Cumbria

Phone

0300 303 0157

If you’ve been affected by crime, call your local victim care team in Cumbria. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm.

Out of hours Supportline

08 08 16 89 111

If you need support outside of our open hours, call our Supportline for free on 08 08 16 89 111 or request support via our website.

Get help from your local team

Call us

If you’ve been affected by crime, call your local victim care team in Cumbria on 0300 303 0157.

Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm.

If you need support outside of our open hours, call our Supportline for free on 08 08 16 89 111 or request support via our website.

Go online

As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic we have made our free live chat support service available 24/7.

Create a free account on My Support Space – an online resource containing interactive guides to help you manage the impact that crime has had on you.

How we can help

We give emotional and practical help to people who have been affected by crime in Cumbria. We’re an independent charity and you can contact us for support regardless of whether you’ve contacted the police, and no matter how long ago the crime took place. We’ll help you for as long as it takes to overcome the impact of crime.

If you call your local Victim Support team, we’ll make sure you get the information and support you need. This might be arranging a meeting for you to talk to us and receive emotional support in confidence, helping you to fill out a compensation form or get advice on how to make your home more secure, or referring you to other specialist organisations that can also help.

All Independent Domestic and Sexual Violence Advisors are fully experienced, trained and accredited to provide a quality, safe and effective service.

As well as offering emotional and practical support to people affected by crime, we run a number of specialist services in Cumbria including:

  • Independent Sexual Violence Advisor

The Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) project supports all victims of sexual abuse, whether reported to the police or not. They offer free and confidential support to people of all ages and regardless of when the crime happened.

  • Independent Domestic Violence Advisor

The Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) supports victims of domestic abuse who are at high risk of serious harm.  Support is free and confidential to adults aged 16+ who are experiencing domestic violence and abuse.  The role of the IDVA is to reduce the risk to yourself by conducting safety planning and advice along with practical and emotional support in order to keep you safe and enable you to move on with a life free from abuse.

Email: cumbriaidsva@victimsupport.org.uk

Turning the Spotlight is a package of programmes and interventions for families experiencing domestic abuse in the home. We provide support to the partners, ex-partners and children participating in this programme. We also advocate on behalf of people experiencing domestic abuse and can refer you on to other support services where needed. Find out more.

Last year we offered immediate support to over 7,000 people affected by crime in Cumbria, and gave in-depth support to more than 800 people.

One of the people we’ve helped to cope after crime is Ruth, a victim of antisocial behaviour and assault.

I had been having some ongoing issues with my neighbours for around six months. I had been verbally abused and my car had been damaged.

On the day of the incident, I had taken my daughter bowling and returned home to collect my dog. When I got out the car, my neighbour and her friend were stood outside and they were being verbally abusive. My neighbour’s son then came out with a small axe. I was dragged into their kitchen where I was shot in the face with a BB gun, resulting in minor injuries.

I was encouraged by the nurse in the hospital to contact Victim Support, and I was supported by a volunteer called Anne. Anne was lovely, calm and kind. She kept in touch regularly and always called when she said she would. I felt Victim Support was on my side and it made such a difference that someone would listen and not judge. It was a very turbulent time immediately after the incident, and Anne was always so calming and thoughtful.

When the case was brought to court, Victim Support referred me to the Witness Service so I could look around the court beforehand. They also sent an alarm for my daughter who witnessed the incident.

I also felt that Victim Support were always professional, and perhaps did a lot of work I didn’t know about. They did an amazing job.

We work with a number of partner organisations in Cumbria to make sure you get the support you need.

Find out more about some of the services and organisations we work with:

The Bridgeway is an integrated, comprehensive sexual assault support service for men, women and children in Cumbria.

Remedi runs restorative justice services in Cumbria.

Birchall Trust provides specialist counselling to victims of sexual abuse across South Cumbria.

Safety Net provides specialist counselling to victims of domestic and sexual abuse across North and West Cumbria.

AWAZ provides support for formal/informal community groups and empowers the voice of BME people and communities (including migrant workers, Gypsy and Travellers).