Service for child witnesses due to give evidence provides virtual support during Lockdown

Paul Murtagh, from Craigavon, is a team manager at the Young Witness Service which is still working to support kids across NI who are due to give evidence.

The NSPCC service provides support and assistance to children and young people under 18-years-old who have to attend court as prosecution witnesses and it operates in every local crown, magistrate and youth court.

NSPCC staff and volunteers provide information and advice to children and young people – as well as their family, friends and supporters – before, during and after the trial.

The service has been working for 20 years and is the only one of its kind in the UK and last year supported 480 Young Witnesses across Northern Ireland.

Despite the courts being closed due to Lockdown, except for urgent matters, the YWS is still reaching out to children and their families online and over the phone.

Paul Murtagh, team manager at the Young Witness Service, said: “We are doing the same work we have always been doing, albeit remotely. There are no court proceedings taking place at the moment so a lot of families are in limbo and we are continuing to provide support by one to one phone calls and video chats. The Young Witness Service is still here – but we are adapting in terms of offering support using technology.

“We know that Covid-19 has caused a lot of difficulties for children and families, the impact of court delay is an additional worry for many of the children we support.

“Every child is unique and we have tailored our support to their individual needs. We have been trialling video calls as another way to reach out and have been really pleased with how it has been received.

“We know that some children can find the prospect of speaking to professional face to face daunting, the video calls offer young people an opportunity to access support in their own environment but still begin to build relationships, we get much more of a sense of them and likewise they get more of who we are which can make face to face meetings later down the line easier.

“Everything we do is to try to make the child’s experience of the courts as positive as it can be, we do everything we can to reduce anxiety. The offer of the video calls is definitely something we are going to continue with even once the lockdown ends.

The Young Witness Service is also heavily reliant on volunteers who, many of whom due to their age, are staying at home.

Paul said: “We are also using group video calls to keep in contact with our volunteers. It’s great for us to be able to keep in touch and see each other and also offers an opportunity for our volunteers to get together and can help with some of the isolation people are experiencing at the minute. Our volunteers provide a vital service and we are so grateful to them for their dedication.

“Our message is that Young Witness Service is still here and we are available and still offering our expertise in helping prepare children to face a court situation, however far in the future that may be.”

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