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Support for victims and witnesses

This page lists the available services in West Yorkshire and your area.

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This page details help from Victim Support, services commissioned by the Mayor and the Ministry of Justice.

The Mayor will keep commissioning services that victims and witnesses need. This builds on excellent work in areas like domestic and sexual abuse, hate crime, human trafficking, road safety and restorative justice.

Victims and witnesses can access all listed services, even if they don’t report a crime to the police. These services aim to support you or someone affected by crime in coping and recovering.

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Please know that you are not alone

Self-refer to Victim Support
Live chat with Victim Support in West Yorkshire (available 24/7)
Call Victim Support at 0300 303 1971
Sign up to My Support Space, a free and confidential online resource to help you manage the impact that crime has had on you.

Helpful information

Restorative Justice

The Victim's Code

Victims and Witnesses Strategy

Victim Support West Yorkshire

Victim Support is the main provider of support services for all victims of crime in West Yorkshire, funded by the Mayor.

They support all victims, whether they report the crime to the police or not. For crimes like burglary and violence, the police will refer people to Victim Support automatically.

Contact can be made online, by phone, text, email, or letter. When you first get in touch, they will discuss your circumstances, the kind of support you feel you need and preferred communication method. Face-to-face visits are available if needed.

Victim Support collaborates with specialist services, referring victims when appropriate.

Having someone to speak to, to unload to has helped me navigate through things. The support was non-judgmental which made me feel comfortable

Victim of crime

We are privileged to provide support to victims of crime across West Yorkshire and support is available through our referral centre or from our team of caseworkers. We will make sure that we understand needs and risks and will then discuss the support options that are available. This might be some check in and follow up calls; it could be help in speaking to other agencies and getting information or it could be some more in-depth work around coping mechanisms and resilience to move past the crime. We support the Victim’s Code of Practice and want to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, equitably and has a voice within the criminal justice system. We tailor our support to the individual and can meet people where it is convenient for them, by phone, video call or at outreach venues. There are a number of ways in which we can be contacted including using live chat, email, or phone”.

Julie Butcher, Area Manager, Victim Support

Visit Victim Support to access their services

CARA Project

CARA is delivered by Restorative Solutions with the Hamptons Trust. It is a West Yorkshire-wide service that focuses on first-time/standard perpetrators of domestic abuse who receive a conditional caution.

CARA responds to domestic abuse victims with enhanced risk management and holds offenders accountable. It builds on successful CARA sites elsewhere and the Restorative Justice Service in West Yorkshire.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CARA?

CARA (Cautions and Relationship Abuse) is a proven and recognised intervention model for perpetrators of domestic abuse under conditional cautions. It’s evidence-based and evaluated by Cambridge University. The sessions are carefully constructed to help participants identify abusive behaviours and explore healthy relationships.

Who is it for?

Eligibility is for standard risk first-time offenders given a Conditional Caution by West Yorkshire Police. Referrals/bookings come directly from the police when issuing the caution.

The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Guidance states police must assess risk before issuing conditional cautions. West Yorkshire Police will follow these guidelines for CARA.

How does it work?

CARA uses a trauma-informed approach and motivational interviewing in workshops. The goals are to help offenders: