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Understanding and Applying for Victims Services NSW: A Support Guide

Victims Services NSW is a New South Wales government service. Victims Services NSW provides financial compensation and free counselling to people who have been harmed by a violent crime that was committed in NSW. 

Crimes like property damage, theft and fraud are not generally considered by Victims Services NSW as violent crimes. Violent crimes that Victims Services NSW do recognise include assault, sexual assault, domestic and family violence and modern slavery. 

There does not need to have been a report to police or a criminal charge for you to be eligible. This means that if something has happened to you, but you have not reported it to the police or health services (such as your GP), you are still eligible.

 

Am I eligible? 

Eligibility criteria differs depending on what you are applying for (e.g. financial support or counselling). For counselling, people that can apply are:

  • Primary victims – Someone who was injured as a result of a violent crime, trying to prevent a violent crime, trying to intervene in a violent crime (e.g. trying to help a victim)
  • Secondary victims – Someone who was injured as a result of witnessing a violent crime, a parent or guardian who has been injured as a result of learning that their child under 18 yrs was injured by a violent crime 
  • Family victim – Family members of homicide victims

In this blog, we will be explaining how to apply for counselling as a primary victim. Information for other criteria can be found on the Victims Services NSW website.

 

How to apply 

  1. Did the crime occur in NSW? If not, you aren’t eligible. There may be victims’ support relevant to the state that it did occur, which you can enquire online.
  2. Gather a clear image of one form of ID. For example, drivers licence, passport, Medicare card or Centrelink card. You will need to submit this with your application.
  3. Complete the Victims Support Scheme ‘Application for Support’. This can be completed online. If you are unable to complete it online, you can download a PDF version of the form and email or post the completed form to Victims Services NSW. 
  4. If you have questions or concerns about the application, call the Victims Access Line on 1800 633 063. 
  5. In the application, you will need to supply some personal information and information about the crime including:
    1. Your contact details 
    2. The name of the person who harmed you and their date of birth (if known)
    3. The type of violence (e.g. domestic violence) 
    4. The date/s of the incidents. (If you are unsure of the specific dates, you can provide the month and year)
    5. If you were injured physically and/or psychologically 
    6. A brief description of the incident. This does not need to be detailed, only 1-2 sentences
    7. The address or location at which the incident occurred

 

What then? 

You will be notified by Victims Services NSW once your application has been received, and then again with the outcome of the application. If your application is denied, you can re-apply if you believe that you are eligible. It’s worth calling the Victims Access Line to ask any questions or confirm your eligibility.

Once your application is approved, you will get access to an online list of Victims Services-approved counsellors. These are counsellors, psychologists, and social workers who are in private practice and have applied to work via the Victims Services Scheme. Counselling is free for you and Victims Services NSW pays these counsellors per session on your behalf.

 

Booking a Victims Services counsellor

Counsellors are based in various locations across NSW. Some offer online, phone or in-person options. The Victims Services NSW website has a search tool to assist you in finding someone right for you. Unlike the Rough Patch website, the Victims Services NSW website has very limited information about the counsellor. You can Google the counsellor to see if they have their own website or Psychology Today profile so you can read more about how they work, their experience and qualifications. It is important to find a counsellor that you ‘click’ with.

To schedule a session with a Victims Services NSW counsellor, contact the counsellor to find more out about them and/or to book an appointment. You will need to tell them your Victims Services NSW reference number (which is listed on your approval letter from Victims Services NSW). This number is only for administrative purposes, the Victims Services NSW counsellor does not have access to your application.

You are only able to see one Victims Services NSW counsellor at a time. This means if you would like to change Victims Services NSW counsellors, you will need to notify Victims Services NSW so they stop billing processes with your previous Victims Service NSW counsellor. 

 

How Rough Patch Affordable Counselling Can Support You

You can see a Rough Patch counsellor for up to 30 sessions per year. Some of our clients have started out with free counselling from a Victims Services NSW counsellor and then transitioned to seeing a Rough Patch counsellor for ongoing support when their Victims Services NSW sessions are finished. Other clients have completed a single-session appointment with a Rough Patch counsellor for support completing the Victims Services NSW application, or have seen a Rough Patch counsellor while on the waitlist for their preferred Victims Services NSW counsellor.

If you’d like to access counselling or support with a Victims Services NSW application from a Rough Patch counsellor, you can visit our Counsellors page here. If you have any questions, please reach out to us via our Contact page here.

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