Families of murder victims need more support

Victim Support is to liaise with social services to raise awareness of the needs of families of people killed by murder or manslaughter, the charity says today. It calls for more effective help for families in a new research report.

The charity spoke to 41 bereaved people and professionals including probation workers, Victim Support staff and police.

Specialist organisations working with bereaved people have criticised Victim Support, which is one reason for the charity commissioning the research. It will use the results to improve services.

Other findings include a shortage of services for bereaved children.

The report examines the role of probation service victim liaison officers and discovers that services are patchy.