North Somerset MP, Dr. Liam Fox, will officially open the Coroners’ Courts Support Service (CCSS) at a launch at Avon Coroner’s Court on Friday 5thOctober.
The CCSS is a charity, which was founded in 2003 by Mrs Roey Burden and two friends, when she discovered through a family tragedy that there was no support available to families who have to attend the Inquest of a loved one. The charity, which trains volunteers to support bereaved families and witnesses, has developed a service at 24 Coroners’ Courts throughout England, with over 135 volunteers.
Now bereaved families living in the Avon Jurisdiction will also be able to access this Service, which offers practical and emotional support to help people cope with the experience of attending court and giving evidence at a public Inquest. For example, a CCSS volunteer may take the family into the Court before the proceedings start, to see the layout of the court and explain how an Inquest is conducted. They will support the family and witnesses throughout the proceedings. Attending an Inquest can be a traumatic and bewildering experience for anyone and having someone there to guide you through the process and procedures and to support you can be invaluable.
Dr. Fox said:
I am delighted to officially open the service at the Avon Coroner’s Court, and thank the Coroner, Maria Voisin, for making this possible. The Coroners’ Courts Support Service is a unique charity providing a much needed Service. I am so impressed by the dedication of this small team and the volunteers who do so much to help families and witnesses to cope with the process and I will do what I can to support them in their work.”
Like many small charities, the CCSS runs on a shoe string, with only two salaried staff to manage the entire service.
Roey Burden, Trustee and Co-founder of CCSS explains:
“With funding of £1millon over three years the Coroners’ Courts Support Service would be in a position to roll out to all Coroner’s courts in England and Wales. Fundraising is challenging especially in the current financial climate and we don't fit into the criteria for so many grantmakers we apply to. As matters stand, we cannot evaluate or monitor any demonstrable lasting changes we might make to the people we support. Coroners across the country invite us to work with them, yet we just cannot keep going without long-term funding.”
Dr. Fox will launch the service with the help of the Avon Coroner, Maria Voisin,
who has welcomed volunteers into her Court since May 2012.