$4.3m pilot to help victim-survivors navigate NSW justice system

Specialist workers to help sexual assault victim-survivors under $4.3m NSW pilot In short: A $4.3 million pilot program will make available specialist workers to help victim-survivors navigate the NSW justice system. Eleven justice system navigators are set to be deployed to deliver support and care to people traversing police and court processes. The two-year trial follows similar programs which operated in England and Wales since 2007. Specialist workers will be deployed across New South Wales to help victim-survivors of sexual assault navigate the justice system under a trial welcomed by one support service as "a big step forward". Eleven justice system navigators will be employed under the $4.3 million, two-year pilot to offer victim-survivors older than 16 guidance and information on police and court processes and connect them with other supports. Tenders have been awarded to services across the state, including Full Stop Australia, which has received funding to employ one specialist worker to service metropolitan Sydney. Full Stop Australia chief executive Karen Bevan said the organisation had been lobbying for a justice system navigator program since 2022 and hoped to recruit a worker "quite soon". "We've been arguing specifically for this kind of program in one version or another since 2022, so it's really important for us that we are part of it but also that the program even exists is a big step forward," Ms Bevan said. "I'm really hoping that this will be a part of a process that puts victim-survivors at the centre and supports them as they make choices that are right for them. "We really hope that it becomes not just a once-off referral, but someone who walks through this process with you, which is something that victim-survivors have said over and over that they need." Victim-survivors will not have to make a police complaint to access the support. Rather, the navigators will help people understand their options, the justice system processes and how to access other supports. "We really hope that this program delivers an ongoing, consistent set of supports through the process of what happens after a sexual assault," Ms Bevan said. "We hope it supports people who want to make reports to police, who are going through investigations and court systems, and we hope it supports people who are looking to identify services that will help them with the trauma and experience that they've had." Complainants in sexual assault cases have previously told the ABC of the negative impacts of feeling uninformed and confused about police and court processes. The NSW pilot has been funded by the state and federal governments. A version of the program will operate in every state and territory. 'One of the hardest things a person will ever do' Federal Assistant Minister for Social Services and the Prevention of Family Violence Ged Kearney said reporting sexual violence was "one of the hardest things a person will ever do", with justice system navigators aimed at helping make the process easier. "Many victim-survivors tell us they feel frightened, confused and overwhelmed after reporting sexual violence," Ms Kearney said. "The sexual violence justice system navigators provide practical support and continuity of trauma-informed care so women don't have to face the journey alone." NSW Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison agreed: "By investing in community-based justice system navigators, it’s easier for victim-survivors to access support throughout the criminal justice process while linking them with community organisations, legal services and government agencies." A similar program has operated in England and Wales since 2007. A 2020 survey by the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales found victim-survivors who received assistance from an independent sexual violence advisor or other support service were significantly less likely to stop supporting an investigation or prosecution.