VS launches new online support resource for victims of crime in Cumbria

1 April 2020

Victim Support’s new online support resource, My Support Space, has launched today for victims of crime in Cumbria.

My Support Space is designed to help victims of crime manage the impact that crime has had on them. It is a free, safe, secure and confidential space where they can choose how they want to be supported after crime.

The launch of My Support Space is particularly timely, as it gives victims of crime who have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak additional ways in which to access support, including from their own home.

Victims can access a range of tools to help them cope and move forward after crime. They can work through a series of interactive guides which address their specific needs. The guides feature videos, techniques, activities and tips, and can be completed at their own pace.

Find out more about My Support Space by watching this short animation.

Diana Fawcett, Chief Executive at Victim Support said:

Victim Support is committed to ensuring that victims of crime receive effective support in a way that works for them. We are delighted to launch My Support Space as it offers another way in which victims of crime can seek support, even when self-isolating.

Guides on My Support Space include topics such as difficult emotions, coping strategies, trauma and sleep. These are all common issues that people may experience after crime, but are even more important during the coronavirus pandemic, as victims find the justice process essentially paused.

Peter McCall, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria said:

Victim Support’s additional ‘My Support Space’ new services will, I am sure prove extremely useful at a time when many people feel cut off and less able to cope with the effects that crime has had on them.

Now, more so than ever, people need to know that help is out there, and how and where they can access support.

Victims will be able to access these self-help interactive guides whenever they like and this launch could not have arrived at a better time.

Working through mechanisms that help people to cope with trauma, improve self-confidence and offer guidance on effective relaxation techniques and sleep patterns, can only be a good thing.

Victims of crime in Cumbria can now seek support using My Support Space, through live chat, or on the phone by calling 0300 303 0157.

Notes

  1. The local Victim Support team in Cumbria can be contacted on 0300 303 0157 (08:00-18:00) or via live chat (09:00-18:00).
  2. Victim Support also runs a free and confidential Supportline allowing victims to access support 24/7. This can be reached on 08 08 16 89 111 or online on the VS website.
  3. The link to access My Support Space is sent out to victims of crime via text message or letter.