AN ANTI-CRIME campaigner has called for new “children’s advocates” to be employed to guide child victims of violent and sexual offences through the criminal justice process.

Baroness Newlove, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, made the claim in a review of how children are treated by criminal justice authorities such as Essex Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Nine of the 12 girls interviewed for the national review were from south Essex. All had been victims of violence, sexual assault or sexual abuse.

She said: “A single point of contact or children’s advocate should be made available for child victims of violent and sexual offences, and cases where the child is particularly vulnerable.

“This children’s advocate would support the child through the whole of their journey through the criminal justice system including updating them on their case, informing them about hearing times and court procedures, supporting them in court and after the trial.

“The children’s advocate should be a professional role with suitable training and accreditation to support children as well as having access to all aspects of the criminal justice system needed to provide a seamless service to the child.”

In one case, a 15-year-old girl said when her case was moved to a different force police lost the will to investigate.

She said: “I was given a nice police officer who listened to me and didn’t interrupt. He would text and ring to make sure I was okay.

“When the case was moved from Essex Police to London police this was changed to a female police officer who closed the case straight away.

“I found that the female police officer didn’t listen to me as much as the man.”

The review also found the statutory Victim’s Code, which sets out the services and information victims of crime are entitled to is not always followed or made clear for children.

One victim told how despite giving evidence in court from behind a screen she was still able to see her attacker.

She said: “When I left the court from behind the screen he was still there. They should have taken him out so I didn’t have to see him.

“What’s the point of the screen when I still have to see him on my way out anyway?”

An NSPCC spokesperson said the review shows children are being treated “disgracefully” by the justice system.

He said: "The bravery shown by young survivors of abuse in plucking up courage to relive their ordeals in court is not met with enough compassion or support.

"It beggars belief that there has been so little progress since 2014 when the NSPCC was given a Government commitment to ensure vulnerable witnesses are treated with extra care.

"Three years later it is simply unacceptable that training for defence advocates remains voluntary and efforts to ease the burden on child witnesses and support them to give evidence are shown to have resulted in such limited impact."

Baroness Newlove’s husband Gary Newlove was murdered by a gang of youths in 2007.