Acts Fast

Acts Fast is Abused Children’s Trauma Support, Family Advice & Strategy Team. We support Parents and Carers whose child has disclosed they have been sexually abused.

Postal address: Townsend Community Centre, Jewel Road, Townsend, Bournemouth, BH8 0LT
Office: 01202 797217 (Not monitored 24/7)
Text: 07468 694068
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.actsfast.org.uk
Area covered: Bournemouth and Dorset

Support offered:

Telephone support
Email support
Text support

Services for:

Parents and carers

Other Services in the South West

Latest

Raped, Victim, Feminist; labels I hate, boxes I tick

Jane talks about her own experience of abuse and how it has affected her life.
I am not ashamed, I am brave

Charlotte kept her abuse a secret for 11 years. Now she wants to tell other survivors that there is nothing to be ashamed of.
If You Need Help Now

Rape and sexual violence are horrific and traumatic crimes. Many victims and survivors experience a wide range of emotions after rape or sexual assault and are often too shocked to act in the immediate moments. There is no right or wrong way to react or feel.
Petition: Make all sexual abuse offences exceptions under the double jeopardy rules

"Many victims will never be able to obtain justice or closure from the criminal courts as the law currently stands as their charges are not deemed "serious" or "severe" enough to be an exception to the double jeopardy rules."

Womankind

Female survivors. Area covered: Bristol, South Gloucestershire
First Light

Area covered: Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
The Green House

All survivors. Area covered: Bristol and surrounding areas
Survivors Alliance North Devon

All adult survivors. Area covered: North Devon and UK telephone counselling
Southmead Project

Those who have experienced domestic, sexual, physical and/or emotional abuse as children or as adults and have turned to drugs, alcohol or other ways of self-harming. Area covered: Mainly Bristol and surrounding areas
Self injury Support

Female survivors. Area covered: National
SALT (Sexual Abuse Listening Therapy)

All survivors aged 16+. Area covered: South West of England
Revival Wiltshire RASAC

All survivors aged 13+. Area covered: Wiltshire
Rape & Sexual Abuse Helpline

Helpline and signposting for all survivors aged 16+. Area covered: Devon (county wide)
Oxford Sexual Abuse & Rape Crisis Centre

Female survivors. Area covered: Oxfordshire

Find Specialist Support in your Area

The Survivors Trust has 129 member organisations based in the UK & Ireland which provide specialist support for women, men & children who have survived rape, sexual violence or childhood sexual abuse.
Petition: Make all sexual abuse offences exceptions under the double jeopardy rules

"Many victims will never be able to obtain justice or closure from the criminal courts as the law currently stands as their charges are not deemed "serious" or "severe" enough to be an exception to the double jeopardy rules."
Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC)

SARCs (sexual assault referral centres) are specialist medical and forensic services for anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted. They are designed to be comfortable and multi-functional, providing private space for interviews and forensic examinations, and some may also offer sexual health and counselling services.
National Helplines
Right to Review – Child Sexual Abuse Review Panel

TST is recommending member agencies and ISVAs to alert their clients to the new right to review which has just been established by the Crown Prosecution Service and Police. The issue of survivors feeling that their case has not been investigated thoroughly or that perpetrators have not been charged has caused great distress for many survivors over many years.
About Sexual Violence & Abuse

Sexual violence and abuse is any behaviour of a sexual nature which is unwanted and takes place without consent or understanding. This includes rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, childhood sexual abuse, female genital mutilation and more.
Aurora Foundation for People Abused in Childhood

Adult survivors of childhood abuse aged 18+.
Definitions of Sexual Violence

It can be hard to come to terms with what happened and even harder to understand how it is defined in the law. Here are the most current definitions of sexual violence in the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
I am not ashamed, I am brave

Charlotte kept her abuse a secret for 11 years. Now she wants to tell other survivors that there is nothing to be ashamed of.
The Effects of Sexual Violence

The long-term effects of sexual violence (whether that is childhood sexual abuse, sexual harassment, rape etc.) can include many emotional, psychological and physical conditions. The experience of sexual assault or abuse at any age and whether male or female can have devastating effects on every aspect of a person’s being and life – on their mind, their body, their behaviour, thoughts and feelings.