SAFE SPACES

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.

Victim Support have been commissioned to run this national service, providing remote support through our helpline, live chat service and website. Remote support is provided for as long as the survivor needs.  This can be advocating for the survivor, giving them support, providing information (including information on church and police procedures), understanding individual needs and jointly working on individual support plans.  If face-to-face support is also required, contact and referrals will be made with appropriate local organisations depending on need.

How can we help?

You can contact the Safe Spaces team by:-

Tel: 0300 303 1056 (answerphone available outside of opening times)

Email: safespaces@victimsupport.org.uk

If you would prefer not to use your real name on Live Chat, you can enter an alias in the name field.

Our dedicated Safe Spaces team are available through our helpline and live chat service on:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday: 10am-6pm

Thursday: 12pm-8pm.

A member of the Safe Spaces team will make contact within 48 hours (72 hours on weekends) of making a referral. 

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.

Who can we help?

Safe Spaces is for anyone who feels they have experienced church related abuse of any form in England or Wales.

This may have been in relation to the Church of England, Catholic Church in England and Wales or the Church in Wales.

By ‘church related’, this may include:

  • Abuse by a church officer.  A church officer is any person, ordained or lay, paid or voluntary, who holds a role in the church.
  • Abuse that is linked to participating in a church-led activity or group.

The service is for people who live in England and Wales.  If someone lives outside of England and Wales, but suffered abuse by a Church Officer from the Church of England, Catholic Church in England and Wales or the Church in Wales, we will endeavour to provide support but this may be limited due to the support available outside of England and Wales.

It is for people aged 18 or over, but the abuse can have happened at any time, now or in the past.  If support is required for someone younger, we will endeavour to find appropriate local support.

Survivors do not have to have reported the incident to the Church authorities or the Police in order to access support.

You do not need to be a current active member of the church in order to access support. 

It is for people who have experienced any kind of abuse – this includes (but is not limited to) sexual violence, inappropriate sexual behaviour, physical abuse, financial abuse or exploitation, psychological abuse (including spiritual abuse), domestic abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour.

My Support Space

My Support Space is an online resource provided by Victim Support designed to help you manage the impact that crime has had on you. The support resources are also appropriate for victims and survivors of abuse.

It is a free, safe, secure and confidential space where you can choose how you want to be supported.

My Support Space contains interactive guides covering a range of topics such as sleep, trauma, difficult emotions and wellbeing. Each guide contains videos, techniques, activities and tips, and can be completed at your own pace.

You can also create an online diary, find useful resources and request direct support.

Create your free account on My Support Space

Background

Victim Support (VS) has been awarded the contract to manage the new flagship project: Safe Spaces, a joint Anglican and Catholic Church project to provide a vital support service for survivors of church-related abuse.

Although the churches have funded the service, it is run independently by the charity Victim Support, who are one of the leading charities providing specialist support to survivors of abuse in England and Wales.  We work towards a world where people affected by crime or traumatic events get the support they need and respect they deserve. If you would like more information on Victim Support, please visit the Victim Support website at https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement we are currently working on the content, style, and layout of our website. This will be an ongoing process, with continual consultation with survivors, and we anticipate the next update will be in November 2020.

How Victim Support processes service user data is available at www.victimsupport.org.uk/yourdata

Complaints about the Safe Spaces Service

We aim to give everyone who uses our service the best possible help. For us to achieve this, we need to know if things have gone wrong. Feedback will help us identify problems and put them right, so we welcome your views.

Most complaints can be dealt with informally by talking to a member of the Safe Spaces Team or Manager; they will listen to your views, make a record of what happened, and make appropriate changes where possible.

However, you can also send your concerns to safespacescomplaints@victimsupport.org.uk and a formal investigation will take place in line with our complaints policy. 

Please note: Should you wish to remain anonymous, we still encourage your feedback to continually improve the Safe Spaces service.  However, in terms of formal complaints, there may be limitations in our ability to investigate and respond. 

General Enquiries

0300 303 1056

EMAIL ENQUIRES

safespaces@victimsupport.org.uk

© 2020 Safe Spaces England and Wales
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