Bereavement abroad through homicide or culpable homicide - support: memorandum of understanding

7. Victim Support Scotland

Support for Families Bereaved by Crime (SFBC) service

The Support for Families Bereaved by Crime service is part of Victim Support Scotland and is a specialist service which is trauma informed and designed to support families who have been bereaved through murder or culpable homicide. The service has been provided with funding from the FCDO and the Scottish Government to extend the service to families bereaved by murder or culpable homicide abroad.

The SFBC team will receive notifications of any deaths abroad where a referral for support has been made from the MMT at the FCDO. No notification will be made where there is no agreement for referral. Referrals for family members requesting support will be contained within a victim profile form sent to the SFBC by the FCDO.

The role of the SFBC will be to provide a dedicated case worker(s) to the members of the family requesting support. The SFBC service will also provide the following services for families:

• Access to specialist bereavement counselling;
• Emotional support provided through a range of methods;
• Practical help such as assistance with funeral arrangements, travel and repatriation;
• Support to identify and access suitable legal advice or representation where needed; and
• Financial assistance will be provided on a needs basis for assistance with translation of documents, legal expenses and advice on other financial implications relating to the death abroad.