Victim & Witness Support Officer - JRN 30328

Salary – Band 6, £25,707 - £27,690 pro rata (Increasing to £ 25,920 - £27,918 pro rata from September 2023, following a transitional pay award period)

Location – Agile, Forth Banks/ Homeworking

Hours - Full time, 37 hours per week and Part Time, 22.2 hours per week

Northumbria Police is one of the largest police forces in the country, serving a population of 1.5 million people from a wide range of various communities, covering an area of more than 2,000 square miles.

There are around 5,800 people working at Northumbria Police and 488 more who contribute by volunteering for one of our various volunteer schemes.

A career at Northumbria Police is like no other, it’s our people that make it an exciting and inclusive place to work – a place where you can let your skills shine. We are passionate about where we live and what we do, we deliver exceptional support to our communities, and we work together to make our local area a safer place for us all. Every single person at Northumbria Police is valued for their amazing contribution – and we are all part of something truly special.

The Role

Here at Northumbria Police, we think our region is amazing! It’s in our DNA to be passionate about what we do. Our teams are critical to our success, driven to deliver and always go the extra mile, think you have what it takes to help us make a difference? This could be the perfect time for you to join us in our Criminal Justice Department as a Victim and Witness Support Officer.

You will be key to the delivery of effective support to victims of crime by being a single point of contact for those identified as having needs to develop personalised cope and recovery plans and co-ordinate support in accordance with the Victims Code and their personal situation, circumstances and needs. You will explore any restorative justice options open to them. You will also support victims and witnesses through the criminal justice system should their case proceed to Court.

What you’ll do

Working as part of a team you will create, develop, and update personal care and recovery plans for victims of crime by researching and assessing their needs and agreeing appropriate support and information to help a victim cope and recover from the impact of crime. The successful candidate will be expected to provide support to victims of crime via various communication methods.

You will liaise with various internal and external stakeholders to ensure a victim received the practical and emotional support they need while undertaking risk assessments to ensure the safety of parties.

At the point a case enters the Criminal Justice System, you will provide updates on the case status and if a trial is required, you will need to ensure all witnesses are informed of the hearing date. For civilian witnesses’ development of an individual court support and engagement plan will be required to ensure the witness has all the practical and emotional support necessary to provide evidence at a court hearing.

Sound interesting? For further information please view the role profile: Victim & Witness Support Officer

What you’ll need

• A passion for delivering the highest standards of customer care and service and have excellent communication skills and empathic listening.

• Demonstrate the ability to effectively engage, build and maintain strong relationships with a range of individuals and groups in multi-agency environment.

• Can demonstrate initiative and innovative solutions to ensure victim satisfaction and identify opportunities for improvement.

• A willingness to learn about the Criminal Justice System and maintain a professional knowledge of appropriate legislation and criminal procedure rules.

• Are confident in the use of IT systems to allow you to maintain accurate records and adhere to data protection policies.

We know it's important for you to feel that you're not only part of a great team, but part of a community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone.

Interested to learn more? For further information please contact Megan Nicholson at megan.nicholson@northumbria.police.uk or Danielle Wylde at danielle.wylde@northumbria.police.uk

Just so you know

For any queries about the application process, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team by email at careers@northumbria.police.uk

All staff must successfully complete their probationary period before they are eligible to apply for a Northumbria Police vacancy.

If your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a Management Vetting (MV) form, therefore you must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 5 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed. A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance, medical information, and references.