SERVICES OF OUR CENTRE
Telephone Counselling Line
During the period from 10am - 6pm phones are answered in our Centre. Between 6pm and midnight calls are directed to a counselors own home. Our Crisis Line is never answered by anyone who is not a fully trained counselor.
Counselling in the Centre
Counselling is available in the Centre from Monday to Friday between 10am and 6pm. Weekend and evening appointments can be arranged if needed. Our counselling is, in the main non-directive except in cases where the woman or her children are in danger from further abuse. In these cases we must work with the client and present options based on our past experiences with other women. We will encourage women to make positive decisions for themselves and their children.
Fees
Our counselling services and all our other services to individual clients are absolutely free of charge. We do not ask our clients for donations and do not charge on a sliding scale.
Waiting Times
As our title implies we are a crisis service and we see women who have just been assaulted immediately. The same applies to parents who have just discovered their child has been sexually abused. For those whose abuse happened some time ago we can generally see them within a week.
Confidentiality
We offer women COMPLETE CONFIDENTIALITY regarding their own abuse. In cases where we have full details of a particular child still being abused we will work with the client to help them report. We will only consider breaking confidentiality in the above circumstances where a child is known to be in danger. If the adult cannot or refuses to protect the child, we will tell the client of our proposed action. Our priority must lie with those powerless and vulnerable. We offer abusers no confidentiality. If an abuser rings the Centre we will get as much information as we can from him and pass it on to the relevant statutory agencies and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Home Visits
We offer home visits to women in immediate crisis ñ who have just been raped or abused within the last month, parents who have just found out their children have been sexually abused, women who are unable to travel or climb stairs because of illness, disability or physical injury, women who are very elderly, women who are agoraphobic and women with insurmountable child care difficulties. Home visits generally have to be restricted to once a month. An emergency visit will be carried out on the same or next day.
Advice and Information
The Centre has information leaflets and packs for people needing information.
Reporting to the Police
We are a non-directive organisation which does not attempt to force women to report to the police. Where the woman is still in physical danger or we fear for her life we will actively encourage her to report her assault. We will however respect her decision and her confidentiality. We can explain how the CARE (Child Abuse & Rape Enquiry) Units work and can alleviate some of the fears which women may have which are no longer consistent with current police policy. We will advise her not to wash, change her clothes or dispose of any other evidence. We will also tell her not to take any alcohol which may be used against her in a court case. We can accompany her to the CARE suite at Garnerville or elsewhere if she wishes. We can also make hypothetical enquiries with the CARE Unit on her behalf to reassure her. In cases where abuse of children is involved we will actively encourage reporting. If someone on the telephone believes a child is being abused and will not report themselves we will ask if they are willing to pass details on to us in order that we can pass them on to the Police Service of Northern Ireland or Social Services.
Criminal Injury Compensation
The police generally, in our experience, omit to tell survivors about their rights to compensation. In Northern Ireland we are the only agency specializing in the field of sexual violence who survivors can ring immediately to talk to an experienced counselor with full knowledge in this area. We will arrange an appointment with a sympathetic solicitor as soon as possible. It is vital that women are able to talk to someone right away as there is a limit to application times.
Post Coital Contraception
If a woman has just been raped pregnancy is often the furthest thing from her mind. We inform women about the 24hour service at the Royal Maternity Hospital where women are treated with dignity and respect. We will of course accompany them if they wish.
Pregnancy
Where a woman or girl knows she is pregnant and is sure she wishes to go ahead with the pregnancy we may refer her to LIFE or CURA if she is in agreement with their philosophy. We will continue to support her in counselling if she has been raped or abused. If a woman needs a pregnancy test or is unsure what to do we will refer her to the FPA or the UPAA. If a woman definitely wants a termination we will help her to arrange it. We prefer women to see counselors from other agencies who are specially trained in non-directive pregnancy counselling.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
We always advise women to have a check up at the Genio Urinary Clinic at the RVH if they have been raped. We will arrange appointments and accompany her if she wishes. We will refer her to the AIDS Helpline if she wishes to discuss HIV and AIDS.
Support
We provide emotional and practical support where possible to survivors and their families. We strongly believe in the value of counselling in overcoming both the short term and long term effects of sexually abusive experiences. Sometimes, however, a one off session with a counsellor at the Centre is all they need depending on the problem.
Accompaniment
We can accompany women to clinics, courts, police stations, solicitors appointment, consultations with Barristers and to any other place necessary.
Liaison
We will often liaise with other agencies with or on behalf of a client at her request. This can involve a wide variety of individual professionals such as GPís, Clergy, Teachers, Social Workers, Womenís Aid, Womenís Centres, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the DPP, Compensation Agency, Housing Executive, Social Services, Schools and Trade Unions.
Advocacy
When someone is in shock or confused because they have just been raped or discovered their child has been abused they need someone who knows the system and who can, if necessary, demand fair and courteous treatment on their behalf.
Court Support
We recognise the trauma that women facing a rape trial are about to undergo. The same applies to non-abusing parents of sexually abused children. We provide very comprehensive help during this period. If she requires it we will be with her from the beginning to the end of the trial, if she does not want to be in the court room a counselor can keep her up to date on what is happening after she has testified. We often find ourselves also supporting family and friends through this period. We are always exceptionally careful not to discuss her evidence while she is under oath. For further details on this issue pleas contact us.
Self Help & Therapy Groups
We run groups on different issues related to abuse at different times such as mothers support, rape survivor groups and young women who have experienced multiple abuse.