Our Mission

To assist victims of crime

Our Vision

Every victim of crime in NSW is able to access services and entitlements to assist in their recovery

What you can expect when you contact Victims Services

We are committed to upholding your rights under the Charter of Victims Rights.
When you visit or call Victim Services, you can expect that our staff will:

• treat you with courtesy, compassion and respect
• be honest and professional with you
• be helpful and sensitive to your individual needs
• respect your privacy
• use plain language
• be easy to contact by phone, facsimile or email (vct@agd.nsw.gov.au)
• be accessible during normal office hours
• respond quickly and accurately to requests for information
• contact you by the next working day if your telephone or email enquiry can’t be dealt with immediately
• help you to find another government or non-government agency to assist you if we can’t.

We will answer your phone calls to the Tribunal within 5 minutes	100%
We will respond to your written enquiries within 21 days	100%
When you visit our office you will be able to speak to a Client Support Officer and be referred to relevant staff where appropriate	100%
We will provide you with a 24-hour toll-free phone service to support your needs as a victim of crime	100%
We will process initial counselling applications within 2 working days and advise you of the result	98%
We will register and acknowledge Family Victims claims within 10 working days	100%
We will send advice of the Assessor’s Determination within 10 working days of the determination being made	100%
We will process and finalise Interim Award requests within 5 working days of receiving your application	95%
We will arrange payment of awards of compensation within 28 working days of receiving your signed payment application form	90%

How you can help us:

• Have your reference number available when you contact us.
• Let us know if you have any special needs or cultural requirements
• Write to us with any change in your details
• Provide us with all the information we request to process your claim, appeal or restitution matter
• Tell us about any delays in sending your information, so we can note our records



What we can do for you	What we cannot do
We can tell you what forms you need and help you to fill them out	We cannot give you legal advice or tell you what you should claim
We can briefly explain and answer questions about how the Tribunal works	We cannot tell you whether you will receive compensation
We can give you information about how your claim is managed and an estimate of how long it may take	We cannot tell you exactly when or how your claim will be determined
We can process your compensation cheque within 28 working days of receiving your signed payment application form	We cannot give you your payment in person

If you need an interpreter, call the Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS) on 131 450.

We also have a TTY phone: (02) 8688 5575 or you can access the National Relay Service on 1800 555 677 if you have hearing or speech difficulties.

We take complaints seriously

Your views are important to us. If you have a complaint or a suggestion about how we can better meet your needs, please let us know. We are committed to helping you, but we understand that we may not always get it right. Please

• contact us if you have a complaint
• speak to a staff member, or their manager, who will try to solve the problem

Victims Services (8:30 am to 5:00pm) (02) 8688 5511 1800 069 054 (toll-free)

Victims Support Line (24-hour information, support & referral) 1800 633 063 (toll-free)

Write to: Victims Services Locked Bag 5118 Parramatta NSW 2124