Victim Support launches inaugural scholarship

19 March 2008

Victim Support launches inaugural research scholarship

Victim Support has launched New Zealand’s first scholarship to advance research into victims’ issues.

The Dave Smith Memorial Research Scholarship for Victims’ Rights and Services and Victimology offers up to $10,000 per year to support research developing the knowledge of victims’ issues and services in New Zealand.

The scholarship is named after the late Dave Smith, a police chief inspector, Victim’s Task Force member and Victim Support board member, who died in 2004. Chief Inspector Smith was a tireless researcher with a deep commitment to achieving justice and better outcomes for victims.

“This is an exciting time for victims’ issues in New Zealand as the scholarship opens up the opportunity for our country and our organisation to be at the forefront of new research in this area,” says Victim Support acting chief executive Heather Verry.

“This is a tribute to Dave’s work and also marks Victim Support’s commitment to evidence-based practice,” says Mrs Verry. “The research specific to victims in our country is limited and we rely on good research to guide our policies and practices.”

Victim Support is currently working with university researchers studying suicide bereavement and the impact of sudden death on families and Victim Support workers. “Quality studies like these help ensure that our services reflect the needs of victims in New Zealand and are consistent with what research shows is important in the field of trauma and victimology.”

The scholarship is open to postgraduate students, research institutes and organisations that work with victims.

Applications close 1 October and an application form is available from www.victimsupport.org.nz

ENDS

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