A new victim support service for under-18s in Nottinghamshire will be a great way for young people who have suffered from crime to express their feelings.

That is the view of a student who was one of 50 to attend the launch of an enhanced Nottinghamshire Victim CARE service.

It includes a way for young people and children to access support from a dedicated team of professionals.

The Got Your Back campaign acts as a mentoring support service for under-18s who are impacted by crime.

Introduced in Nottinghamshire after success in Derbyshire and Cheshire, the campaign’s trained experts offer emotional and practical support, while identifying ways to cope and recover from experiences that have caused physical and psychological harm.

Support is offered in a variety of ways, such as in person or online, with the comfort and wellbeing of the young person always the priority.

Nottinghamshire Victim CARE is a free service commissioned by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and provided by national experts Remedi, which helps victims of crime as well those affected by anti-social behaviour, hate incidents, road traffic crime, and identity theft.

The service is available to all victims of crime in Nottinghamshire, regardless of whether they have reported it to the police.

Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry, who hosted the launch event, said: “It is crucial that young people in Nottinghamshire know that we have got their back if they need help.

“The fact that young people and children now have a team of specialists trained to deal with their issues means that they are getting the correct care to empower their recoveries.”

Around 20,000 people were referred into victim services funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner in the last year, including Nottinghamshire Victim CARE.

Of those who received enhanced support from these services, 90% said they were better able to cope with everyday life or recover from harm after receiving this support – an increase of 8% on the previous year.

A student at the launch said: “The Got Your Back campaign will be great for young people in Nottinghamshire because those who struggle to express their thoughts and feelings now have somewhere to go if they need help.

“Young people may also be more willing to explain what has happened to them if they know they don’t necessarily have to report it to the police.

“Having experts who know how to speak to young people, as well as having lot of different ways to access the support, makes things so much easier from the outset.”

The Nottinghamshire Victim CARE service has been running in Nottinghamshire since January 2016 and was previously run by charity Catch 22, with Remedi being awarded the new contract from October.

Notts Victim CARE can be contacted by calling 0800 3047575, texting ‘NottsVC’ to 82228, or emailing [email protected]. More help is also at nottsvictimcare.org.uk.

The helpline is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm. To talk to someone outside of these hours, call the national Victim Support helpline on 0808 168 9111.