Engendering Justice - from Policy to Practice - The Fawcett Society

Chapter Four:Women Need Justice - Women as Victims of CrimeSupport for Victims –Building the LinkI was told about the counselling service by SouthYorkshire police but none of them had councillorsavailable. The shortest waiting list was estimated at 2months. I had to borrow money from my parents forprivate counselling. When I lost my job I asked the GPabout NHS Counselling [but] she said it was pointlesseven going on the waiting list and prescribed me antidepressants.179Whilst links are developing between the criminal justicesystem and specialised support services, the dearth ofsuch services, and their limited capacity, mean that womenare not able to access support, even when, as the caseabove illustrates, they are aware of their own needs. Thecriminal justice system and community provision for victimsof violence, should not be seen as two distinct systems,but should be inter-linked. As one woman who works withfemale victims described to the Commission:Some more cooperation when dealing with the victimswould perhaps result in a better case being put forwardas we could provide some moral support for the victimwhen the case is being prepared and this may result in astronger case. 180Victim Support told the Commission that although therewas greater recognition of support services at the policylevel this did not always filter down to frontline police staffand prosecutors. Women’s Aid raised concern that womenare being helped through the criminal justice system byWitness Care Units, which is in direct contradiction to CPSpolicy and leads to support being provided by individualswithout specialist training in domestic or sexual violence.Criminal Justice Boards should be actively involved inensuring specialised support is available in their area.I suppose an improvement would have been if someonehad contacted me from the police as I was simply left tomy own devices which subsequently created emotionalproblems which took extreme effort to finally deal with…It took a very long time for me to get back on my feet -especially as I was stupid enough to allow him to moveback in, although I subsequently ended the marriage sixmonths later. I felt enormous guilt at the time for somereason and perhaps some support/counselling wouldhave made all the difference, and I wouldn’t have gone onto waste another year of my life. I recall feeling extremelyfoolish and wondered if I was wasting everyone’s time- that somehow I should have been able to manage thesituation and his attacks by myself.Female victim of domestic violence, QuestionnaireResponse, February 2009The Government has implemented a number of initiatives,designed to increase the support provided to victims.Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) andIndependent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) have beenintroduced to provide support for victims negotiating thecriminal justice system. 38 ISVA posts are currently fundedby the Home Office in England and Wales. IDVA and ISVAposts have the potential to provide much needed supportfor victims. However, the Commission has a number ofconcerns with the existing model:• The ISVA scheme is currently under-resourced. Forexample, the ISVA who gave evidence to the Commissionwas the only ISVA for the whole of the Eastern region andthe Commission was also told about delays in fundingstreams which have meant services have been forced tosuspend their ISVA post.• IDVA funding is being mainstreamed to local authoritiesthis year and it is unclear whether funding will continueand also if continuance will be at the cost of otherservices such as refuges.• The ISVA training and framework is based on thatdeveloped for domestic violence and fails to address thespecialist and complex issues specific to sexual violenceand the crucial differences between the Magistrates Courtand the Crown Court. This is amplified where IDVA andISVA roles are merged in some regions.• There is inconsistency between regions with ISVAposts - roles are defined differently and tools such asPage 62