Guidance for practitioners working with victims and witnesses who speak English as a second or additional language

As part of the Language Barriers in the Criminal Justice System series, Victim Support has produced a good practice guide to provide guidance for practitioners from non-statutory agencies working with victims and witnesses who speak English as a second or additional language (ESL), to inform their working practice and improve the experiences of, and engagement with, service users. Although the focus of this guide is for those from non-statutory organisations, practitioners from criminal justice agencies may also find it useful.

This guide provides an overview of how speaking ESL has an impact on victims’ and witnesses’ well-being, experiences and outcomes in the criminal justice system (CJS) and in relation to services for victims. It provides information about how victims and witnesses of crime who speak ESL can be better helped to access services for victims and what they find useful when engaging with these services. It also outlines additional challenges victims and witnesses who speak ESL face and strategies that can be deployed to mitigate them.

These guidelines provide some working principles to help inform and direct practice, but they do not attempt to cover all eventualities when working with victims and witnesses who speak ESL. The guidelines can be used to inform decision making. No guidance can replace the need for practitioners to use their own professional judgement.

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