Our Approach

Trust and openness are key goals for this work. Our principle of maximum permissible disclosure will be vitally important - underscored by a policy of honesty in disclosure of information, even if the subject is unpalatable.

Our liaison process aims to deliver this level of contact and support. It is available at a number of levels:

  • A ‘Help Desk’ contact number
    This serves as a contact point and is intended primarily for general enquiries. It operates within office hours. Family liaison staff are available for people to request information or leave messages. An answer phone is available out of hours.

    The Helpline number is 028 9258 9258

  • Individual Case Officers
    These are appointed when cases are due to be reviewed. They have responsibility for making contact with families. They seek to establish issues and concerns in the relevant case. They maintain contact and update people on developments.  And they support, families through to the ‘closure’ process, whether that involves court hearings or a meeting to explain what has been done and why cases can go no further.
  • Group Liaison Officers
    These staff maintain contact with representative organisations ranging from victim support groups to trade unions or other representative bodies. In some cases, such avenues facilitate contact with people who wish to conduct their dealings solely through representatives. Alternatively, it can enable umbrella groups to brief their members on progress generally.

    The Group Liaison Officer role includes developing liaison with any non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) and other representative groups willing to become involved, to take advantage of any support that they can offer, and monitor progress on other related work in this area (e.g. the work of the Victim’s Commissioner).

As in all of our dealing with the community ‘Trust and Openness’ are key goals for this work. To a large degree, trust is developed by openness in our approach and dealings with families. That is why our principle of ‘maximum permissible disclosure’- simply telling people as much as we can - is vitally important. It is underscored by a policy of honesty in disclosure of information no matter how difficult that might be.

Our commitment only starts with the establishment of Historical Enquiries Team, the incorporation within it of a substantial element of external staff and the putting in place of the Family Liaison strategy.

We intend to build on this, adopting an inclusive approach to our dealings with other parties, both individuals and organisations.