Our Work

The need for the work of The Survivors Trust is greater than ever before. Living in the wake of the #MeToo movement, victims and survivors of sexual violence have never been more aware of their rights. Reporting and demand upon support services are at an all-time high.

Our member agencies provide a range of specialist services to survivors including counselling, support, helplines and advocacy services for women, men and children. These agencies are mostly charities and are completely independent of the police.

Our services provide the best quality support available to survivors in the UK. Of survivors that accessed both Government funded and voluntary sector support services (our member agencies), 72% were more satisfied with their treatment at voluntary sector organisations. Survivors using voluntary services felt heard, believed and respected 92% of the time compared with 62% with the Police and 38% with Social Services. (Hear me. Believe me. Respect me. 2015.) 

Although it is clear that our agencies are providing effective and life-changing care, 5% have had to close due to a lack of funding in the last 3 years. Some of these agencies had been open for over 10 years.

The Survivors Trust provides infrastructure support, networking and representation for our member agencies so that they can provide the best quality support to survivors of sexual violence as well as contribute to policy changes that can keep them open. We raise up the voices of our member agencies and their clients to push for support for ALL survivors of all types of sexual violence, no matter when it happened to them or how old they are. All of our member agencies work in line with our National Service Standards which provide assurance of consistent quality service delivery based on a survivor empowerment and involvement ethos.

Our Work

• We provide infrastructure support, networking and representation for our member agencies that provide a range of direct services to survivors including counselling, support, helplines and advocacy services for women, men and children
• We provide free and confidential support and information to survivors of all types of sexual violence 
• We deliver accredited training to members, government agencies, police, health professionals and schools that promotes sensitive and informed responses to survivors 
• We raise awareness about rape and sexual abuse and its effect on survivors, their supporters and society at large
• We promote effective responses to rape and sexual abuse on a local, regional and national level
• We support working in ways that
  • demonstrate understanding of the role of gender in the impact of sexual violence and abuse on women, men and children
  • demonstrate a commitment to supporting survivors equally regardless of their gender, background or experience

What we Have Achieved so Far with your Support

Over the last ten years:

• We have set up five new rape support centres
• We successfully lobbied for a three-year support fund for member organisations
• We have supported lobbying and campaigning for the Independent Enquiry into Sexual Abuse
• Our organisational membership has doubled to 130
• We established the all-party parliamentary group for adult survivors of sexual abuse
• We developed an accredited training package for Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and have trained around 200 ISVAs
• We have established national service standards
• We have joined and taken active roles in national steering groups in the Crown Prosecution Service, NHS, Ministry of Justice, Home Office among others
• Provided key inputs into Raped, an award-winning Channel 5 documentary. This film is now used nationally in training
• We have conducted Consent and the Law training in schools
• We developed links with Broadchurch and Thirteen Reasons Why to provide support and to ensure the honesty of the storylines
• We were funded by the NHS to run a conference that brought together survivors, commissioners and member organisations, out of which the report Survivors’ Journeys, Survivors Voices was produced. This has been disseminated across Whitehall

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