Achieving quality through training

To support victims in the best way and to provide Victim Support workers with the knowledge and the tools to do so, training is essential.

Ensure that all staff and volunteers receive an appropriate level of training accordance to the nature of their contact with the victim

• Ensure basic training is provided for new recruits.

All new recruits, including volunteers and paid staff, need a basis training before they start to work with victims directly. This training can be a group training but also an individual training. In both cases, the new recruit will be informed and taught about all the knowledge needed to support victims in the best way. After the training, the new recruit must have the possibility to work as ‘a trainee’ for a certain amount of time with an experienced Victim Support worker.

• Ensure ongoing training is offered to existing personnel in accordance with their contact with victims and the nature of the and the type of crime involved.

To support victims based on their needs, victims support staff will need specialised training to work with specific groups of victims. This ongoing or more specialised training can be offered to those Victim Support workers who have worked for a certain time for the Victim Support organisations and have the appropriate skills to work in the general Victim Support service.

• Ensure that victim sensitive courses are provided for staff who do not work directly with victims.

Awareness is the basis for respect and recognition towards a victim. All staff members working in a Victim Support organisation, including those staff members not working with victims directly (financial staff, coordinators, managers, board members, etc.) require an awareness or sensitivity course to understand victimisation.

Training will as a minimum aim ensure that victims are treated with dignity and respect, that the support provided responds to the victim’s needs and that no further harm is caused

• Training covers all required topics.

Required topics in a training are:

• What are the Rights of a victim?
• How to treat victims with dignity and respect?
• What is and how to prevent a victim from secondary traumatization?
• Who are vulnerable groups of victims.
• What are a victim’s needs? As well general needs, needs of specific needs of certain groups of victims, individual needs of victims
• What is the legal procedure your country?
• How to communicate with a victims?
• How to assess victim needs?
• How to work out a support plan?
• What do you offer as a Victim Support organisaton and where do you refer too?
• What skills do you need to work as a Victims Support worker? What are your boundaries?
• Tools to support victims.

It is very important that every training consists of a theoretical as well as a practical part.

• Training will be renewed and updated at regular intervals

A lot of new research comes up every year regarding victimisation and how to support victims.  Countries can have changes in certain laws. So, it will be important to evaluate the training, keep the training up-to-date and to renew the training on a regular base.

• Training is provided by a qualified trainer.

Training is very important and is part of the basis of the organisation.  So every trainer will have a very important role and has to be qualified to give the training.  With this we mean that every person who gives the training, both from within the organisation as well as from outside the organisation needs to have:

• Knowledge to give the training
• Tools to give the training
• Time to prepare, give and evaluate the training

• Organisations provide sufficient resources, time and tools to support the delivering of training.

Training must be seen as an important way to provide staff with the tools they need to support victims in the best way. It will be very important Victim Support workers will be provided with the training they need to do their job in a proper way.
For this, an organisation will have to provide:

• Sufficient resources to deliver a training (training package, qualified trainer, money for external training, etc.)
• Sufficient time to deliver a training, including time for staff to follow the training and time for the qualified trainer to prepare, give, and evaluate the training. When working with volunteers, it can be important to organise the same training during different parts of the day.
• Sufficient tools to deliver the training (projector, computer, room, etc.)

Evidence to prove the standard has been put into practice:

• Training package
• Training procedure
• Evaluation of training courses

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