Ministry of Justice Witness Intermediary Scheme

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What is a Registered Intermediary?

A Registered Intermediary is an impartial, self-employed, communication specialist who enables vulnerable witnesses and complainants to give evidence to the police and to the court in criminal trials.

A witness might be vulnerable due to their age, or a learning, mental or physical disability or disorder.

Registered Intermediaries aim to facilitate two-way communication with the witness and enable them to give their best evidence. They can often be the difference between a witness being able to give evidence or not.

Registered Intermediaries conduct an assessment and outline orally and in writing, the communication needs of the vulnerable witness and the adjustments necessary to meet those needs.

Registered Intermediaries come from a variety of professional backgrounds such as speech & language therapy, teaching and social work. They have been recruited and selected by the Ministry of Justice and have successfully completed training and assessment.

Registered Intermediaries are provided through the Ministry of Justice Witness Intermediary Scheme, which facilitates communication with around 700 victims and witnesses every month. This scheme allows police officers and crown prosecutors to access high quality professional support when needed.

Requesting a Registered Intermediary

The National Crime Agency manage the scheme on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Registered intermediaries are approved by the Ministry of Justice and are arranged and paid for by individual customers (typically police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service).

If you are a police officer or prosecutor you can request a Registered Intermediary by contacting the Major Crime Investigation Support team on 0345 000 5463.

Defendants in criminal cases and parties in family, civil and tribunal cases who need intermediary assistance to participate in a hearing, must use HMCTS intermediary services.

We have published Guidance for end-users on Working with Deaf People in the Criminal Justice System (PDF, 239 KB, 8 pages) . This includes instructions on when and how to request the assistance of a deaf Registered Intermediary. Please refer to this if you are a police officer or prosecutor assisting a deaf person.