The Victim Recovery Journey research launch

As part of our celebrations to mark 40 years of supporting victims of crime, Victim Support NI held an event this week to launch our new research on the Victim Recovery Journey. We were delighted to welcome Justice Minister Naomi Long, Mental Health Champion Professor Siobhan O’Neill, and independent social work consultant Marcella Leonard for a candid panel discussion on the way forward in supporting victims of crime through every step of their journey.

The event kicked off with opening remarks from Chair Barry Connolly, who highlighted Victim Support NI’s humble beginnings as a small community support group set up around a kitchen table in Newtownabbey. He paid tribute to the founding members, including ex-Justice Minister David Ford and former Victim Support NI Chair Dr. Jean Broder, both of whom were in attendance.

This was followed by the launch of Victim Support NI’s research on the Victim Recovery Journey, conducted by academics Dr. Karen McGuigan and Geraldine Horigan. Amongst the recommendations of the report was a call for a more tailored approach to supporting victims of crime at the time, place, and pace that meets their needs.

Responding to the presentation of the research findings, Victim Support NI’s Peter Crory recalled one key motivator for commissioning the research – his experience supporting a victim of sexual assault.

“That young woman was left broken by the justice process. And while her engagement with the justice system had ended, her support needs had not. The end of the court process did not mean the end of her being a victim of crime or needing help and support.”

The event wrapped up with a panel discussion to discuss the findings and what they mean for the future of support delivery. Justice Minister Naomi Long emphasised that the research shows victim recovery cannot just be the role of the Department of Justice alone, and that effective victim support requires the whole Executive to do their part.

Mental Health Champion Professor Siobhan O’Neill highlighted the need for a trauma-informed approach that treated each victim as an individual and tailored support to their needs.

Marcella Leonard shared her own experience as a victim of crime, as a bereaved family member after her cousin Connie was murdered by an abusive ex-partner. She called for more to be done to work with offenders to prevent future crime and victimisation and highlighted the need for better support for young and vulnerable victims.

Panellists also paid tribute to the staff and volunteers of Victim Support Northern Ireland and thanked them for their commitment and dedication to their work over the past 40 years.

Minister Long said: “Victim Support Northern Ireland is a key partner in the criminal justice system people when they need it most.  The needs of victims and witnesses have evolved significantly over the past 40 years and Victim Support Northern Ireland has continued to grow as an organisation to ensure that victims and witnesses have the help and support that they need.”

What is the ‘Victim Recovery Journey’?

Researchers interviewed 25 victims of crime who had been through the justice process to ask them about their recovery from the trauma of experiencing crime. They found that each individual had a different experience with their recovery, depending on the crime that was committed against them, their own levels of resilience, past life events, whether or not they had good support networks of friends and family, how supported they felt by police and other agencies, and a host of other factors.

The researchers concluded that to fully support victim recovery, a flexible approach was needed, tailoring support to each person and providing that support at a time, place and pace that it was needed. They devised a Victim Recovery Model, which we hope will inform how all agencies can better support victims in future.

The full research report can be read here