Vision Statement

Our vision is for a world free from sexual violence and the systems and beliefs that enable sexual violence to happen.

Mission Statement

We Listen. We Believe. We Support.  We listen to survivors of sexual violence and we believe the things they tell us.  We offer specialist support without judgement and empower survivors to make decisions and take control of their lives.

We actively challenge attitudes around sexual violence, victim-blaming and consent through education, campaigns and collaboration, as we work towards a society free from abuse.

We do this by:

• Providing a range of free, confidential and non-judgemental therapeutic, support and advocacy services to people aged 18 and above, in Nottingham/Nottinghamshire, who have experienced any form of sexual abuse, sexual violence or rape at any time in their lives.
• Offering support, whether or not a person has reported to the police.
• Empowering survivors to make their own decisions on the support they receive, including sexual health, reproductive rights and healthcare choices.
• Being gender-aware and offering support to women in women-only spaces.
• Promoting an accessible, equitable and inclusive service, while adapting support to meet a survivor’s individual needs.
• Being specialists in our field. Our empathetic staff are trained and experienced in supporting survivors of sexual violence and the affect it can have on people with multiple and intersecting oppressions.
• Listening to and collaborating with survivors when developing our services.
• Being accountable and adhering to national quality standards and BACP ethical guidelines.
• Challenging the myths and stereotypes that surround gender and sexual violence.
• Working in collaboration with statutory bodies, charities and other organisations to promote survivor voices, professional experiences and knowledge to bring about wider social change.

Statement of Values

Survivor-centred

Our services are survivor-centred and designed to respond to the expressed needs of individual service users.  We listen to survivors and believe what they say; empowering them to make choices about the support they receive.  All people in contact with our service are treated with dignity and respect, within a culture of belief.

Accessible and Inclusive

Our services are open to anyone aged 18+ living in Nottingham or Nottinghamshire.  We are proactive in our inclusivity, through the images we use, accessibility tools we have in place and options in how support can be accessed and offered.  Our diverse staff team work hard to engage with people who are less likely to access support, identifying and removing barriers to our service.  We have an anti-racist approach and oppose discrimination in everything we do.

Empowering Choice

Trauma can impact survivors in many ways.  We believe in listening and empowering survivors to make the choices that are right for them.  We work in partnership with other agencies to offer survivors choice in the services they receive and how they can access them.

Gender Informed

Our services are gender informed.  We offer services to women in a women-only space, and empower women to take back their autonomy and make decisions that are right for them.

Our counselling and therapeutic services are also Male Quality Standards accredited and staff are trained in the specific needs of male survivors.  Our Trans Inclusion Policy details the specialist support available to trans and non-binary survivors accessing our service.

Feminist

We work with all genders and we are a feminist organisation.

Sexual offences are classed as VAWG* and are predominantly perpetrated against women.  An intersectional feminist perspective helps us to consider the wider social setting, including gender and other inequalities, that enable this to happen and what can be done to challenge this.

We understand that terms like VAWG can impact male survivors who may feel unseen and unheard.  Feminism is about equality and equity.  Our counselling, therapy and helpline services are Male Quality Standards assured and we recognise and campaign for the needs of male survivors in their own right.

*VAWG – Violence Against Women and Girls is a term denoting forms of violence predominately used by men against women.  The term is widely used by government, commissioners, policing and domestic and sexual violence organisations.

Trauma Informed

Sexual violence can impact a survivor’s life in many ways.  We recognise the signs, symptoms and impact of widespread trauma and how this can affect all aspects of a person’s life.  We prioritise the safety of survivors and work holistically to identify areas where they need support, referring into other services where needed.

We know that survivors of sexual violence can feel powerless.  Through listening, collaboration and offering choice we empower survivors to take back control, minimising impact and reducing re-traumatisation

Accountable

We welcome and encourage feedback from survivors, commissioners, staff, professionals and the public.  Service Users are invited to provide feedback at regular intervals with us and we have a feedback facility and complaints policy on our website.  We meet regularly with commissioners to discuss our work and meet with survivor groups to listen to their ideas and feedback.

Our You Said – We Did webpage features changes we have made to our service as a result of feedback.

Quality Assured

Our services are quality-assured by national bodies and organisations and we work to the BACP ethical framework.  This reassures survivors and commissioners of the safety, quality and efficacy of the services we provide.

Believe in Change

We believe that a world free from sexual violence is possible.  We campaign to raise awareness of sexual violence; we challenge decision makers and we work collaboratively with other organisations.  Until a world free from sexual violence is possible, we will ensure that sexual violence and support for survivors is high on the local and national agenda.