Counselling through the Victims Support Scheme

What support is available  

The Victims Support Scheme offers up to 22 hours of counselling for victims of a violent crime, modern slavery and road crime that happened in NSW.  

If you use all the counselling hours you were approved for, further hours may be approved for:

• victims of child sexual assault or child physical abuse
• family members of someone who died as a result of a homicide or road crime
• victims of other violent crimes or modern slavery for exceptional reasons. 

Who can apply

Victims of a violent crime

If you have been impacted by a violent crime in NSW, you can apply for counselling if you are:

• a primary victim
• a secondary victim
• a family victim - homicide
• a related family member of a homicide victim, who is not a family victim.

For more information about primary and secondary victims, visit Victims Support Scheme eligibility requirements.

If you are a family member of a homicide victim, see Support for family members of a homicide victim through the Victims Support Scheme for information about the support available, what you need to apply and how to apply.

Victims of modern slavery

Primary victims of modern slavery that occurred on or after 1 January 2022 can apply for counselling.

For more information, visit Victims Support Scheme eligibility requirements.
 

Family members of a road crime victim

If your family member died as a result of a road crime that occurred on or after 1 February 2023, you can apply for counselling if you are:

• a family victim – road crime
• a related family member of the road crime victim.  

If the road crime occurred before 1 February 2023, you may still be able to receive counselling if there are exceptional circumstances.

For more information, visit Victims Support Scheme eligibility requirements. 
 

How long you have to apply

There is no time limit to apply for counselling through the Victims Support Scheme. You can apply at any time after the incident.

What you need to apply

To apply for counselling, you need to submit:

• a completed application form.
• a clear copy or image of your current government-issued identification.

Government-issued identification

You need to provide a copy or image of one form of current government-issued identification with your application.

This could be a:

• birth certificate
• Centrelink card
• change of name certificate
• driver licence
• marriage certificate
• Medicare card
• MIN card (current inmates only)
• passport
• photo card
• SafeWork licence
• SafeWork white card
• screenshot of your MyGov account or another government account.

Please do not send us the original document. Please ensure the copy or image:

• is clear and not blurry
• captures all parts of the identification, including the reverse side
• has the same name on the identification document and application form. If your name is different, you must provide evidence such as a change of name certificate.

If the applicant is under the age of 18, a copy of the child applicant’s identification and their parent or guardian’s identification must be provided with the application form.

If you’re unable to provide a copy of your government-issued identification, please contact Victims Services to discuss your options.

If you are providing documents in a language other than English, you need to provide a copy of the original document along with a certified translation. To learn more, visit Supporting documents for Victims Support Scheme applications.

How to apply

To apply for counselling, visit Making an application for assistance through the Victims Support Scheme and follow the instructions to submit the relevant application with your supporting documents.

What happens next

If your application for counselling is approved, you can use our search tool to find an approved counsellor that's right for you.

You can search by:

• location
• experience
• languages spoken
• gender
• the type of consultation they offer, including online, video and phone consultations.

Find an approved counsellor

Approved counsellors are qualified and experienced health professionals. They are approved by the Commissioner of Victims Rights to deliver counselling under the Victims Support Scheme. They can support you to manage the impacts of violent crime, modern slavery or a road crime.

You can contact them to request an appointment or to find out more about them. You will need to provide them with your name and Victims Services reference number. You will also need to let them know if you need an interpreter.