How do you become an approved Victims Services NSW counsellor?

You need formal approval from Victims Services, tertiary qualifications in a related discipline, registration with a recognised body (AHPRA, RANZCP, AASW, ACA level 3/4, PACFA clinical membership, or ANZACATA), at least 3 years' full registration, professional indemnity insurance, a current Working with Children Check, and a recent National Police Check. Processing typically takes around four weeks.

Is Victims Services NSW counselling free for the client?

Yes. The Approved Counselling Program is free to the client, capped at up to 22 hours and extendable in child sexual abuse or homicide-affected family cases.

How are approved Victims Services NSW counsellors paid?

Payment is set by the Victims Rights and Support Regulation 2019 on a fee scale that varies by qualification tier, plus GST and approved travel. The exact invoicing mechanics are only detailed in operating guidelines released to counsellors during approval, not published publicly.

Does Zenvia support Victims Services NSW billing?

Zenvia can tag Victims Services as a funder and track invoices against a client's file. Since the submission channel isn't publicly confirmed, talk to us once you know how Victims Services expects to be invoiced.

Victims Services NSW

Becoming an approved Victims Services NSW counsellor

Victims Services NSW's Approved Counselling Program pays for counselling for eligible victims of crime — but approval is a real, separate gate, and the actual payment mechanics aren't fully public. Here's what's confirmed, and what isn't.

Written by Steve Daniel, founder of Zenvia — GAICD · MBA · Master of IT · Author, Cybersecurity for Australian Not-for-Profits · Last reviewed October 2026

Getting approved

Approval requirements

ACA or PACFA membership alone isn't enough. To become an approved counsellor you need formal approval from Victims Services and tertiary qualifications in psychiatry, psychology, social work or a related discipline, plus registration with one of: AHPRA (psychologists), RANZCP, AASW, ACA level 3/4, PACFA clinical membership, or ANZACATA — see PACFA vs ACA vs AHPRA if you're not sure which applies to you — plus at least 3 years' full registration as a clinical service provider, professional indemnity insurance, a current Working with Children Check, and a National Police Check from within the last 12 months. Application is via an online form (CV, two professional references, and certified copies of the above). Processing typically takes around four weeks; in areas with a shortage of approved counsellors, Victims Services' Commissioner has discretion to waive the 3-year experience requirement. See NSW's own how to become an approved counsellor page for the current requirements.

How payment works, in practice

Victims Services pays you directly, per session

The service is free to the client — Victims Services pays approved counsellors directly on the client's behalf, capped at up to 22 hours (extendable in child sexual abuse or homicide-affected family cases). Payment is set by the Victims Rights and Support Regulation 2019 on a fee scale that varies by your qualification tier, plus GST and approved travel — not a single flat rate.

Once approved, you get access to an Approved Counsellor Portal for managing your details, and the exact step-by-step invoice submission process — which fields are needed, and the typical payment turnaround — is set out in the operating guidelines released to counsellors during approval, rather than published on a public page. That's standard for this kind of scheme and not a sign anything is wrong with the program; confirm the current submission process and turnaround either in your approval pack or with the Victims Access Line (1800 633 063) before your first invoice, so you're not guessing on your first claim.

This scheme is NSW-specific. Victoria's Financial Assistance Scheme (successor to VOCAT) works differently — a capped fee schedule by practitioner type, reimbursement-with-a-ceiling rather than free-to-client. Don't assume NSW's mechanics apply in other states.

What Zenvia supports today

Invoicing, once you know the mechanics

Zenvia can tag Victims Services as a funder and track invoices against a client's file the same way any other third-party billing works. Since the actual submission channel isn't publicly confirmed, talk to us once you know how Victims Services expects to be invoiced, so we can confirm it fits.

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Want the full picture? See all our funder and practice guides. Outside NSW? See Victoria's Financial Assistance Scheme. Billing another funder? See Medicare, NDIS, EAP, workers compensation, DVA and Open Arms, or private health fund rebates. Not sure which registration you need? See PACFA vs ACA vs AHPRA.