Police verify the applicant is eligible by checking case files and with the police officers involved with the case.In some cases more than one person is considered to be the victim of an offence, and parents or caregivers are considered to be victims if the actual victim is under 17.
Once an application is verified, Police forward the victim and offender details to either the Department of Corrections or Ministry of Health (external link) depending on who has custody of the offender. The Department of Corrections acknowledges all new registrations in writing.
Notifications are carried out directly by the agency concerned.In most cases notifications are made by letter but urgent notifications are made by phone.
Notifications continue until the end of the sentence relating to the victim.It is important victims notify the Department of any changes to their contact details so they can continue to receive notification services.
The Department of Corrections keeps personal information about registered victims in a secure environment and a small number of approved staff have access to it. Offenders cannot access the information.