The Victim Services Conference 2025: Sensitively Supporting Victims of Crime

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Overview

After a decade of campaigning to implement a Victims Bill, the Victims and Prisoners Bill was finally granted Royal Assent and passed into law on the 24th May 2024. The bill will amplify victims’ voices and aims to improve the support offered to victims of crime. To successfully implement this bill, multi-agency partnerships must be formed within the criminal justice system so that practitioners can use the passing of the Victims and Prisoners Bill to effectively support victims and witnesses of crime.

Now is an opportune moment to build on this momentum and improve victims’ support services and their experiences of the criminal justice system.

• Between 2022 and 2023, 762,992 people visited Victim Support’s website for information and support
• A study by North Yorkshire Victims Voice found that 73% of victims who reported a crime never accessed victim support services.
• Around 600 victims responded to a survey by the Victims’ Commissioner, which found just 43% would be likely to report to authorities in the future, with over a third (34%) saying they wouldn’t report a crime again.

Join us at The Victims’ Services Conference 2025 to hear the latest guidance and best practice around supporting victims in the criminal justice system.

• High-level keynotes will provide insights into the latest national updates and strategic guidance on working in partnership to amplify the voices of victims in decision-making.
• Best practice case studies include insights into restorative justice processes and supporting victims who may be suffering from mental health problems.
• A breakout networking session offers the opportunity to share your experiences whilst networking with other senior colleagues from a variety of sectors.

Agenda

• 9.00am

  Online Registration

• 9.50am

  Chair’s Opening Remarks

  Professor Joanna Shapland, Emeritus Professor, University of Sheffield (CONFIRMED)

  

   

• 10.00am

  Keynote: Victim Identification in Modern Slavery and the Victim Journey

  • Coverage of the National Referral Mechanism
  • Supporting the identification of victims in street gangs

  Dr. Simon Harding, Professor in Criminology & Sociology at St. Marys, University (CONFIRMED)

  

• 10.20am

  Keynote: The Multi-Agency Approach: Working with Stakeholders to Amplify the Voice of Victims’

  • Discussing the four objectives and how specialist sector supports victims
  • Drawing on research and demonstrating a building of trust when supporting victims as well as representing their views at a national level.

  Fay Maxted OBE, CEO, The Survivors Trust (CONFIRMED)

  

   

• 10.40am

  Questions and Answers

• 11.00am

  Comfort Break

• 11.15am

  Lived Experience: Using Lived Experience to Drive Improvements in Supporting Survivors of Crime

  • Baby Reindeer Effect: How Baby Reindeer caused an increase in male survivors starting their healing journey
  • Key insights into incorporating lived experience into policies and initiatives in support of survivors of crime
  • Coproducing campaigns to help stakeholders understand and address the challenges that survivors of crime face
  • Guidance on providing evidence-based therapeutic support to survivors who may need mental health and wellbeing support.

  Duncan Craig OBE, Chief Executive, We are Survivors and Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Criminology, University of Manchester (CONFIRMED)

  

   

• 11.35am

  Lived Experience: Lessons from Navigating the CJS as a Bereaved Victims Advocate

  • The Essential Role of Victim Advocacy and End to End Victim Care
  • Damage Limitation of Media and Statutory Services Disinformation
  • Uniformed Approach to Victims’ services
  • Wider Dissemination and access to the Victims Code of Practice
  • Turning challenges into change

  Tracey Hanson, Founder and CEO, The Josh Hanson Trust (CONFIRMED)

  

• 12.05pm

  Questions and Answers

• 12.25pm

  Lunch Break

• 1.25pm

  Case Study: Providing Wrap-Around Support to Victims

  • Key tips on how victims can support themselves on a day-to-day basis
  • Signposting victims to the correct services and support networks for them
  • Best practice for embedding a trauma-informed approach into victims’ support services
  • Designating victims with a specialist caseworker who can provide them with constant support.

  Johanna Parks, Director of Operations, Victim Support (CONFIRMED)

  

• 1.45pm

  Case Study: The Victims Champion: Putting Victims at The Heart of Policing Decisions

  • Informing planning, policies, and commissioning of services through the lived experiences of victims
  • Inspiring confidence in victims by ensuring that victims’ voices are heard in policing decisions
  • The multi-agency approach: liaising with the Victims Commissioner and other national agencies to provide support for victims and witnesses of crime
  • Prioritising regular views and evaluation of strategies to assess how effectively the criminal justice service meets the needs of victims

  Michael Banks, Victim of Crime Champion, Durham Police and Crime Commissioners Office (CONFIRMED)

  

• 2.05pm

  Questions and Answers

• 2.25pm

  Breakout Networking: Providing Consistent Support Services for Victims of Crime

  This session will provide you with the opportunity to discuss the main challenges you face in providing consistent support services for victims of crime. Hear more about shared challenges and learn from solutions being trialled and implemented by colleagues across the criminal justice system.

• 3.00pm

  Comfort Break

• 3.20pm

  Case Study: Taking a Restorative Justice Approach to Help Victims Move Forward

  • Outlining when a restorative justice approach can be appropriate for victims looking for closure
  • Providing victims a voice by facilitating communication with their offender to explain the real impact of their crime
  • Tools and resources to ensure staff receive training that makes sure the process is safe for everybody involved
  • Creating safe spaces so the victim can feel comfortable engaging in open, and honest communication with the offender

  Jim Simon, Chief Executive, Restorative Justice Council (CONFIRMED)

  

• 3.40pm

  Keynote: Encouraging Victims to Speak Out and Report Crimes

  • Upskilling staff through specialist training on spotting suspicious behaviour and helping women in need of support
  • Encouraging victims to come forward through social media campaigns aimed at challenging perpetrators of male violence and abuse
  • Strategies to identify and safeguard high-risk victims of domestic abuse.

  Liz Lowther, Director, Just Culture (CONFIRMED)

  

• 4.00pm

  Questions and Answers

• 4.20pm

  Chair’s Closing Remarks

  Professor Joanna Shapland, Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Sheffield (CONFIRMED)

  

• 4.35pm

  Conference Close

  *programme subject to change without notice

Speakers

Jim Simon

Chief Executive

Restorative Justice Council

Duncan Craig OBE

Chief Executive

We are Survivors

Michael Banks

Victims Champion

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner

Joanna Shapland

Professor of Criminal Justice

University of Sheffield

Johanna Parks

Director of Operations

Victim Support

Dr Simon Harding

Director

Criminology Services

Tracey Hanson

Founder & CEO

Josh Hanson Trust

Testimonials

Why You Should Attend

• Hear the latest policies and strategies for supporting victims in the criminal justice system
• Receive best practice examples of supporting victims to report crimes
• Engage with selected case studies addressing key challenges including supporting victims giving evidence in court
• Network with speakers and senior colleagues from across the criminal justice system
• Gain 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota.

Who Should Attend

The conference is specifically for all those responsible for, or involved in, supporting victims and witnesses of crime including:

Pricing Options

Sponsorship

Raise your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business

If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact us HERE

IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.

Virtual vs F2F

Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:

• Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
• Lower sponsorship package costs
• No travel/accommodation
• Less time out of the office
• No stand materials required (lower costs)
• 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
• Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
• Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
• Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access (coming soon)

To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below: