For over 200 years, Catch22 has designed and delivered services that build resilience and aspiration in people and communities. Our approach is based on the 3Ps. We believe people can thrive when they have good people around them, a purpose, and a safe place to live.
Catch22’s Victim Services provide support to adults, children and young people who have been impacted by crime and anti-social behaviour. Catch22 also run several services supporting children and young people who have fallen victim to criminal or sexual exploitation.
“The Catch22 team has a can-do attitude and consistently delivers… They have worked strongly in partnership with a wide range of services and have developed a good reputation across the partnership. I would thoroughly recommend them for the provision of victim services in other PCC areas.”
– Commissioner
Our approach
Catch22 has developed an innovative model for victim services that can be tailored to the needs of local communities. Our victim-centred approach empowers and builds resilience in victims to help them cope and recover from the impact of crime.
Catch22’s approach to supporting victims is underpinned by its wider portfolio of experience in delivering different public services, from child exploitation services supporting children and young people affected by county lines, to substance misuse and gangs services. This extensive experience provides us with a well-rounded understanding and perspective of the multi-faceted and complex nature of crime and its wider impacts.
Support offered by our victims services is free, independent and confidential, and available to victims and witnesses regardless of whether the crime has been reported or not.
We conduct a conversational, victim-led, needs assessment which helps our caseworkers to assess the level of risk and need, and talk through with a victim their support options. Our teams then co-create a support plan with our service users, so that they feel in control of their next steps.
We offer every victim:
an allocated worker to act as a single point of contact to simplify their journey,
an assessment of every victim’s needs which informs their individualised support plan, and
solution-focused and strengths-based support.
“Catch22 has embraced the stated aims and objectives of our victims’ strategy and excelled in the delivery of a number of key areas. For example, their approach to ‘outreach’ has seen self-referrals increase threefold over the previous incumbent.”
– Commissioner
What makes us different?
We draw on Catch22’s experience delivering a range of services including child sexual exploitation, personal wellbeing, substance misuse and gangs support services.
We involve victims in the design and continuous improvement of our services.
We use partnerships and stakeholder engagement to upskill and empower others in our communities to increase awareness of our services for potential or ‘hidden’ victims.
Our impact
In 2022-2023:
22,280 victims were supported by our services
99% of service users were satisfied with the service they received
99% of service users reported improved or sustained health and wellbeing after our support
Listen to Season 2 of the Catch22Minutes podcast. From developing restorative justice to reducing the impact of court delays, this series focuses on solutions which could impact every aspect of the justice sector.
Leicestershire Victim First
Victim First is a free, independent and confidential service for victims and witnesses of crime across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Our team recognise that everyone’s needs are different and that is why Victim First is designed to be tailored to the requirements of the victim or witness. Whether or not the crime has been reported, and regardless of when it happened, our team’s priority is to ensure that the victim is given the support to help them move forward.
Victim First is commissioned by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire (OPCC). The team is made up of experienced and professional caseworkers, assisted by dedicated and trained volunteers who support victims in their journey of recovery. Victims of both recorded and self-reported crime are tracked at all points in their journey and given access to information, practical support, advice and, where appropriate, referral to ‘cope and recover’ support services.
The Victim First team works with specialist services across the region to ensure that support engages communities that are harder to reach, providing translators and translated materials whenever necessary.
92.2% of victims were satisfied with the support from Victim First between 2022-2023.
“If I didn’t have professional support I don’t think I would be where I am today. Chloe has been brilliant. She’s been really helpful in advising me of my options and validating my experience. She is very approachable, easy to talk to, and has been such a great source of support during a difficult time. She has gone above and beyond by sending over sources of information, as well as advising me on them and making referrals on my behalf.”
– Service user
Greater Manchester Victims’ Services
Greater Manchester Victims’ Services provide a centre of excellence for victims, witnesses and survivors, by offering a free, independent and confidential service for individuals impacted by crime across Greater Manchester.
Greater Manchester Victims’ Services helps victims and witnesses in Greater Manchester to cope and recover from the impact of crime, regardless of how long ago it happened or whether it was reported to the police. The service is free, independent, and works in close partnership with other organisations to get the best outcomes for victims. We believe a multi-agency approach is crucial in preventing repeat victimisation and allows us to share insights and learning with our partners.
Our team pride themselves on having a victim-centred approach and tailor their support around the victim’s needs and wishes. We undertake a thorough needs assessment and create a support plan tailored to each individual. We understand how hard it can be for some individuals to come forward and access support, and so our approach is always non-judgemental.
Greater Manchester Victims’ Services five priority areas:
Beacon Victim Care is a free, independent and confidential service for victims and witnesses of crime across Hertfordshire.
Hertfordshire Beacon is a service commissioned by Hertfordshire’s Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC). At Beacon, we believe that no victim should be left behind.
We support victims and witnesses to cope and recover from the impact of crime, regardless of how long ago it happened or whether it was reported to the police or not. Our team of dedicated and trained professionals will support service users every step of the way.
Our Beacon Support Workers use victim-centred and restorative approaches by putting the individual’s needs first. This is completed by conducting a needs assessment which considers the impact and harm caused by the crime, including any physical, emotional, psychological or financial hardships caused. From the needs assessment, our Beacon Support Workers develop a package of support tailored to the individual’s needs.
£3,000,000+ has been recovered for victims of fraud supported by Hertfordshire Beacon.
“I feel so much better now I’ve been able to talk. My Beacon Support Worker helped me so much, she listened and cared. She helped me the best she could without even knowing me.”
– Service user
As well as our Beacon victim services, Catch22 launched the Beacon Family Hub in August 2021 after identifying an urgent gap in support for families living in Hertfordshire where there is Child-on-Parent Violence (CPV) occurring within the home.
The Family Hub uses a trauma-informed approach to support the family, providing tools and techniques to lower risk and prevent escalation as well as repairing relationships between all family members. An assessment will be carried out to assess the needs and then a support plan will be tailored to each family. We provide support through different methods to help meet the needs of all parties. This might mean a combination of face-to-face, telephone and email/text support.
A few examples of the support given by our Beacon Support Workers are emotional support, safety planning, anger management, understanding emotions, and triggers and responses.
Our Beacon Support Workers will also provide parenting group sessions following the non-violence resistance model. The course offers a series of tools and techniques to support parents and carers of children/young people who display challenging attitudes and behaviours.
Restorative justice
At Leicestershire Victim First and Hertfordshire Beacon Victim Care, we offer Restorative Justice (RJ) as part of our service delivery.
Restorative justice is a voluntary process which offers victims and perpetrators the opportunity to communicate with each other. It is a chance to talk about the incident, the impact and harm caused, along with an opportunity to ask any questions. The aim is to provide a means of closure and allow victims to move forward with their lives.
“I found it so powerful that I cried in front of my family, and I don’t ever cry, and found a healing opportunity with my daughter which I never thought was there.”
– Service user
We pride ourselves on providing a safe environment for restorative justice to take place. We listen to what has happened, how the victim has been affected, and what is needed for the next stage.
100% of victims were very satisfied with the outcome of the meeting and would recommend a restorative meeting of that type to other people in their position.
100% of participants said they felt safe during the meeting.
100% of offenders said they would recommend a restorative meeting to other people.
“I’m overwhelmed to have the opportunity that I thought I would never have.”
