Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Victims Bill will include provisions on (a) mental and emotional wellbeing and (b) other support for children and young people.

Victims are likely to experience a range of impacts following a crime and may require advice, recovery and support services, which could be medical, therapeutic, practical and/or emotional. The Victims and Prisoners Bill will improve the support offered to children and young people. Child victims are covered by the definition of victim in Part 1 of the Bill and are already covered in the current Victims’ Code. The Bill’s definition of a victim has been amended to align with the full Part 1 definition of domestic abuse as it appears in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which will also be set out in the new Victims’ Code. This clearly defines child victims who see, hear or experience the effects of domestic abuse as victims in their own right. Child victims will continue to be covered in the new Victims’ Code as well as being covered from the full suite of measures in Part 1 of the Bill. For example:

The Bill recognises the role that ISVAs (Independent Sexual Violence Advisors) and IDVAs (Independent Domestic Violence Advisors) have in working with children, young people, and their families.

The Bill will place a duty on Police and Crime Commissioners, local authorities and Integrated Care Boards in England to collaborate when commissioning victim services. This includes a range of services which may support victims with a range of emotional mental health support.

In response to pre-legislative scrutiny, we emphasised where the needs of children should be considered by requiring commissioners to specifically have regard to any assessments they have carried out that reflect the needs of child victims, as distinct from adult victims.