FAQ's

Victim Care Merseyside is a support service, delivered by the Police and Crime Commissioner with a hub of trained staff, making a real difference to victims of crime.

The hub provides a single point of contact for victims of crime residing in Merseyside to access free, confidential advice, plus emotional and practical support tailored to your needs.

If you report a crime to the police, you should receive an email or call from the team offering you support to help deal with the impact of crime. It is your choice to take up support as and when you want it.

You can call our team our trained, knowledgeable staff for support by calling freephone 0808 175 3080 on weekdays between 8am and 6pm.

Alternatively, you can can request support online and at any time here.

You can also access support from a wide range of different providers working across Merseyside, according to your needs. This website contains a directory of more than 60 support organisations who are on hand to help. Find the best organisation to help you here.

No, any victim of crime is entitled to support regardless of whether they have reported to the police or not.

You can make contact with the hub anonymously, both for one off enquiries and advice, and for longer term support needs. All support will be delivered confidentially.

You do not need to provide your personal data.

If you want to speak with someone confidentially, for more information or support and not give your name or details, call the team on freephone 0808 175 3080 on weekdays between 8am and 6pm or request support online here. There is no obligation to commit to support until you want to.

No. We promise that all information you provide to us - verbally or in writing ‐ will be kept confidential within the Victim Care Merseyside team. This information will not be shared externally unless you expressly instruct us to do so, or unless we are required to under law, for example due to a clear and immediate safeguarding concern.

We will take our time to establish the best way to communicate with you; for example, which email address, phone number or other contact method you want us to use. We will take any other steps that you need us to take to protect your privacy.

No, all support from Victim Care Merseyside is provided for free.

Absolutely not. You can contact Victim Care Merseyside anytime after being a victim of crime.  Support is free, confidential and non-judgemental. It does not matter how long it has been since the crime took place - there is no time limit. We are always here to help.

Victim Care Merseyside is a support service for victims of crime residing in Merseyside to access free, confidential advice, plus emotional and practical support tailored to your needs.

Where any needs are beyond the team’s capacity to address, they will discuss with you a referral into a more specialist support agency, or help you to contact another organisation better suited to helping you.

We promise that all information you provide to us ‐ verbally or in writing ‐ will be kept confidential within Victim Care Merseyside team.

This information will not be shared externally unless you expressly instruct us to do so or unless we are required to under law. We will take our time to establish the best way to communicate with you; for example, which email address, phone number or other contact method you want us to use.

We will take any other steps that you need us to take to protect your privacy.

Absolutely. If you live in Merseyside you can still receive support from the Victim Care Merseyside team, no matter where the incident happened.

The Victim Care Merseyside service is not a counselling service however, following our needs assessment with you, if counselling is required then we can arrange for you to be referred to a counselling service.

This is different for each and every investigation and can sometimes take in excess of 12 months, the Victim Care Merseyside team can provide you with support throughout the entire Criminal Justice process, from your report of the crime to the police, to court and beyond if that is required.

You may be required to go to court, we can help if you are required to do so.

Making a Victim Personal Statement (VPS) gives you a voice in the criminal justice process. The VPS lets you explain in your own words how a crime has affected you physically, emotionally, financially or in any other way.

Making a VPS is your choice. You do not have to make one if you do not want to but if you do choose to make a VPS, it can be written or recorded.

If you need help in preparing a VPS then we can help with that. More information about making a VPS is available here.

If you've been a victim of crime, you may be eligible for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

You can find more information about making a claim here.

Yes, the service we provide is for anybody that has been affected by crime.