Court Support Service

Court support services focus on the victim’s/survivor’s mental, spiritual, and physical support needs while they are going through the criminal justice process. These services work to reduce the severity and longevity of the victim’s/survivor’s trauma.  

Court support services are delivered to people: 

• affected by sexual violence who have reported a claim to Police 
• who have given a statement of what has happened 
• where a charge has been filed by the Police against the perpetrator. 

Background

Research found that New Zealand’s justice system often fails to respond appropriately to victims/survivors of sexual violence contributing to low reporting rates and high rates of revictimisation (2015 Law Commission report: The Justice Response to Victims of Sexual Violence).  

In 2018, MSD funded a pilot in Auckland to provide court support for victims/survivors of sexual violence who are going through the criminal justice system. The pilot service was provided by Auckland Sexual Abuse HELP Foundation Charitable Trust (HELP Auckland). 

In Budget 2019, MSD received $6.348 million over four years to develop and implement a support service for victims/survivors of sexual violence who are going through the criminal justice system. 

Service guidelines

Service guidelines for the court support service have been developed in consultation with specialist sexual violence service providers. MSD is committed to continuous improvement and will regularly review these guidelines.

Guide to criminal justice processes

This guide provides information on criminal justice process for MSD providers of court support services. The guide provides a snapshot of the criminal justice process, the areas which may be particularly difficult for victims/survivors and other stakeholders who are involved in the criminal justice processes.