Source: Ministry of Justice published on this website Friday 6 January 2026 by Jill Powell
Child victims will be better supported to understand their rights as a victim of crime and, more crucially, where to get the help they need to recover under plans for a new and improved Victims’ Code unveiled 5 February.
Many children and young people don’t know where to turn following crimes such as domestic abuse and sexual violence – lost in the complexities of the criminal justice system.
To make this known and clear, the Government will work with young people and experts to develop the first-of-its-kind child-friendly version of the Victims’ Code. This will set out in age-appropriate language a child’s rights as a victim of crime – including the right to be referred or self-refer to support services.
Proposals in the new Victims’ Code include more direct contact with police and probation officers alongside parents for those aged 12 and up, granting them the dignity and autonomy they deserve as survivors of crime, and a stronger feeling of safety going through the justice system.
From the point of reporting all the way through to trial and beyond, a better Victims’ Code will encourage all victims to see their case through, knowing the government stands firmly on their side.
The Government is going further still to make sure all victims know about their rights through the Understand your Rights campaign which will reach across England and Wales to show that the Victims’ Code is there for every victim, whatever the crime.
Today’s news follows a series of key interventions designed to protect women and children from violence and abuse.
These include the launch of the Government’s landmark VAWG Strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, and the decision to repeal the presumption of parental involvement to focus family court proceedings squarely on children’s safety.
Ministers have also committed to review the ‘National Protocol’ guidelines to stop the criminalisation of children in care and remove parental responsibility from people who have been convicted of a serious sexual offence against any child, and where a child is born of rape.
