Victim Support Intake Form
A sensitive, encrypted victim support intake form for Swiss Opferhilfe organisations — incident type, current safety situation, immediate needs (housing, legal, medical, psychological), referral source, preferred contact method and consent for case file. Compliant with Swiss OHG and nFADP.
Under the OHG, a person can receive initial counselling without giving their name. That single provision governs how a victim support intake has to be built: every identifying field is optional until the person chooses otherwise, and the form has to keep working when they never do.
Anonymity is the default the law assumes
Under OHG, initial contact and basic counselling can be provided anonymously. This form collects only a preferred name and contact method, which can be a pseudonym or a messaging app handle. Full legal name and address may be needed later if the person applies for OHG financial assistance or legal representation, but not at the intake stage.
Every question in this form has been calibrated to the information genuinely needed at intake — no unnecessary data is collected. The consent block is OHG-compliant and explains clearly to the person seeking help how their information will be used, who will see it, and how long it will be kept.
Trauma-informed intake
- Safety first: before asking about the incident, ask whether the person is currently safe. A person in immediate danger needs safety planning, not paperwork
- Choice and control: give the person control over what they share and when. Nothing is mandatory beyond what is strictly necessary for safety assessment
- No re-traumatisation: do not ask for details of the incident beyond what is needed for triage. The intake is not an investigation
- Plain language: avoid clinical or legal terminology. Use clear, direct, compassionate language
- Cultural sensitivity: ask about language preference and cultural or religious considerations that may affect service delivery
- Anonymity at first contact: allow persons to make initial contact without providing their full legal name or address
What the form collects
- First name and preferred contact name (not necessarily legal name)
- Type of incident — violence, sexual assault, stalking, hate crime, trafficking, or other
- Current safety situation — immediate risk assessment
- Immediate needs — emergency housing, legal advice, medical care, psychological support, financial assistance
- Referral source — police, hospital, school, self-referral, other organisation
- Preferred contact method and best time to contact
- Language preference for counselling
- Consent to case file creation under Swiss OHG
- Signature or verbal confirmation
What the Victim Support Act requires
The Swiss Opferhilfegesetz (OHG) guarantees victims of criminal offences the right to protection, information, counselling, financial support and other assistance, regardless of whether the perpetrator has been identified or convicted. Recognised Opferhilfestellen must provide free, confidential counselling and must actively ensure that victims are not subjected to secondary victimisation in the course of receiving help.
A structured intake process supports OHG compliance in several ways: it ensures that the person is informed of their rights under the OHG at first contact; it creates a documented record of needs assessment; and it provides a basis for the case plan and any financial assistance application. Disorganised intake, where important information is not systematically captured, risks leaving victims without timely access to the services they are entitled to.
Taking a first contact
Use this template
Copy it into your dashboard — the identifying fields are already set up so they can be left blank.
Enable encryption
Before activating the form, ensure end-to-end encryption is enabled in your account settings. Victim data must never be stored in plaintext.
Restrict access
Assign the form to the specific counsellor or intake team only. Do not give broader staff access to responses.
Use with care at intake
If completing the form with a person in person, explain each section before asking. If sending the link remotely, include a brief, warm cover message explaining why the form is being used and what will happen next.
Questions services ask
Is victim support intake data subject to stricter rules than ordinary personal data?
Yes. Data about criminal victimisation, health, psychological state and family situation is sensitive personal data under Art. 5 nFADP. It requires a heightened level of protection: strict access controls, encryption, and a clear retention and deletion policy. The OHG additionally imposes professional confidentiality obligations on counsellors that go beyond general data protection law.
Can a victim access their case file?
Yes. Under the nFADP, every person has the right to request access to their personal data (Art. 25 nFADP). Opferhilfestellen must be able to respond to such requests. The case file should document what data is held, on what legal basis, and for how long it will be kept.