Eligibility for victims support

Primary victims

Primary victims can get counselling, financial assistance, and a recognition payment under the Victims Support Scheme.

A primary victim is someone who has been injured, physically or psychologically by a violent crime. This includes people who have been injured:

• by the crime itself
• trying to stop the crime
• trying to rescue the victim
• trying to arrest the perpetrator.

Death of a primary victim

If a primary victim dies, they can’t get victims support. Any applications that have been lodged will be rejected. However, a family victim may become eligible for victim support as a consequence of the death of the primary victim. 

Secondary victims

Secondary victims are eligible for counselling under the Victims Support Scheme.

A secondary victim is:

• someone who is injured witnessing a violence crime
• a parent, step-parent, or guardian who is injured by learning that their child was a victim of a violent crime.

Family victims

Family victims can get counselling, financial assistance, and a recognition payment under the Victims Support Scheme.

A family victim is an immediate family member of a homicide victim, including:

• a spouse or de facto partner who has lived with the victim for at least two years,
• a parent, step-parent, or guardian
• a child, step-child or guardian child
• a sibling, including half and step-siblings.

Death of a family victim

If a family victim dies, they are no longer eligible for victims support. If they have any pending applications for victims support, they will be rejected.

Victims of modern slavery

Primary victims of modern slavery can get counselling, financial assistance and a recognition payment under the Victims Support Scheme as long as the incident happened in NSW after 1 January 2022.

A primary victim is someone who is injured or dies as a direct result of:

• a modern slavery offence
• trying to prevent a modern slavery offence
• trying to help or rescue a victim of a modern slavery offence
• trying to arrest someone who was committing a modern slavery offence.

A parent, step-parent or guardian caring for a child who is a primary victim may also be eligible for financial assistance for economic loss.

If an offence is both an act of violence and modern slavery, you are only eligible to make one application for victims support for that offence.

For more information, see Victims of modern slavery.

People who are ineligible

You are not eligible for victims support if:

• you have been paid court ordered compensation or have applied for it
• the offence involves in a motor vehicle accident, and you are entitled to receive support under motor vehicle compensation laws, unless you are a family victim, and the primary victim was intentionally killed by the offender
• you were an offender involved in the crime
• were in prison serving a sentence at the time the offence was committed against you, unless there are special circumstances to your case.

Violent offences

The Victims Support Scheme supports victims who have experienced an act of violence or modern slavery.

An act of violence means an act or series of related acts committed by one or more offenders:

• during an offence
• that involved violence against one or more victims
• that led to injury or death to one or more victims.

This includes offences such as assault, sexual assault, and domestic violence.

Series of related acts

A series of related acts is two or more acts that:

• were committed against the same victim
• were committed at the same time, or over a period of time by the same offender or group of offenders
• were related to each other for any other reason.

This includes offences such as domestic violence or sex trafficking.

If you have already received victims support for an act of violence, future acts of violence are not related. You may still be able to apply for victims support again if new acts of violence are committed against you, even if it is by the same person. This is because the victims support you received earlier doesn’t cover new offence/s committed against you.

Non-violent offences

The Victims Support Scheme doesn’t apply to victims of non-violence offences. This includes offences such as theft, property damage and fraud.

If you can’t apply for victims support because of this, you may be able to make a claim for compensation.

If there are ongoing criminal proceedings against the offender, you should speak to the prosecutor about a Criminal Compensation Order. For more information, see Criminal Compensation Order.

You may also be able to bring a civil claim against the offender for compensation for loss or damage. Before you file a civil claim, you should get legal advice.

Offences in other States and Territories

The Victims Support Scheme only supports victims of violence offences that occurred in NSW.

If you are the victim of an offence that happened outside of NSW, you need to speak to the victim support organisation in the State or Territory where the offence occurred.

To find the contact details of the relevant organisation, see Victims support and services outside of NSW on the NSW Government website.

Last updated: March 2026