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Agency overview | |
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Formed | 2009 |
Preceding agency |
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Jurisdiction | State of Queensland |
Headquarters | Brisbane, Queensland |
Minister responsible | |
Agency executives |
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Parent department | Queensland Government Department of Justice and Attorney-General |
Parent agency | Community Justice Services |
Child agencies |
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Key document |
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Website | www |
Victim Assist Queensland (VAQ) is an agency of the Queensland Government Department of Justice and Attorney-General that provides information, advice and financial assistance to victims of violent crime and domestic violence throughout the State of Queensland. [1] [2] VAQ also overseas the implementation of and complaints under the Queensland Charter of Victims' Rights, provides court support, and coordinates interagency referrals including with the Queensland Police Service. [3] [4]
VAQ was established in 2009 with the entering into force of the Victims of Crime Assistance Act 2009 (VOCA). Prior to VOCA, the criminal compensation scheme was managed under the Criminal Offence Victims Act 1995 (COVA) by the former Criminal Injury Compensation Unit within the Department of Justice and Attorney-General. Prior to COVA, the victims compensation scheme was provided for by the Criminal Code Act 1899 (CODA) by the Queensland courts. [5]
VAQ is a public service agency of the Queensland Government Department of Justice and Attorney-General and therefore is responsible to the Queensland Parliament via the Queensland Attorney-General. [6] VAQ comprises the Victim Services Coordination Unit (VSCU) and the Financial Assistance Unit (FAU). [7]
The principal focus of Victim Assist Queensland is the financial assistance scheme for victims of violent crime for out of pocket expenses for safety and recovery needs. VAQ administers an evidence-based assessment process of applications from primary victims, witnesses, parents of child victims, and close family members of homicide victims. [8] [9] [10]
The Information and Referral Service, known as LinkUp, is a central point of information about financial assistance, advice about victims' rights, and referrals to support service. LinkUp operates a helpline during business hours and provides information in-person by appointment and via email. LinkUp also manages the interagency referrals system with the Queensland Police Service. [11]
With the implementation of the recommendations of the Not Now, Not Ever Report, the Queensland Government established integrated interagency teams for victims of domestic violence at high risk of homicide. [12] Victim Assist Queensland officers along with the police officers, child safety officers, probation and parole officers, and local support services provide case management and information sharing for high risk victims. [13]
Victim Assist Queensland operates a regional victim coordination program with officers in Ipswich, Rockhampton, and Cairns. Victim Coordination Officers provide support to victims and their families in attending court, drafting victim impact statements, and applying for financial assistance. [14] VAQ also maintains a Regional Coordinators in Townsville and in Cairns for capacity building with government agencies and community organisations and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement. [15]
VAQ also administers the Victim Services Funding Program which provides funding to non-profit organisations to support victims of violent crime in Queensland. Recipient organisations include Relationships Australia to run the Victim Counselling and Support Service, the Queensland Homicide Victim Support Group, and the Court Network. [16]
Victims rights activist and the 2009 Young Australian of the Year, Jonty Bush, worked at Victim Assist Queensland as Community Liaison and Research Officer and Acting Director.
Victim Support is an independent charity in England and Wales that provides specialist practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses of crime.
The Superior Court of the District of Columbia, commonly referred to as DC Superior Court, is the trial court for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It hears cases involving criminal and civil law, as well as family court, landlord and tenant, probate, tax, and driving violations. All appeals of Superior Court decisions go to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
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Rape crisis centers (RCCs) are community-based organizations affiliated with the anti-rape movement that work to help victims of rape, sexual abuse, and sexual violence. Central to a community's rape response, RCCs provide a number of services, such as victim advocacy, crisis hotlines, community outreach, and education programs. As social movement organizations, they seek to change social beliefs and institutions, particularly in terms of how rape is understood by medical and legal entities and society at large. There is a great deal of diversity in terms of how RCCs are organized, which has implications for their ideological foundations, roles in their communities, and the services they offer.
The Victims Compensation Tribunal of New South Wales is a former tribunal of the Government of New South Wales that was established to determine the amounts that may be awarded to victims of crime for personal injury in New South Wales, a state of Australia. The tribunal had exclusive jurisdiction to determine the amount which the Victims Compensation Fund of New South Wales would pay to a victim of crime. This tribunal was unique in Australia in that it did not notify nominated defendants of tribunal hearings and therefore did not hear evidence that may exist from such persons.
The Oklahoma District Attorneys Council (DAC) is an agency of the state of Oklahoma that provides professional organization for the education, training and coordination of technical efforts of all Oklahoma state prosecutors and to maintain and improve prosecutor efficiency and effectiveness in enforcing the laws of the state.
The Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) is a state agency of the U.S. state of California that oversees the provision of compensation to victims of violent crime and the collection of restitution from criminal offenders. CalVCB is part of the California Government Operations Agency (CalGovOps). The board consists of three members: the Secretary of CalGovOps, who serves as the chair; the California State Controller; and a member appointed by the Governor, currently vacant.
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Specialized domestic violence courts are designed to improve victim safety and enhance defendant accountability. They emerged as a problem-solving court in the 1980s and 1990s in response to frustration among victim advocates, judges and attorneys who saw the same litigants cycling through the justice system again and again.
The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ), headed by the Oregon Attorney General, is the main legal branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DOJ is part of Oregon's executive branch, and most of its employees work in Oregon's capital, Salem. The Department is equivalent to the State Bureau of Investigation in other states. Employing about 1200 employees statewide, the department's biennial budget is approximately US$280 million.
The California Department of Justice is a statewide investigative law enforcement agency and legal department of the California executive branch under the elected leadership of the California Attorney General (AG) which carries out complex criminal and civil investigations, prosecutions, and other legal services throughout the US state of California. The Department is equivalent to the State Bureau of Investigation in other states.
In Australia, domestic violence is defined by the Family Law Act 1975 as "violent, threatening or other behaviour by a person that coerces or controls a member of the person's family, or causes the family member to be fearful".
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is an agency of the Oklahoma state government that is headed by the Attorney General of Oklahoma. The OAG is responsible for supervising the administration of justice across the State, providing legal assistance to the State government, and prosecuting violators of State law.
Victims' rights are legal rights afforded to victims of crime. These may include the right to restitution, the right to a victims' advocate, the right not to be excluded from criminal justice proceedings, and the right to speak at criminal justice proceedings.
The Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2013 (SETT) is a bill that would require each state, within three years, to have in effect legislation that: (1) treats a minor who has engaged or attempted to engage in a commercial sex act as a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons, (2) discourages the charging or prosecution of such an individual for a prostitution or sex trafficking offense, and (3) encourages the diversion of such individual to child protection services.
Safe Horizon, formerly the Victim Services Agency, is the largest victim services nonprofit organization in the United States, providing social services for victims of abuse and violent crime in 57 locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Safe Horizon provides social services to over 250,000 victims of violent crime and abuse and their families per year. It has over 800 employees, and has programs for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking, as well as homeless youth and the families of homicide victims. Safe Horizon's website has been accessible for the Spanish-speaking population since 2012. Safe Horizon has an annual budget of over $63 million.
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The Department of Justice and Attorney-General (DJAG) is a department of the Queensland Government with responsibilities for the administration of justice, support to Queensland courts, regulatory policy and consumer protection, legal aid, youth justice, corrective services, and other community and legal services.
Jonty Maree Bush is an Australian politician currently serving as the Labor member for Cooper in the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Bush is a former public servant and community advocate, having served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group and was a manager in the Office of the Public Guardian, Victim Assist Queensland, and the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General. She was awarded the 2009 Young Australian of the Year Award and was a member of the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council between 2010 and 2012.