Victim And Witness Care Officer

Description:

The successful candidate will work as part of a professional team of Victim and Witness Care Officers, Caseworkers and Volunteers. Victim and Witness Care Officers have specific responsibility for promoting and supporting the concept of victim and witness care by managing and maintaining all contact throughout the victim and witness journey in order to ensure they feel fully supported, informed and updated. Updates will include the progress of their case, any changes in bail or custody status and explanations of the result of the case, ensuring compliance with the minimum requirements of The Witness Charter, No Witness No Justice and The Victims Code of Practice. The role will provide a high quality support service to all victims of crime through on-going risk assessment and co-coordinating emotional and practical support where any needs are identified. Emotionally supporting victims as part of this process is a key responsibility of the role. This will include working with colleagues internally within Surrey Police and third party support service providers and criminal justice partner agencies to tailor support and co-ordinate a care pathway to ensure all victims and witnesses feel informed, supported and empowered.

Skills & Experience

A driver's license is essential. It is essential that you have an ability to listen, to communicate empathetically, are non-judgemental and are aware of the importance of confidentiality. Training and induction will be provided. To be successful in this role you will have well-developed interpersonal skills, strong written and verbal communication skills and previous experience working in a customer focused environment or supportive network. A good understanding of the impacts of crime on victims is desirable. You will understand safeguarding issues and the principles of risk assessment. You will have excellent crisis management skills, and be able to problem solve and think on your feet. Applicants must be able to evidence previous experience of multi-tasking and organisation in a fast-paced working environment, and the ability to respond flexibility if a situation changes. IT experience is essential, all case management within the unit is computerized, and IT based administration is a core part of the role. We are looking for individuals who are self-motivated, good at time management and able to work as part of a bigger team, whilst being responsible for managing their own caseload. Working closely with victims of crime and managing ongoing casework does entail exposure to sometimes complex emotional demands, candidates need to have resilience and the ability to employ effective coping mechanisms in order to manage these.