What is WAS?

2 people next to each other. 1 of them is wearing a tie.

The Witness Assistance Service (WAS) is a support service for victims of crimes that have happened in NSW.

A person stealing something from someone else's pocket.

In this document, we say ‘victims’ when we talk about people who a crime happened to.

We know that some people choose other words.
A person speaking into a microphone iin a courtroom.

WAS supports some people who have to go to court.

This includes:
A person looking upset and holding their hand to their forehead.
  • people who are a victim of a crime and need to tell the court what happened
A mother sitting next to their son and holding their hand.
  • people who are a family member of a victim of a crime.
2 people sitting at a table and talking.

WAS also supports some witnesses of crime.
A close up of an eye.

A witness is a person who saw a crime happen.

They can share what they saw or heard to the court.
A person training people. They are standing in front of a whiteboard and pointing to a problem icon.

WAS Officers have the training and skills to support victims of crimes.

For example, training to know how to support people who have experienced trauma.

A person looking worried with their hands to their mouth. There is a problem icon next to them.

Trauma is the way you feel about something bad that happened to you.

For example, you might feel scared or stressed.

Trauma can affect you for a long time.
A person raising their hand. The Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Island flag are above them.

WAS also has First Nations Officers.
The Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Island flag above a safety icon.

They help WAS provide culturally safe support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of crimes.

A person raising their hand. There is a smiling face and a safety icon above them.

When something is culturally safe, people feel:

  • respected and heard
  • safe to be who they are.
A group of people from different backgrounds.

WAS can also support multicultural people who are victims of crimes.

Multicultural people:

  • come from different backgrounds
  • speak languages other than English.
A person communicating with an interpreter.

WAS uses interpreters to help support victims of crimes.
A speech bubble that shows the Hindi word for 'hello', and a thought bubble with a tick.

An interpreter is someone who:

  • uses your language
  • helps you understand what someone is saying.