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Victims Services Key Facts 2001/2002
Under the Approved Counselling Scheme over 6,500 applications for counselling, both for initial and further counselling, were received. Approximately 20,000 counselling hours were approved for victims of crime and over $1.9 million was paid to counsellors to provide this counselling. Since January 2002, applications for initial counselling can be made on line and nearly 100 applications have been received on line.
The number of pending claims for compensation has been reduced from nearly 18,000 in June 2000 to less than 8,500 in June 2002.
In 2001/2002 the Tribunal received about 6,000 applications for compensation. Nearly 11,000 claims for compensation were determined in 2001/2002 with over $88 million paid out by the Tribunal.
The Victims of Crime Bureau continued to provide a 24 hour Victim Support Line in partnership with Mission Australia, which assists in the provision of information, support and referral services to victims of crime.
The Victims of Crime website, which was developed by the NSW Victims Advisory Board and the Victims of Crime Interagency, has received an increasing number of hits. It has been enhanced with further information provided for people with disabilities and older people, as well of victims of road trauma. The Victims Services website has been enhanced with new Authorised Report Writer and Approved Counsellor search facilities, and plain English ‘top tips’ pages.
The Victims of Crime Bureau published Victims Speak a report on the phone-in held in 2001 for victims of crime.
Three new rural victims of crime coordinators were appointed to increase access to services and entitlements to victims of crime in rural and regional NSW. They cover the North East region (based at Port Macquarie); the South East region (based at Bateman’s Bay) and the Far West region (based at Dubbo).
$3.5 million was recovered from convicted offenders with almost 3,000 provisional orders issued to convicted offenders.
Funding from the Families and Friends of Missing Persons Unit (FFMPU) located within the Victims of Crime Bureau was provided to Mission Australia for the provision of a state-wide telephone support and counselling service for families and friends of missing persons.
A Charter of Victims Rights Resource Kit was developed in partnership with key agencies to provide a guide on the best practice to be followed in relation to the Charter of Victims Rights. The Resource Kit is available on the Victims Services website.
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