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Childrens Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy (CHISVA)

The South Yorkshire Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy Service (ISVA) is funded by the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner to offer independent confidential practical help and emotional support to adults and children who have experienced sexual harm at any time in their lives.

Further information on the partnership can be found here

We are an inclusive service and support all ages and genders; support is available whether or not you have chosen to report to the police and seek justice for the abuse.

For those that are considering reporting, we know that the idea of talking to the Police about what happened to you or giving evidence in court can be frightening and overwhelming, but we also know that survivors of sexual violence want and deserve justice.

ISVAs are specially trained to provide this support and will stay with you throughout your journey through the criminal justice system and beyond

Who is the CHISVA service for?

If you have told the police that you have been sexually harmed and want to pursue a formal complaint then our advocates can support you through the police investigation and criminal justice process. Your advocate can talk to the police on your behalf so you are regularly updated and offer you practical and emotional support. The police will talk to you about CISVA support and offer to refer you to this service. If they haven’t then you can contact us directly. When you meet your advocate, they will complete an assessment of your needs and look at any support you’d like. They will agree with you how often you will be seen and where this will be. They will also explain how the criminal justice process works and answer any questions you might have.

What does the CHISVA do?

Your CHISVA will support you with all aspects of the Criminal Justice Process, this will include:

Liaising on your behalf with the police, witness service, Courts, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), schools, social care and any other professionals involved
Making sure the Officer in your case keeps you informed of any developments
Advocating on your behalf
Supporting you before, during and after court

CHISVA’S will also support you with non-criminal justice matters including:

Health services
School issues
General wellbeing

The CHISVA Service Agreement can be found here

If you would like to refer yourself or someone else into the CHISVA service, please complete the secure form (link below) and the details will be passed securely to an CHISVA who will make contact as soon as possible.

CHISVA Referral Form

The Advocacy part of the title is very important. The CHISVA is independent of all of the agencies which work in and external to the Criminal Justice process. The ISVA main focus is to support you. The CHISVA will (with your permission) ensure your views and feelings are central to the decision making process and whilst the ISVA cannot determine outcomes, they can assist the decision makers to keep your views and wishes in mind at all times and ask (with you and sometimes on your behalf) why a particular decision or course of action has been taken.

Advocacy also means speaking about the rights of victims generally, challenging false ideas about victim behaviour and providing training and inputs to agencies and organisations to improve their understanding and approach to sexual violence issues.

You can also speak to a CHISVA if you are thinking about reporting

If you have told the police about what happened to you or are thinking of telling the police the CHISVA will speak with you about the criminal justice process this means all of the agencies which work on investigation and prosecution of offenders. (This includes the police; the Crown Prosecution service; Court and witness services.)

If your case proceeds to Court the CHISVA will accompany you when you go to give your evidence.

You may have never been to a police station, SARC or Court before. The CHISVA can assist you to understand how they all work, what you can expect from different agencies, how to ask questions and find out about what is happening in your case. The ISVA may also assist you to understand why decisions are taken for example not to proceed with a criminal investigation move to a prosecution.

The South Yorkshire Sexual Violence Partnership

The South Yorkshire Sexual Violence Partnership provides ISVA services across Rotherham, Doncaster, Sheffield and Barnsley. All referrals are received centrally by the Sheffield Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (SRASAC) and then directed on to the relevant local service.

The first step to access ISVA Support is to complete our referral form which asks for personal information about you and how best to contact you. It would help us to help you, if you list as many ways as possible that we can contact you.

Once we receive a referral the ISVA team in your area will make contact within two working days. if you have any difficulties completing the form, please call SRASAC on 0114 2412766

To make a referral to the South Yorkshire Sexual Violence Partnership ISVA service please continue to complete our referral form.

GDPR – Your data

The ISVA/CHISVA support service is delivered as part of the South Yorkshire Sexual Violence Partnership (SYSVP) made up of SRASAC, Rothacs, DRASACS and BSARCS. Some information sharing between these parties is essential for effective service delivery.

We are required to collect and retain personal and sensitive information about service users under legal and contractual obligations. Data will be used for monitoring, income generation, and quality assurance which will include statistical analysis and reporting.

Data will be securely stored, archived and destroyed following general data protection guidelines and we will not share personal or identifiable information about service users unless there are legitimate reasons for doing so.

As a service user, you can request to see what information we hold about you, our local data policies and request to have the information removed.

Making a referral:

If you would like to refer yourself or someone into the CHISVA service, please complete the secure form (link below) and the details will be passed securely to an ISVA who will make contact within 48 hours:
CHISVA Referral Form

Other Support

Please find the below list of contact details of organisations who can provide support.

Hackenthorpe Lodge

Hackenthorpe Lodge is the local Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) for all of South Yorkshire. It offers free immediate healthcare, support and practical help for anyone aged 16 or above: tel: 0330 223 0938 email: hackenthorpelodge.sarc@nhs.net

At the SARC, individuals will be offered support and guidance, a medical assessment/ treatment, a forensic examination, and the opportunity of aftercare referrals for support services. Clients will be offered these services based on their individual needs, and can choose to use as much or as little of our service as they wish.

Rape Crisis & Wales 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line

The 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line free phone and online chat service for people aged 16 +

You can contact our 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line and speak to a specialist at any time of the day or night.

Call free on 0808 500 2222 or go to the website to start a free online chat.

Samaritans

Whatever you’re going through, you can call them any time, from any phone for FREE.

Call 116 123

Childline

Childline is a free, confidential service for children and young people up to the age of 19. You can call them on

0800 1111 or visit their website.

Emergency Support

If you need immediate support after rape or sexual assault, you might be experiencing lots of different feelings. Many people feel scared, numb, shocked, confused, or angry. There is no right or wrong way to feel or be.