18 October 2016

Victim Support celebrates 30th birthday

October 2016 marks 30 years since Victim Support was founded by a small, courageous group of volunteers in 1986.

Victim Support management, staff, and volunteers gathered with Police and other friends last night to mark the occasion in a special event at Parliament hosted by Minister of Justice Hon Amy Adams.

The first independent Victim Support group was founded by Policeman Kevin Joblin in Gisborne in 1986. Working with offenders every day, he was taken aback to find that despite many services for perpetrators of crime, there was no comprehensive support to victims after a crime or trauma through the long and complex justice process.

With a small group of supporters, Kevin Joblin got discussions underway and the first independent Victim Support group was the result. First recruits were trained in April 1987, and the Gisborne team went live at 5pm on 1 July 1987, receiving the first volunteer callout at 8 o’clock that night – the beginning of a long tradition for Victim Support to be available to victims whenever needed, any time of day or night.

This Gisborne group was followed by Porirua shortly after, then many more. By the mid-1990s there were more than 70 Victim Support groups all around New Zealand.

Today, Victim Support is one national organisation with 61 offices in Police Stations all around the country, and a team of 120 staff and 600 highly trained volunteers.

The range of services provided by the organisation has grown significantly, now there to help victims affected by suicide and fatal trauma as well as crime, with specialist services in homicide, suicide, and most recently in family violence.

In the last year, Victim Support provided practical and emotional support to nearly 32,000 victims in the aftermath of a crime, trauma, or suicide right across New Zealand, including 8,559 victims of family violence, 3,153 victims of sexual violence, 2,366 people affected by suicide, 1,989 affected by homicide, and 1945 after a fatal vehicle collision.

Addressing guests at the anniversary event, Chief Executive Kevin Tso paid homage to the contributions of the many volunteers whose efforts have made Victim Support possible.

“Victim Support is a mix of dedicated professionals and incredible volunteers. Like our friends in the fire and medical services, we see continually the unique strength of volunteers and professionals combined. Volunteers can and do deliver exceptional services, sometimes better, and for a fraction of the cost,” said Mr Tso.

“Our support workers are much more than a patient ear. A Victim Support worker is a champion for a victim’s rights, a knowledgeable guide, and a single point of contact through the complex and stressful processes of recovery and justice.

“Every service available for victims is more accessible with the guidance of someone who knows how, what, when, and where to find it, just as they know the unique challenges facing the victim and their whanau.”

Mr Tso also challenged government to consider the additional barriers faced by ethnic groups to access the justice system and support services.

“In the last 30 years, New Zealand has become significantly more diverse. Ensuring care and justice services are available to the widest range of ethnic and language groups is crucial to a fair an accessible justice system.

“Our diverse support workers speak over 20 languages between them, and our partnership with language line means support is available for all major languages. However, the extra barriers that language and distance from family present to these groups are significant.

“Our justice system must become more accessible to Asian and Pacific migrants in particular.

“I encourage those here from the government sector tonight to give greater consideration to the resources available to address the too often silent problems suffered by victims in these communities.”

Find out more about becoming a Victim Support volunteer: Call 0800 VOLUNTEER (865 868)

Donate to help us be there for victims: Call 0800 842 846 or visit www.victimsupport.org.nz.

ENDS

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