As a result of recent amendments to the Mental Health (Forensic Provisions) Act 1990 No. 10 (NSW), victims of forensic patients in NSW will now have a greater opportunity to be heard in the Mental Health Review Tribunal (Tribunal).
The new legislative provisions came into force on 4 February 2019 and empower victims to make submissions to the Tribunal about the impact that a release or a grant of leave of absence would have on them.
Read the updated Act here; in particular sections 74A, 74B and 76(2).
In another move to support victims, the NSW State Government has established a new Specialist Victims Support Service (SVSS) specifically for victims of violence committed by forensic patients. Sitting within Victims Services and acting on behalf of the Commissioner for Victims’ Rights, the SVSS team aims to provide support in 5 key areas:
- Early intervention;
- Crisis referral
- Planned support
- Communication and education; and
- Tribunal process support.
Read more about the SVSS here.