May 2018 at Voice Northants: over 800 support referrals received

At Voice, we’re dedicated to helping victims and witnesses of crime cope, recover and thrive, and our fantastic team of specialist support workers and volunteers works tirelessly to support those most in need.

We think it’s important to keep a keen eye on statistics, and we’d like to share a typical month’s stats with you today.

During May, the Voice team experienced the following:

• over 800 referrals for potential support for victims and witnesses of crime; and
• 111 victims and witnesses receiving continued, ongoing emotional support sessions provided by our specialist support workers and volunteers.

Our services are available to anyone, and it doesn’t matter when or where the crime took place. It could have been last week or three years ago; as a witness or victim of crime, you can contact us to receive free, confidential support whenever you feel ready.

We’re lucky enough to have a team of extremely dedicated and hard working support specialists, and that enables us to meet our service agreements. Voice promises to contact all referrals that meet the criteria for support within 48 hours. During May, Voice staff made contact attempts to 99.8% of the victims and witnesses who were referred to our services within that timeframe.

These numbers are extremely important to us, because they demonstrate both the significant need for victim and witness support in Northamptonshire, but also that we’re able to provide it quickly for those who need it most.

Our service doesn’t stop after the first call, either. Many of the people we speak to stay in touch and receive regular counselling from our specialist team. A case in point is Steve Savage, who, along with his wife Rosemary, has continued to receive support from the Voice for Road Harm service following the tragic death of his son Andrew in a motorbiking accident last year.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the brilliant team at Voice for their continued hard work, dedication and the fantastic service they provide for victims and witnesses of crime.

If you’ve been affected by crime and feel like you need independent, confidential advice or support, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’re here for you, whenever you feel ready to pick up the phone.