What We Do
Since 2016, The Josh Hanson Trust (TJHT) has worked with passion and expertise to reduce the impact of violent crime and improve support for victims. Together we can build a fairer, more compassionate society.
Creative Workshops
These ‘Healing Through Art’ workshops provide an opportunity to explore creative ways to process thoughts and feelings. The aim of these shared creative experiences is to build on people’s strengths and to nurture compassion and self-worth. The workshops are for individuals of all ages and abilities, who have experienced loss or trauma due to violent crime. Attendees are referred by statutory, voluntary and educational settings, as well as self-referrals.
Our Fine Line workshops aim to:
- explore loss and trauma creatively. When someone has experienced trauma, it can be very difficult for them to talk about their experiences directly.
- reduce stress and social isolation. Our workshops enable victims to connect with others in the same situation and to share experiences in a safe space.
- build confidence and self-esteem.
- develop practical coping strategies, like painting and journaling, to cope with long-term trauma.
- nurture creativity by providing access to tutorials, art materials and resources at home once workshops have finished.
- signpost participants to our partners and other agencies for further support.
Training
Victim Care covers the support victims of serious violent crime receive, from the immediate aftermath of a crime to when they are able to move forward independently. Our End-to-End Victim Care programme is delivered to frontline, midline and senior investigating officers, as well as to family liaison officers. This training also helps inform the development of best practice concerning victim care.
The aim of Victim Care training is to:
- promote a victim-centred culture that will help encourage victims to report a crime.
- explain and explore the importance of initial police contact and compassionate ongoing support after a serious violent crime has been committed. Victims are often retraumatised during the criminal justice process through: witness statements, writing a Victim Impact Statement and court appearances. Delayed proceedings and poor communication from the authorities involved exacerbate the situation further.
TJHT also provides telephone and online support to victims of serious violent crime who contact us via our social media platforms.
Advocacy
Our Experts-by-Experience provide:
- information about the support that victims have a legal right to expect, such as the Victims’ Code of Practice.
- advocacy – asking vital questions on behalf of victims.
- practical advice about current government legislation and the stages of the criminal process.
- advice about resources and support services for victims, such as Victims’ Commissioners, Victims’ Champions, the Crown Prosecution Service and Witness Care Units.
- emotional support via TJHT’s trauma-based creative workshops (see Creative Workshops section above).
- access to resources to cope with the emotional and mental challenges experienced by victims of violent crime.
TJHT also provides telephone and online support to victims of crime who contact us via our social media platforms.
Education
At TJHT, we deliver our sought-after crime prevention presentation – Josh’s Story – to schools, colleges, pupil referral units, university students, statutory and community organisations.
These presentations explore the impact and consequences of violent crime and provide participants with the tools they need to improve their personal safety.
The presentations:
- illustrate the importance of early intervention, personal safety and personal responsibility.
- provide examples of positive interventions to resolve conflict without using violence.
- build on participants’ strengths, so they can start addressing their trauma.
- improve understanding of and recovery from trauma.
- explore the challenges young people face, such as mental health issues, neurodiversity etc
and how these behaviours can be misunderstood during conflict.
Campaigning
Currently, under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, victims, their families, and the public have a legal right to appeal a sentence within 28 days of the sentencing date. However, this right is not consistently and readily available.
Josh’s Law would guarantee that victims are informed of their rights after sentencing. It would also implement increased accountability measures to prevent victims from being overlooked by the criminal justice process.
We are proud to share our first research partnership with the Open University, the University of Lancashire and Lancaster University which has undertaken a review of the Unduly Lenient Sentencing (ULS) Scheme. The report can be seen here . This research supports our campaign for Josh’s Law, which would give victims the right to appeal lenient sentencing for perpetrators of violent crime.
CEO Tracey Hanson also represents the needs of victims:
- on the Victims’ Reference Group
- at the Ministry of Justice
- at the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime
- at the Metropolitan Police and other police forces in the UK
- at the Central and North West London NHS Trust as part of her role as a Patient Safety Partner.
Tracey Hanson also represents victims on a range of strategic partnerships at a national, regional and local level. She has contributed to the Serious Violence Duty strategies of a number of local authorities. These strategies cover issues including: victim care, the consequences of crime, mental health and well-being.
TJHT campaigns for its Victim Rights manifesto to be adopted by the criminal justice system.
Tracey Hanson also appears on national and regional TV and radio, in the press, on social media and podcasts sharing her lived experience while raising awareness of and advocating for victims’ rights. The Josh Hanson Trust social media pages on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn and Instagram have over 40,000 followers.
Community building
TJHT’s Young Change Makers Programme includes:
- developing new skills with young people through art and creative workshops.
- exploring key issues to nurture self-esteem and confidence.
- improving social skills, self- confidence and communication, through peer support workshops.
- providing peer support to children, young people and families through 1:2:1 meetings and practical peer support workshops, which give people a chance to connect, share experiences and support each other.
- supporting the young people to share the change they would like to see with policy makers.
In 2025, TJHT has been funded to develop a new creative programme with young people affected by disordered eating. Many victims of crime or people at risk of victimisation develop disordered eating as a coping mechanism. This exciting new programme includes developing a short film about disordered eating with young people, to raise awareness of the issue and the stigma attached to eating disorders.
Fundraising
In 2025, these events include a golf fundraiser event and two places for TJHT at the TCS London Marathon in April 2026. Previous fun and challenging fundraising events, have included:
- tandem skydives
- 5K Runs
- Tough Mudder challenges
- Cycle for Josh along the 13.5 mile Hanson Way route, from Oxford to Abingdon
- Annual football tournaments for the Josh Hanson Memorial Cup.