Each year Victim Support works with more than 300,000 children and young people whose lives have been affected by crime. Their experiences of crime often leave them feeling unsafe and lacking in confidence. They find it difficult to re-establish previous ways of living including returning to school or spending time with friends outside of their homes. Many don't feel they receive enough information from those in authority about what happens after a crime or what might be expected of them should they need to attend court. We know that services provided to children and young people must be relevant, appropriate and accesible rather than simply a replication of our adult provision. We also know that a changing cultural and technological environment for young people requires us to be respectful of the diverse needs and feelings of a younger age group. The Horizons project will actively involve young people themselves in the design and delivery of new services to be provided by our team of volunteers and staff. The young people will gain a strong sense of ownership of the programme including the design of training and learning materials, thus developing their own levels of confidence, communication and problem solving. A national 'toolkit' for staff and volunteers will be part of an interactive development programme that will enable all our services to attain and exceed a high national benchmark for service provision to young people. Key outcomes of Horizons for children and young people will include an increased knowledge of the effects of crime and victimisation as well as of the criminal justice system itself. The programme will also enable young people to regain feelings of safety, confidence and self-esteem which in turn increase their ability to manage the post-crime barriers to returning to everyday life. Apart from the obvious positive impact that Horizons will have on the lives of many thousands of young people each year, our own research proves that positive support in this way also acts to interrupt the cycles of violent victimisation and offending involving retaliatory and displaced violence which so often follows on from being a victim of crime amongst young people. Therefore, not only will Horizons support and positively encourage young victims to move on with their lives but will also serve to reduce crime amongst an extremely high risk group.