Organisation

V-SAC has a permenant presence in the Criminal Courts of Justice at Parkgate Street, Dublin, but the cases it handles originate from all parts of the country. V-SAC also operates in Tallaght District Court, Blanchardstown District Court and the Eastern and South Eastern regional courts. Victim Support at Court is expanding its service into the Midlands, Western and Northern Circuit Courts with funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund. It is the only service whose sole function is to provide court accompaniment for all victims of crime, regardless of the type of offence. Counselling services are not provided, but referrals are offered to other appropriate services as and when required.

V-SAC is funded on an annual basis by the the Department of Justice and Equality and works closely with An Garda Síochána, The Probation Service, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and other related crime victims’ organisations in the justice system.  The organisation undergoes an annual audit to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Companies Acts and the Revenue Commissioners. In addition, V-SAC is subject to ongoing audits by our funders in the Department of Justice and Equality.

Our Staff
V-SAC is staffed by a full-time paid General Manager, two full-time Volunteer Coordinators and a part-time accountant who ensures good financial governance of the organisation.  The General Manager oversees the general running of the service including the recruitment and training of volunteers to assist victims of crime, their families and witnesses in the court setting both before and during the trial.   The General Manager reports to the seven-member Board of Directors.

There are currently 40+ active volunteers working with the service in the Court Accompaniment role. Subject to funding, V-SAC will continue to recruit and train new volunteers as we expand our service nationwide.

Our Board
There are seven members of the Board of Directors of V-SAC. They are all volunteers who receive no remuneration for their time and who, like our court accompaniment volunteers, receive reimbursement of receipted out-of-pocket expenses only.