Additional funds sought to help child witnesses

Victim Support, Barnardo’s, ChildLine, NCH and NSPCC have banded
together to call on the government for more funding to help child
witnesses appearing in court cases.

Victim Support operates a witness service that gives detailed
briefings to children and adults on court procedures to prepare
them for a court appearance.

Victim Support chief executive Dame Helen Reeves said: “It is
totally unacceptable to expect children to go through the trauma of
reliving their experiences in court without giving them the
preparation and support they need.”

She said that without additional financial backing from
government and the systematic co-operation of the criminal justice
system the children’s agencies could not deliver support to
children who need it.

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