Media Statement From Lorraine Scanlon, Chair Of The National Board Of Victim Support

Today, the National Board of Victim Support welcomed the findings and recommendations from an independent investigation that looked into the organisation’s workplace.

Lorraine Scanlon, Chair of the National Board of Victim Support says “The Board proactively appointed Charlotte Stevens from RISQ New Zealand to undertake a robust and independent investigation following concerns raised about the way a small number of complaints were addressed by Victim Support’s National Office.

“We believed this investigation was necessary to understand the nature and extent of the concerns and support our goal of providing the very best environment for our dedicated team who work in incredibly demanding, stressful, and complex situations to help more than 40,000 victims in our community each year in their time of crisis.

“The feedback we received as part of the investigation was highly valuable and we would like to thank everyone who chose to participate and engage in this process.

“The Board fully accepts the findings that identified some complaints were not progressed in a timely manner. We also acknowledge that while there is not a widespread culture of bullying within Victim Support, there were likely some instances of isolated behaviour that could constitute bullying and/or one-off instances of rudeness.

“The National Board sincerely apologises to the team members who were impacted in this way.

“Out of respect to the privacy interests of our people who provided feedback, the report will not be publicly released. However, the investigation has confirmed the concerns were limited to one location and only related to a very small number of our people,” said Ms Scanlon.

She adds “We are absolutely committed to ensuring our 660 valued staff and volunteers, who are at the heart of our organisation, have the right support and processes in place to enable them to provide the specialist to the growing number of victims in our community who need our help every day.

“The independent investigation findings highlighted that while Victim Support has strong systems and policies in place, funding shortfalls, combined with a growing demand for our services, are the primary cause of the concerns raised about the service delivery and the training of our workers.

“It also found that several initiatives aimed at improving our service delivery model, worker training and wellbeing are either already in development or have been implemented by Victim Support as part of its 2030 Vision Workshops held with workers last year.

“We recognise we need to continuously improve and evolve to support our dedicated team as they help more than 40,000 victims in our community each year in their time of crisis, working in incredibly demanding, stressful, and complex situations.

“Over the past 12 months, Victim Support has introduced a number of programmes including:

• formation of a new Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee who are tasked with overseeing our new approach to health and safety;
• implementation of a Coaching & Development Framework to ensure our people have the right tools for evaluating performance, recognising success, and supporting professional development; and
• a nationwide mobile phone rollout to increase connectivity and equity of access to information for our people;
• creation of Business Continuity and Major Incidence Response Plans to ensure all our team are better prepared for unexpected disruptions and major events.

“The Board’s priority is to be highly transparent and collaborative and work with our dedicated team around New Zealand to continue providing specialised support to victims in Aotearoa New Zealand, and empower them to be safe, heal and participate at every step of their journey.

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