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The Victims Support Scheme is available to anyone who has experienced an act of violence in NSW.
An act of violence is an act or series of related acts that:
Examples of violent acts include, but are not limited to, assault, sexual assault and domestic violence offences.
There does not need to be a charge or a conviction for the victim to receive support however, the available evidence must establish an offence was committed.
Victims support is available to primary, secondary or family victims.
A primary victim is a person who was injured or who dies as a direct result of:
Primary victims may receive:
A parent, step-parent or guardian who is caring for a child under 18 who was injured by a violent crime may also be eligible to receive financial assistance for economic loss that directly resulted from the act of violence.
A secondary victim is:
Secondary victims may receive counselling.
A family victim is an immediate family member of the homicide victim, including a:
Family victims may receive:
Eligible family victims may also receive a recognition payment.
Extended family members of a homicide victim who are affected by the victim's death and are not considered family victims may receive counselling. This includes grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws.
Read these factsheets if you are a family victim:
The Victims Support Scheme assists primary victims of modern slavery where the incidents took place in NSW after 1 January 2022.
An act of modern slavery is an act or series of related acts that:
There does not need to be a charge or conviction for the victim to receive support, however the available evidence must establish an offence was committed.
Modern slavery offences are set out in the Modern Slavery Act 2018 and include offences such as forced labour, forced marriage, debt bondage, and human trafficking.
A primary victim of modern slavery is a person who was injured or dies as a direct result of:
Primary victims may receive:
A parent, step-parent or guardian who is caring for a child under 18 who is a primary victim may also be eligible for financial assistance for economic loss.
If an act is both an act of violence and an act of modern slavery, a victim will only be eligible once for support under the Victims Support Scheme in relation to the act.
Victims Services can only accept applications which involve an act of violence or act of modern slavery that occurred in NSW.
If the incident took place in another Australian state or territory, visit Victims support and services outside of NSW to find the contact details for the victim support organisation in that jurisdiction.
Fraud, theft and property damage aren't generally considered to be acts of violence. If you're unsure about your eligibility to apply for victims support, contact the Victims Access Line or Aboriginal Contact Line.
Further information regarding eligibility for victims support is set out in the Victims Rights and Support Act 2013.
Some people are not eligible for support, even if they are a victim of crime. For more information on persons who are not eligible, see section 25 of the Victims Rights and Support Act 2013.
There are also circumstances where support may be declined or the amount reduced. For more information on those circumstances, see section 44 of the Victims Rights and Support Act 2013.
Factors for consideration under section 44 include, but are not limited to, any behaviour on the part of the deceased which has directly or indirectly contributed to their death, including past criminal activity, and whether an applicant has received money from another source in relation to the violent crime, including under an insurance policy or other agreement.
Consideration of these factors may affect the amount of financial support a victim receives or may result in a decision not to approve an application for victims support.
There are time limits for applying for victims support, which vary based on the type of support you are seeking and the violent crime.
You can see the time frame that applies to you by visiting the webpage for each support type:
31 Oct 2024
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, Department of Communities and Justice is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.
You can access our apology to the Stolen Generations.
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