‘Victim assist providers have repeatedly over time been requested to do extra with much less’

Victim support organisations were already warning of a funding crisis, with many struggling to deliver essential services to victims of crime. Now, the latest funding settlement risks pushing them to breaking point—and it is victims who will pay the price.

Victim services are the backbone of our criminal justice system. They ensure victims have the support they need to recover and stay engaged in the pursuit of justice. Without this support, many victims might not last the distance – and many offenders may never face justice.

But the challenges these services face are mounting. Inflation, frozen budgets, and rising demand and caseloads mean victim services have repeatedly over the years been asked to do more with less.

Service providers I speak to have risen to the challenge and have made themselves leaner and more efficient. But services can only tighten their belts so much. Now, with real-terms and outright funding cuts on the horizon, the situation has reached a crunch point.

Organisations tell me they will have to cut staff and reduce frontline services. Valuable expertise and years of experience will be lost as a result, undermining our ability to provide high quality services for years to come.

Any cuts in funding will have direct and lasting consequences for victims – at a time when these services are needed most.

Lengthy delays in our courts mean victims are stuck in the system – and on these organisations’ books – for longer than ever before as they wait for a trial date. With victim attrition rates far too high, this support is vital. Yet many victim caseworkers are carrying unsustainable caseloads.

Victim services are not just a lifeline for individuals; they’re a pillar of the justice system itself. They cannot be taken for granted.

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This year, three pioneering victim organizations—Victim Support, Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis—celebrated their 50th anniversaries. These milestones underscore the long-standing contributions these charities have made in supporting victims of crime. They are the fabric of our justice system.

I had the privilege of attending Victim Support’s celebrations in Parliament, where Chief Executive Katie Kempen highlighted both the incredible work these organisations do and the growing challenges they face.

“Services like ours and those run by people in this room today are facing rising and unexpected costs and uncertain budgets, making it harder for us to provide the support that victims so desperately need,” she said. “Every victim must be able to access fully-funded independent support—plain and simple.”

For many victim services, this basic principle will become much harder to uphold.

Last week, the government announced that funding specifically targeted at support for victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse will be frozen at current levels once again. Core funding for other crime types will face a 4.2% cut.

In reality, this means significant real-terms cuts for all victim services, despite the Chancellor’s announcement of an additional £1.9 billion for the Ministry of Justice in the November Budget.

As Victims’ Commissioner, I understand the challenges of managing public finances at the current time. The justice system is facing huge challenges, with prisons, probation services, and courts each requiring significant funding. But spending on victims accounts for 1% of the total budget and I am disappointed these critical services have not been protected.

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Compounding these issues further, service providers are also having to absorb the unexpected rise in National Insurance contributions (NICs), in addition to facing huge inflationary pressures and looming budget cuts.

I have written to Ministers, to highlight the consequences of leaving victim support charities to bear the burden of the National Insurance contributions increase alone.

For every employee earning £30,000, the new NICs rise adds an additional £865.80 to operating costs. For many frontline organizations, the impact of this increase will be felt more acutely than the cuts themselves.

To assess the impact, Rape Crisis surveyed its members and found that 62% of centres would need to reduce the services they provide to women and children. One-third reported they would be forced to make redundancies, while 43% said they would need to draw on their charity reserves to cover the shortfall in funding. On every measure, this is unsustainable.

I know only too well victim services are committed to being there for victims, to support and play their part in the justice system. But to do so, they need secure and adequate funding to keep their doors open.

As we celebrate 50 years of victim services from organisations like Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis and Victim Support, and many others, it’s important to remember that this vital work does not come for free.

These services are not guaranteed, and any cuts will have serious consequences—for victims and for justice – at a time when we can least afford them.