Current National Initiatives

Victims’ Advocates
Witness Charter

Victims’ Advocates

In May 2005, the MoJ document Making a Difference: taking Forward Our Priorities set out the Department's priorities, which included giving the victim and relatives of crimes such as murder and rape a proper voice in criminal proceedings with a right to representation and advocacy in court.

On 1 September 2005 the Government published a summary of the consultation responses and announced that the scheme would be piloted in five Crown Court Centres from April 2006:

The Old Bailey
Birmingham
Cardiff
Manchester Crown Square
Winchester

Relatives will receive assistance from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) or an independent solicitor or barrister databases in telling the court about the effect of the crime. A judicial protocol sets out the procedure to be followed.

In addition, relatives will be offered up to 15 hours of free legal advice on personal and social matters relating directly to the death of their relative from an independent solicitor.

The pilot has been evaluated and is now closed, although some cases are still going through the trial process. Ministers have decided that in addition to the CPS Victim Focus Scheme, the Personal and Social Legal Advice should continue to be offered. A new helpline to support families of murder or manslaughter victims will be set up later this year. The telephone service, to be based in Bristol, will help bereaved families access free legal advice on issues such as child contact, employment matters or settling a person’s estate. The helpline will be staffed by qualified lawyers who have been specially trained to deal with bereaved families. Police family liaison officers, appointed to work with the families of murder and manslaughter victims, will also be able to signpost the service and explain the help that it can offer.

Witness Charter

The Witness Charter has been developed to tell witnesses how they can expect to be treated by the police and subsequently by other criminal justice agencies (including the courts) and lawyers if they are asked to give evidence for the prosecution or defence in a criminal court. It also sets out what help and support they can expect to receive at every stage of the process from, the courts, all the agencies and lawyers involved although it does not cover the work of judges and magistrates.

The standards of service set out in the Witness Charter apply to all witnesses, regardless of whether they may also be the victim. If they are also a victim of a crime, they have rights which are set out in full in the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime. For the courts, the standards will centre on the provision of information and secure comfortable waiting areas and environment. Full implementation of the Charter across England and Wales commenced in April 2009.

For further information please see CJSonline for details of the responses to the original consultation exercise on the Witness Charter.