The Pave Project Report - Queen's University Belfast

The PAVE Project Report 35
3. The victims groups: Formation, aims,
service users, and services
3.1. OVERVIEW
T
he rapid growth of the voluntary sector since the beginning of the Peace
Process has led to a situation where voluntary victims organizations and
groups are now considered to be the main service providers for those affected by the
Troubles (Smyth, 1997). However, Kelly and Smyth (1999) found that service
provision was limited and patchy. While 22% of the groups they surveyed offered a
wide range of services to bereaved and injured of the Troubles, only 16% offered
structured counselling, therapeutic services, or emotional support; 24% of the groups
offered services only to particular sets of people, e.g., women, young people.
In fact, only scant detail is known about the services that victims groups and
organisations offer, how they are staffed, how their staff are trained and supervised,
how referrals are received and allocated, how long services are used, and most
importantly, how effective these services are in helping services users to cope with
their traumatic experiences. The importance of detailed understanding of what
community services and voluntary groups do cannot be underestimated. Due to the
virtual absence of support from statutory services during the first three decades of the
Troubles (Darby & Williamson, 1978), the situation now is far from straightforward.