Victim Care Officer

You'll need:

• counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
• sensitivity and understanding
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to work well with others
• to enjoy working with other people
• customer service skills
• knowledge of psychology
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

You’ll support clients at their home or over the phone. On a daily basis you could be:

• reassuring clients that the events were not their fault and their reactions are normal
• getting a personal attack alarm for someone who feels unsafe
• arranging for a Police Community Support Officer to visit
• providing an objective viewpoint, possibly including information on legal processes
• training and supervising volunteers
• making sure that clients have access to other relevant services and agencies

You could work in an office or at a client's home.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.

A common way into this job is to start as a volunteer with a victim or witness care organisation like Victim Support. You can also search for volunteering opportunities through general volunteering organisations like Do-it and NCVO.

As a volunteer, you would receive training, which would help you to develop your communication and listening skills, as well as the knowledge and understanding you need to support victims.

To volunteer, you normally need to be over 18 and of good character, with a caring nature and non-judgemental attitude. The ability to communicate in a second community-based language could be useful in some situations.

You may need between 1 and 2 years' experience as a volunteer before being considered for paid work.

Further information

You can get more details about this career from Victim Support.

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks