Victim families 'need more help'

Families of murder and manslaughter victims need more sensitive treatment by police, courts and support groups, a survey suggests.

Victim Support questioned 41 of the 1,000 bereaved relatives it had helped over the last year.

Some felt they were being offered the wrong kind of help by groups like Victim Support itself.

The study suggested many victims show signs of post-traumatic stress, and need help with basic day-to-day tasks.

Domestic matters like paying household bills and feeding pets can easily be overlooked during the chaos and grieving that follows a bereavement, the charity said.

The study found that relatives had often had to cope with turmoil when a killing had occurred in the family home and it had been sealed off as a crime scene.

Many would have appreciated somebody who would take charge of the clearing up when they returned, as well as screening telephone calls, the survey suggested.

Traumatic identification

The survey also found that victims whose cases became part of the criminal justice system found difficulty in coping, because following through the process could slow down reactions to the tragedy, and intensify feelings of powerlessness and anger.

One mother said she wanted ongoing contact with the police.

She told support workers: "Even if they have nothing to tell me, I have questions."

Another wanted more help around the time of identifying the body.

She told researchers: "You know how you see on TV what happens when someone identifies a body? It was nothing like that.

"They took me into a little room and he was there, in front of me, but I wasn't allowed to touch him."

Victim Support says it will use the results of the study to change how its volunteers are trained to improve family liaison services.

Court system

Rose Dixon, from the charity Support After Murder and Manslaughter, said that the police were more aware of the needs of victims.

"This is the sort of thing we have been saying for quite some time, but we haven't had the research to back us up," she said.

"On the whole the police are actually doing a lot of training for their police family liaison officers.

"But it's the general court system where I think that families feel they're unsupported."

The Home Office says that relatives who are unhappy with the way they are treated will soon be able to complain directly to a Victims Commissioner, who will be appointed in the next few months.