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.
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 one of: AHPRA psychologist registration, RANZCP membership, AASW membership, ACA level 3/4 membership, PACFA clinical membership, or ANZACATA professional membership — plus at least 3 years' full registration, 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.
Being honest about what we don't know
Payment mechanics aren't fully public
The operating-guidelines document that would spell out exactly how invoicing works is only released to counsellors during the approval process, not published publicly. What's confirmed: approved counsellors get access to an Approved Counsellor Portal for managing their details, and clients are told to keep itemised tax invoices. Whether payment runs through a portal-submitted claim or a plain invoice, and the typical turnaround, isn't something we can confirm from public sources — if this matters for your decision, it's worth a call to the Victims Access Line (1800 633 063) or a conversation with an already-approved counsellor before you apply.
The service is free to the client, 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.
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.
Run your practice on Zenvia
Bookings, records, invoicing and session notes — for 10% of billings.
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.