About the Safe Spaces project Safe Spaces is a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused through their relationship with either the Church of England, the Catholic Church of England and Wales or the Church in Wales.
The concept for the service has come from survivors of church-related abuse. Survivors
have been involved in designing the service, and in selecting which organisation should run it. This was decided in early 2020 and Victim Support was selected because of our experience in supporting survivors of abuse.
Victim Support have been commissioned to run this national service, providing remote
support through our helpline and live chat service.
Safe Spaces comprises a team of trained support advocates who have undergone specialist
training in supporting survivors of sexual violence and who have received additional
specific training in how the churches respond to abuse cases, the way in which faith and
church-related settings have been used to carry out abuse, and the particular issues
affecting people who have had or still have, a relationship with the church.