Nottinghamshire Victim CARE
Nottinghamshire is a safe place to live, work and visit, and your chances of becoming a victim of crime or anti-social behaviour are low. But for those that are, the effects can vary greatly. For some, there is little or no impact beyond the immediate financial or physical effects. However for some people it can be a traumatic and emotional event that reaches across all aspects of their life, family and relationships, and can last for weeks, months and even years. All victims deserve the right to have access to bespoke individual support and Nottinghamshire Victim CARE can provide that support.
Nottinghamshire Victim CARE (Cope and Recovery Empowerment) is the service for victims in Nottinghamshire. Commissioned by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Victim CARE offers a support service to victims of crime (with the exception of domestic and sexual violence, which have alternative support organisations), hate crime and hate incidents, and anti-social behaviour. The free and confidential support we provide is in line with each victim’s individual needs.
We offer emotional and practical support, advice, information and signposting to other organisations as appropriate. We aim to work with victims to assist their emotional recovery from the crime and to empower them to take the necessary steps to aid this recovery. Our service is all-inclusive, and perhaps most importantly victims do not have to have reported the matter to the police to be eligible to access the service.
We also offer a Restorative Justice service. Restorative Justice offers a victim the opportunity of dialogue with their offender, so that they can talk or communicate in other ways through what has happened. It gives someone affected by the crime or incident the opportunity to have their say, to explain how it has affected them, and to seek a direct explanation from the offender about what they did. Through this the offender can begin to understand the effect of their behaviour and make amends. Needless to say, the process is subject to substantial preparation and carefully managed, and will only take place with the consent of all involved. For many people Restorative Justice helps them to get closure after a traumatic time. People who have participated in Restorative Justice have reported that it has been an empowering experience that allowed them to feel more in control of what happened to them.
If you want to make contact with us, our office is open between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday, and between 9am and 5pm on Saturday. Contact number is 0800 3047575. Alternatively you can email us at admin@nottsvictimcare.org.uk. Further information can be found at http://www.nottinghamshire.pcc.police.uk/Our-Work/Supporting-Victims/Nottinghamshire-Victim-CARE.aspx.