Supporting Adults

If you are confused and anxious and do not know where to turn, you may be struggling with your day to day responsibilities.  Our ‘Independent Sexual Violence Advisor’ (ISVA) will support you.

If you have told the police about what happened to you or are thinking of telling the police, which can be a daunting process, we will start by explaining the criminal justice process and the role of all the agencies who will be involved in the investigation and prosecution of offenders.  We will help 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.

If you are not sure about reporting to the police, but want to explore your options with no pressure, then our ISVA is available to talk to you and answer your questions.

Our main focus is to support you and we do this by;

Being independent

Our ISVA is independent of all other services.  We will work alongside other organisations including the police, courts, Crown Prosecution Service, witness services, health services and others. We work with them, but not for them – our priority is you and your needs.

Supporting you

We offer support either in our office or in your own home to explore with you your options.  We listen, provide information and answer your questions.  We do not judge and we offer empathy, understanding, knowledge, warmth and sensitivity.

Giving you a voice

We help you to have a voice in the process and we will ensure that the other agencies involved listen to your opinion and include your wishes when decisions are being taken which may affect you.

Speaking up on your behalf

We speak up about what has happened to you and how you wish to be treated.  If you are unhappy about something then we will ensure that this is brought to the attention of the responsible organisation. We also speak to lots of organisations about the impact of rape and sexual abuse and we work with them to make sure that they are understanding and thoughtful in their responses to you.