A service dedicated to helping and supporting young victims of crime using diversionary activities, mentoring, counselling and peer-to-peer support has been praised by Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

PCC Philip Wilkinson joined Splash, part of Youth Action Wiltshire and Community First, during the delivery of one its holiday sessions aimed at supporting young victims at a Bromham cookery school this week.

Splash, which is part-funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner to support young victims and deliver priority four of his police and crime plan, deals with between 350-400 referrals of under 18s yearly from a variety of sources including Horizon Victim and Witness Care Team, Wiltshire Police, and schools and colleges.

Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “Splash is a fantastic service which directly helps and supports young victims of crime and I am delighted to have been able to visit and see the service, and the team, in action.

“Ensuring our young people can process their experiences, recover and potentially help others, as well as themselves, in a safe and supported environment is key and one of the main reasons my Office commissions this service.

“The young people I have met through this scheme have been a credit to themselves and their families – and the cooking skill on display was pretty impressive too!

“In an ideal world, our young people would not be victims of any crimes but it is vital that services like Splash are there to step in with support and help to aid in a young person’s journey through that process when it does.”

For children under the age of eight, Splash works closely with their main carers to provide supported signposting to local children’s centres, emotional literacy support in schools, and specialist services such as child and adolescent mental health support.

Families receive a tailored support pack, and, if further intervention is required, Splash helps facilitate access to counselling services through trusted partners, including Relate, Wiltshire Mind, and The Family Counselling Trust.

For young victims aged 8 to 18 years, Splash provides a more tailored approach through one-to-one coaching with experienced Youth Support Workers with young people are encouraged to engage in positive activities, including evening, weekend, and school holiday sessions designed to foster self-esteem, social interaction, and friendship.

Young people can also take part in leadership programmes, including training to become Peer Mentors, Young Leaders, or Young Listeners, providing them with volunteering opportunities to support others facing similar experiences.

The young people are also invited to join the Splash Young Victims of Crime Voice Groups, where they can provide valuable feedback to services involved in the criminal justice system.

Ben Jarvis, Head of Youth Action Wiltshire and a Splash Team Leader, said: “By offering these structured and supportive interventions, Splash aims to help young victims of crime regain their confidence, build resilience, and move forward in a positive way.

“We are committed to supporting young victims of crime across different age groups, ensuring they receive the care, guidance, and resources needed to cope and recover.

“Our dedicated team of Splash Youth support workers do a fantastic job of building rapport with the young victims referred to us. This is key to creating trusted relationships that are created though a mix of positive group activities and one to one time to talk and mentoring sessions. This in turn enables the young person to move on from the negative experience of the crime.”

Published Thursday 20 February 2025