Young victim-survivors
For whānau and support people
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Overview
It’s not easy when a child or young person you care about is going through a traumatic experience. There can be a lot to take in.
This page brings together information to help you support tamariki (children) and rangatahi (young people) and resources to help you look after yourself.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call the Police on 111
If you need the Police but can’t speak for fear of harm, you will be asked to press keys for emergency assistance. If hearing or speaking is difficult, you can sign up to 111 TXT
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If you need urgent support services, you can get help now
Looking after yourself
It is normal to feel overwhelmed while trying to be strong for a child or young person in your care.
It’s important to look after yourself and take time out when you need it. As the parent or guardian of a young victim-survivor, your wellbeing matters too.
There are organisations and resources out there especially for those supporting young victim-survivors:
Victim Support Manaaki Tāngata(external link) has a section on its website to help supporting parents and caregivers look after themselves.
1737 helpline(external link) provides free, round-the-clock access to trained counsellors for caregivers feeling overwhelmed or stressed.
Parent help(external link) provides a helpline and counselling for parents, caregivers and whānau in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Grief Centre(external link) has services to support children, youth, adults, families, or whānau experiencing any form of significant loss.
Family Services Directory(external link) is a nationwide directory of support providers who can help families and whānau.
The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand(external link) provides a nationwide directory of GPs, mental health counsellors and services, and information for anyone in need of mental health support.
Skylight Trust(external link) provides specialised counselling, trauma resources and a support library for children and whānau experiencing loss, violence and trauma.
Practical ways to support young victim-survivors
If you are supporting a young victim-survivor, it’s important to:
- listen and believe them
- stay calm and tell them it’s not their fault
- help them connect with support services
- respect their pace and choices.
As a supporting parent or guardian, you are considered a victim-survivor as well and have legal rights under the Victims Code.
The code provides extra protections for young victim-survivors and ways you can offer practical support, including:
- being their support person during interviews and court processes
- attending, or speaking on their behalf at, Family Group Conferences
- getting help with preparing for court
- privacy and safety protecting.
The Victims Code (PDF, 577 KB)
You can find out about Youth Court and Youth Justice Family Group Conferences and how you can support children and young people involved in them here:
For serious offences, parents or guardians of victim-survivors under 17 can receive updates about the offender through the Victim Notification Register.
Victim Notification Register | Department of Corrections(external link)
Helping you help them
There are specialist support systems across Aotearoa New Zealand to guide you, your family and whānau through legal advocacy, healing and financial recovery.
You can find direct support for young victim survivors here:
Victim Support(external link) has resources to help you understand what the child or young person you are supporting is going through. It has practical advice about the systems you may need to navigate, including:
- understanding young victim-survivors’ reactions
- what to do if a young person discovers a crime or witnesses a traumatic event
- how to support a child or young person through a bereavement
- supporting a young person in court
- online safety.
Keep it Real Online(external link) has a section to help parents and caregivers deal with online harm and keep young people safe in the digital world.
ACC Sensitive Claims(external link) if a child or young person has experienced sexual violence or abuse, ACC can cover the cost of long-term counselling and mental health support. You don’t need to have reported the matter to police for this help.
Community Law(external link) offers free legal help, advice, and information.
If the child or young person you are supporting is a victim-survivor of family or sexual violence, we have information available:
Read our resources for young victim-survivors together
We have webpages to help young victim-survivors to understand:
- what happened to them was not their fault
- that there is support available for them
- the different ways they can share what happened to them
- what will happen and how they will be supported if they talk to police or go to court.
You can share these resources with them or go through the pages together.