The Community Victim Support Project

Review by Venessa Padayachee

It has been widely acknowledged that empowering victims of crime and violence through the provision of professional, person-centred services assists to normalise reactions to such trauma and promotes healing; restores trust in the criminal justice system; encourages the reporting of crime; ensures more effective participation by victims in the judicial process and can play a significant and contributory role in the prevention of crime.

Based on more than twenty years of experience, NICRO continues to be widely acknowledged as a leader in the field of victim support services. The thrust of the organisation’s work in the field is, however, set to change. NICRO’s strategic resolution to refocus on and expand its offender work resulted in the decision to terminate the delivery of direct victim support services, and to reposition the organisation around capacity building in the victim empowerment arena.

One of the greatest impediments towards achieving efficient, impactful interventions at local level is the lack of minimum standards and a blueprint for services at victim support centres in South Africa. Towards the end of 2005 these services were, for the most part, still not functioning optimally and remained essentially unco-ordinated, fragmented, duplicated, ad hoc and unsustainable. Given its national spread, developmental community-based and partnership approach, vast knowledge and experience, impactful victim support service delivery and the successful establishment of numerous victim support centres, NICRO is undoubtedly the most appropriate organisation to lead the process in developing minimum standards as well as a blueprint or toolkit for the establishment and management of community-based victim support services in South Africa.

Upon completion of the minimum standards, its blueprint and toolkit, NICRO will fulfil a crucial role in terms of evaluating existing centres as well as guiding and supporting the establishment of new centres. The capacity building plan, which will be based on the results of the capacity gap analysis and on requests from centres requiring assistance, could comprise any number of components including the selection and training of management committees, volunteers, volunteer supervisors, and the training of relevant service providers and other stakeholders.

A national task team, comprising relevant NICRO provincial representatives, has been set up and a Terms of Reference document developed, to guide the task team through the development of the training and other materials required for the blueprint or toolkit. A researcher has also been appointed to assist the Programme Specialist in developing minimum standards for the establishment of community-based victim support services. This process has been funded by Themba Lesizwe. These minimum standards will form part of the toolkit and will simultaneously serve to aid NICRO in effective capacity building.

In the interim key government departments such as the Department of Social Development and other stakeholders have been engaged to discuss NICRO’s exit from direct service delivery, the implications thereof, and the identification of other service providers that could take over the task of rendering victim support services and managing volunteers.

Until such time as other service providers have been identified and fully equipped for the task at hand NICRO will continue to render the services, and train and manage the volunteers.

Certain aspects of direct service delivery have already been handed over to other service providers in some provinces. NICRO continues to assist with ensuring that these services are sustainable and to this end has consulted extensively with government around the sustainability of these services as well as the finalisation and application of the toolkit, which will effectively support this process.