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Victim care officer
Witness support officer
Victim care officers give practical and emotional support to people who've been affected by crime.
Average salary (a year)
£21000
Starter
£30000
Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
30.0 to 37.0 hours
a week
Work Hours
evenings / weekends
flexibly
How to become
Explore the different ways to get into this role
You can get into this job through:volunteering; applying directly
Volunteering
Volunteering with an organisation that works with vulnerable people is a good way to get into this type of work. Charities like Victim Support offer different roles, depending on what you want to do. You can also search for volunteering opportunities in support work through Do It and NCVO.
To volunteer in a victim care role, you’ll need
to be 18 or over, to be of good character, a caring nature and non-judgemental attitude
As a volunteer, you'll receive training, which will help you to develop your communication and listening skills, as well as the knowledge and understanding required to support victims of crime.
You may need between 1 and 2 years' experience as a volunteer before being able to apply for paid work.
Direct Application
You can apply directly for jobs if you have experience from related work, like
social services, working with vulnerable adults or children, community or advice work, counselling
Experience of working in the justice system, for instance with the police, courts or prisons, would also be useful.
More Information
Career Tips
The ability to communicate in a second language used in the community could be useful in some situations.
Further Information
What it takes
Find out what skills you’ll use in this role
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
    Counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
    Sensitivity and understanding
    Patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
    The ability to work well with others
    The ability to understand people’s reactions
    Excellent verbal communication skills
    Knowledge of psychology
    The ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
Digital Skills Level
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Related Restrictions
What you will do
Discover the day-to-day tasks you’ll do in this role
Day to day tasks
As a victim care officer, you would
assess clients' needs and risks to their safety, and provide support, advocate for your client at meetings or hearings, support clients throughout the legal process, help clients to work with all relevant services, including the police, keep accurate records on a case management system, train and supervise volunteers
Working environment
You could work in an office or at a client's home.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
Career Path & Progression
Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities
With experience, you could become
a senior victim care officer, dealing with complex cases, a unit or area manager, with responsibility for a number of centres, staff and volunteers, an independent advocate specialising, for example, in working with victims of domestic abuse
You could also move into witness care, with a greater focus on the legal and judicial system.
Job profile data provided by The National Careers Service.
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