Victims Programme

What is our Victims Programme?

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has a dedicated programme working to improve the service we provide to victims of crime.

It consists of:

• A service designed to give a better experience to all victims of crime who interact with us. This is currently running as a pilot scheme in two CPS Areas
• An additional service for victims with the greatest needs. A first stage of this – for victims of rape and serious sexual offences – is now live in all CPS Areas
• A central team working to oversee and streamline CPS victim-related standards, communication and guidance.

We are guided by direct victim experience, facilitated by the charities Victim Support and The Survivors Trust.

The programme also has an independent evaluation partner, Crest Advisory. Crest is helping us to measure whether our work is having the impact we want it to.

Why does the programme exist?

In 2018 and 2020, His Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate carried out inspections focusing on our communication with victims. Inspectors identified issues with timeliness, quality and lack of empathy.

In response, the CPS started a comprehensive review into our approach. We commissioned independent research, hearing directly from victims, to understand what victims want and need from us.

Our Victims Programme was launched in direct response to this research. You can read about the research and our response in more detail here: Transforming our service to victims at the CPS.

The programme’s work so far

As part of our service for victims of greatest needs, every CPS Area now has at least one dedicated Victim Liaison Officer in its rape and serious sexual offences unit, who acts as a consistent point of contact for victims.

All CPS Areas also now offer adult rape and serious sexual offences victims a pre-trial meeting with members of the prosecution team. This allows victims to ask questions and hear more about the special measures which may be available to them to help them give evidence in court.

In two CPS Areas, we are also piloting directly informing victims about our charging decisions through their preferred means of contact, whether phone, email or letter. This gives victims the opportunity to ask any questions they may have and hear more about what happens next and their rights under the Victims' Code. All victims will be given a telephone line to a CPS victim service advisor if they have further questions.

Nationally, CPS staff who work directly with victims now receive comprehensive training in skills such as trauma awareness. We provide useful guidance to help them communicate complex decisions to victims.

Next steps

Progress in all areas of work is ongoing. We continue to test, pilot, and assess the impact of our changes, continuously identifying ways of better meeting the needs of victims.