Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. Our purpose is to provide specialist help and services, to support people to cope and recover until they feel they are back on track with their lives. Our services help people affected by all types of crime and we provide free confidential support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Each year we have numerous job opportunities in England and Wales, in both frontline offices and supporting areas. In frontline jobs you work directly with victims, witnesses and volunteers. In supporting jobs, you work in areas such as bid writing, policy and research, fundraising, communications, information systems, human resources and finance.
To give people a deeper insight in to what a role at VS may look like some of our colleagues have shared what a day in their role looks like:
Independent Witness Advocate
‘I start my day by checking and responding to enquiries including any new service user referrals. I introduce myself to the Witness Care Officer (a WCO is a civilian who works for the police who keeps witnesses up-to-date with court proceedings) as the contact for Victim Support, and schedule in a time to make initial contact with the new service user.
Around mid-morning, I begin my appointments for the day. A typical call involves assessing an individual’s needs and listening to any concerns or queries they have about giving evidence. I ensure they’re aware of their rights as a victim or witness of crime and I offer a pre-trial visit to court. After phone calls, I send a follow-up email with some resources relating to attending court and update the WCO. If necessary, I complete a request for a separate entrance or pre-trial visit and send this to the Witness Service alerting them of any needs the witness may have.
A typical afternoon usually involves me attending court to deliver a pre-trial visit. During this, I show the witness the designated waiting facilities and the courtroom. I also explain court procedures and demonstrate who sits where in the court. If the service user has requested special measures such as a side entrance or a video link, I show them how to access the court from this entrance or how the video link will be set up.
After my pre-trial visit, I complete some admin and chase up any queries the service user has raised. If I have time, I make follow-up calls to service users who have not yet responded to contact attempts. I take one last look at my emails and check my calendar for the following day before heading home.’
Hate Crime Community and Engagement Training Manager
‘Morning – First thing, I check mainstream media and our own social media to see if anything has happened overnight that we should be aware of.
This morning, I’m attending one of our Community of Practices (CoP). It’s a great space for colleagues from all teams across Victim Support to share knowledge and drive forward ideas and strategy. I always come away from these feeling inspired by what we’re doing across England and Wales.
Mid-morning – After this, I attend an external partnerships meeting. It’s great to hear what other organisations are doing and learn how we can connect our services.
Early afternoon – I’ve got a meeting with our brilliant training and engagement team. It’s a time to catch up with what the team is doing, a space to discuss our challenges and work together to find solutions. We meet virtually as we cover a big geographical area.
After this, I’m off to visit a local grassroots group that supports transgender people. I talk about our services and start a positive relationship with the group. This means if any members experience hate, they know about our services and what we can do to support them.
Late afternoon – Part of my role is still hands-on delivery. So this afternoon I’m delivering hate crime training to a group of local community-facing professionals. It’s a great opportunity to look at how we can expand their knowledge and share information about our service. I love this type of direct work, I’m always blown away by how committed people are to a safe and fair society.’
Children and Young Person Independent Sexual Violence Youth Advisor
‘Morning – I start my day by checking any emails and texts, before grabbing a coffee and my water bottle to hit the road for visiting clients at schools.
Mid-Morning – I visit schools to carry out support sessions with clients. We cover topics like healthy relationships, consent, self-esteem, safety planning and more. We either have a chat, fill in some worksheets or play fun games.
Early Afternoon – Once I get back to my desk, I am writing up my notes and maybe looking for some new resources based on my support sessions/client needs. If there is an ongoing criminal investigation, I’ll also send any emails out to detectives for any case updates.
Late Afternoon – In the late afternoon, I will call any clients that I have phone appointments with. This often includes updating the parents from the morning sessions. I check in with my manager and team before winding down by planning my day tomorrow!’
Joining Victim Support
Our people are motivated by team work, and we are all committed to our values and our vision. We strive to deliver the best possible services to our communities and will support you to develop your skills, knowledge and experience while building your career with us. We offer a range of benefits, including: a flexible working environment, the ability to join any of our six EDI networks (Disability Network, Faith & Belief Network, Gender Empowerment Network, LGBT+ Network, Mental Health & Wellbeing Network and R.A.C.E Inclusive Network), many opportunities for learning and development as well as our bespoke workwell@vs wellbeing resources.
Go to our website to see the opportunities currently available.