works best; the first independent evaluation of the Home Office funded Crime Reduction Programme pilots, is planned for Autumn 2004 with a final report in 2007. We are also funding a new diversionary restorative justice pilot, currently planned for launch later in 2004.
Implementation Guidance for Local Criminal Justice Boards

On 16 March 2005, the National Criminal Justice Board issued the guide, Restorative justice: Helping to meet local needs PDF Icon (file size: 442 kb), to all Local Criminal Justice Board members.

The guidance sets out what we know about how restorative approaches work, particularly in increasing victim satisfaction and public confidence, and points to where local areas can make greater use of these approaches.

The guidance invites Local Criminal Justice Boards to lead and co-ordinate consideration of how restorative justice approaches for adult offenders could be developed in their areas, and, where appropriate, included in future versions of delivery plans on victims and confidence. It also invites them to consider designating a person as a 'champion' to lead work in this area.

Also included is a toolkit which provides further practical advice and information on how to implement restorative justice within existing resources, particularly through agencies, including voluntary sector partners, working together.

The Victims Charter : www.homeoffice.gov.uk/justice/victims/charter/index.html

[bennyboy]

The restorative justice approach is having an effect on youth crime in the UK. The problem is 'selling' it to the public - the public want to see 'real' punishment, kids locked up, flogged, wearing orange jumpsuits, humiliated... But i know that it has had a dramatic effect on some young people, meeting their victim, having to hear the hurt they've caused. And the declining rates of youth crime bear this out (despite what Daily Mail says).

The 'referral order', which all young people get for first time in court and first offence (unless so serious custody is warranted) also puts justice back in the hands of the community. Volunteers 'chair' a panel and mediate between offender, parent/carer, victim and draw up a contract of work that has to be completed.

Contact your local Youth Offending Team today!