Children can now avail of an innovative pilot scheme which helps
victims of serious sexual offences navigate the criminal justice
system.
Justice Minister today announced the launch of
the Children's Sexual Offences Legal Adviser (CSOLA) scheme,
which is being delivered by Victim Support NI.
The service is available to children and young people aged 17 and
under who have experienced sexual crime, as well as to their
parents/carers, and provides free, independent legal advice until
the start of a trial.
The Minister said: “I am committed to creating a justice
system that is focussed on supporting victims; to ensure we do
everything we can to help people through one of the most
harrowing experiences of their lives.
“In that vein, we know that cases which involve a sexual
offence can be some of the most traumatic for a victim to
endure.
“I also recognise the criminal justice system can be
difficult to navigate, even more so for children, which is why it
has been a priority for me to launch the CSOLA service.
“One key benefit of the CSOLA scheme is that free advice
on the criminal justice system will be available prior to any
offence being reported, which will help victims make informed
decisions and may make it easier to contact police.
“The adult Sexual Offences Legal Adviser (SOLA) pilot
scheme was launched in April 2021 and has helped around 2,000
victims. Feedback from users of the adult service has been
overwhelmingly positive, so extending the scheme to children is a
further improvement by the Department, reflecting my
determination to put the victim at the centre of the criminal
justice system.”
The creation of the CSOLA scheme – being launched during Sexual
Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness week - represents an
investment of £310,000 by the Department of Justice.
The service will be provided by Victim Support NI, which recently
appointed solicitor Emma-Rose Duffy to the role of Child Sexual
Offences Legal Adviser.
Commenting on the launch of the service, Victim Support NI deputy
CEO Nichola Greene, said: “We are delighted to be able to extend
the existing SOLA scheme to include children and young
people.
“Feedback from the adult SOLA service tells us that the free
legal advice and one-to-one advocacy support of our SOLAs is of
enormous benefit to victims when trying to navigate the criminal
justice system.
“Our new Children's SOLA Emma-Rose Duffy brings not only great
experience to the role, having previously worked at the
Children's Law Centre, but also has a long-standing passion for
children's rights and a focus on mental health and
well-being.
“We believe this new service will provide young victims of
serious sexual crime, and their families or carers, with another
pillar of support which will help them to access their Victim
Charter rights and feel engaged and informed throughout their
criminal justice journey.”
The Minister continued: “The Department of Justice is
also looking at extending the scope of the SOLA service.
“Currently, the SOLAs are unable to represent victims in
court. My Department is consulting on legislative proposals for
inclusion in a Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill that would
allow SOLAs to provide representation for complainants at court
pre-trial, in certain circumstances. I encourage all those with
an interest to respond to these proposals.”
Notes to editors:
- This CSOLA scheme has been specifically designed to meet the
needs of child complainants in serious sexual offence cases and
is set to run for an initial two-year pilot phase. The new
children's service will run in tandem with the adult SOLA service
until March 2027, when both pilots will be evaluated to inform
the development and procurement of mainstream services.
- Emma Rose Duffy has experience volunteering with the NSPCC
Young Witness Service and obtained a master's degree in
Children's Rights, before qualifying as a solicitor in 2019.
Working with the Children's Law Centre, she promoted the rights
of young people in the legal system, with a particular focus on
mental health, prior to taking up the CSOLA role.
- The consultation on proposals inclusion in a Victims and
Witnesses of Crime Bill www.justice-ni.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-proposals-victims-and-witnesses-crime-bill,
seeks views on draft legislative proposals that would allow
SOLAs to provide representation for complainants in serious
sexual offence cases at court pre-trial, in certain
circumstances, is open until 20 February 2025.
