Our Services
At our SARC, you will be offered support and guidance, a medical assessment/treatment, a forensic examination, and the opportunity for aftercare referrals into support services. you will be offered these services based on your individual needs, and can choose to use as much or as little of our service as you wish.
Medical Assessment
One of our specially trained Nurses will go through a medical assessment with you. This will include a few questions about what has happened, as well as some questions about your medical history, any medication you take, and any symptoms/problems you are experiencing at the time.
Forensic Examination
If something has happened to you within the past 7 days, we will give you the option to have an examination, which can help to preserve any evidence. We can offer this even if you don’t want to involve the Police at the moment but feel that you might want to in the future. The examination will be carried out by one of our specially trained nurse examiners, and you will be supported by one of our Support Workers throughout. Each stage will be explained to you beforehand so you are clear about what is involved and why it is required. We will ensure that you agree to everything before it is carried out. You can stop or pause at any point.
Medical Care
Following sexual violence or sexual abuse, you may benefit from certain medications, which we may be able to offer you at our centre. If we do not stock the medication you require, we will be able to refer you to other services (such as your GP or Sexual Health) to receive the treatment you need.
We can also refer you to Sexual Health services if you need screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI).
Aftercare Options
Although you will only be with our team at the SARC for a short amount of time (typically 4-6 hours), we want to make sure that you receive the ongoing aftercare and support you need.
If you agree to additional support, it is likely that your Nurse and Support Worker will refer you onto other helpful services, who will be able to offer you additional support following your appointment with us. These services might include (but are not limited to); mental health/counselling, sexual health, your GP, as well as the local Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) service.
Confidentiality
Everything you tell us during your visit to our SARC is usually treated in confidence and you don’t need to tell us anything you feel unable to talk about. We understand that this can be a very difficult process and we will do whatever we can to help you through it during and after your visit to the SARC.
If you or someone else is at serious risk of harm, we have an obligation to inform other agencies. This will be discussed at the time so you will also know where your information is being shared.
For more information regarding our SARC and what services we can offer, please use the links below.
