The Victim Support (Specified Roles) Regulations 2025
The Victim Support (Specified Roles) Regulations 2025, enacted under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, specify the roles of independent domestic violence advisors, independent sexual violence advisors, and independent stalking advocates.
These regulations mandate the Secretary of State to provide guidance on these roles, aiming to enhance support services for victims of crime. The regulations have a staggered implementation, with most provisions coming into force on May 9th, 2025, and one specific regulation effective February 2nd, 2026.
The legislation clarifies the responsibilities of these support roles, drawing existing legal definitions from the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
Arguments For
Improved Victim Support: The regulations aim to improve support services for victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence, and stalking by formally specifying the roles of relevant advocates and mandating guidance from the Secretary of State.
Standardization of Services: Setting clear roles for advisors can lead to more consistent and effective support across different regions and organizations, ensuring victims receive comparable help.
Legal Basis for Guidance: The regulations provide the legal foundation required for the Secretary of State to issue guidance on these vital roles, creating a framework for effective practice and training.
Enhanced Accountability: By specifying these roles, the government increases accountability for providing support to victims and ensures these services are appropriately supervised.
Arguments Against
Resource Constraints: Implementing these regulations may place additional strain on resources, potentially requiring increased funding for training and support programs for advocates.
Definition Challenges: The definitions of domestic abuse and stalking, while based on existing legislation, may cause difficulties in practice as cases can involve complex or ambiguous circumstances.
Delayed Implementation: The staggered implementation timeline may leave some victims without support for extended periods, and this delay can hinder progress.
Potential for Overlap: Concerns may exist about the potential for overlap or confusion in roles between independent domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking advocates, especially in cases involving multiple forms of abuse.
- Citation and extent (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Victim Support (Specified Roles) Regulations 2025. (2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales.
This section details the official title and geographical scope of the regulations.
The regulations are officially titled 'Victim Support (Specified Roles) Regulations 2025' and apply to England and Wales.
- Commencement (1) Except as provided for in paragraph (2), these Regulations come into force on 9th May 2025. (2) Regulation 6 comes into force on 2nd February 2026.
This section outlines the effective dates for the regulations.
Most regulations will take effect on May 9th, 2025.
However, Regulation 6, concerning independent stalking advocates, will come into force later, on February 2nd, 2026.
- Interpretation In these Regulations, “the Act” means the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.
This section clarifies the meaning of "the Act" within the context of these regulations.
It defines "the Act" as the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.
- Independent domestic violence advisers (1) The role of independent domestic violence adviser is specified for the purposes of section 16 of the Act. (2) For the purposes of this regulation— (a) the role of an independent domestic violence adviser is to provide independent support to individuals who are victims of criminal conduct which constitutes domestic abuse, where the support provided relates to that conduct; (b) “domestic abuse” has the meaning given by Part 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
This section formally specifies the role of an independent domestic violence advisor.
It states this role is now defined within the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.
The advisor's function is to provide independent support to victims of domestic abuse, as defined in Part 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, focusing on support directly related to the abusive criminal conduct.
- Independent sexual violence advisers (1) The role of an independent sexual violence adviser is specified for the purposes of section 16 of the Act. (2) For the purposes of this regulation, the role of an independent sexual violence adviser is to provide independent support to individuals who are victims of criminal conduct of a sexual nature, where the support provided relates to that conduct.
This section specifies the role of an independent sexual violence advisor, clarifying its inclusion under section 16 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.
The role involves providing independent support to victims of sexual violence, with a focus on support directly related to the criminal sexual conduct.
- Independent stalking advocates (1) The role of an independent stalking advocate is specified for the purposes of section 16 of the Act. (2) For the purposes of this regulation— (a) the role of an independent stalking advocate is to provide independent support to individuals who are victims of criminal conduct which involves acts associated with stalking; (b) the reference to acts associated with stalking is to be read in accordance with section 2A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
This section specifies the role of an independent stalking advocate and includes it within section 16 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.
The role involves offering independent support to victims of stalking.
The definition of "acts associated with stalking" is aligned with section 2A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.