Support & wellbeing

Supporting someone who has experienced a crime can be challenging. It can affect your own wellbeing too. Feeling stressed about the situation or worn down does not mean you are failing. 
 
You can look after your wellbeing by taking some time for yourself, talking to someone you trust, or reaching out for support. You can ask for help with practical things, as well as emotional support. 
 
You can: 

• contact a helpline if you feel overwhelmed
• ask what practical support may be available
• get advice if you feel like your health, work or personal relationships are affected. 

Support organisations recognise that crime can affect the people surrounding the victim. Some organisations offer their support services to friends, family and whānau who are supporting their loved ones who have been a victim of crime.  
 
Support services may be able to help you in different ways. They can: 

• help you process the fact your loved one has been impacted by crime
• provide information and guidance to help you understand what they may be experiencing
• help you to deal with your own emotions while supporting a loved one
• talk with you about ways to support them. 

 
Support organisations can help you understand what they may be going through, process your own response to what happened, and find practical ways to support their recovery while also looking after your own wellbeing.  
 
Find out more about supporting organisations

If the person you are supporting feels they have been treated unfairly, it can help to know that people affected by crime have rights under the Victims’ Rights Act 2002(external link)
 
This includes the right to be treated with compassion and respect by agencies involved in the justice process. 
 
You can help the person you are supporting by:  

• asking what they think should have happened
• raising a concern with the agency involved
• or finding out how to make a complaint

If you want to make a complaint on behalf of someone else, you need their consent first. Make sure you understand what they want included and give them a chance to read the complaint before it is sent.