More than 7 days ago

It is never too late to seek the support you need following a rape or sexual assault. We have a team of highly skilled and specially trained staff who will help you talk about your experience and gain the support you need.

If your assault did not take place recently then there will be no need to have a forensic medical examination but we can still provide advice and information as well as practical and emotional support. Our ISVA’s will work with you to develop a support plan and we can refer you to a range of services based on your needs.

  • We may need to break confidentiality if we believe you or someone else is at risk of serious harm. We would keep you informed of this wherever possible. We will need to share information with other agencies if we believe a child has been or is at risk of serious harm.
Independent Sexual Advisor (ISVA)
I want to report to the Police

If the assault happened in the last seven days ring 999.

The police will want some information about what has happened to you and some basic details like your name and address. They will understand that you may be in distress and it is important to try and be calm so they can get help to you as quickly as possible.

A police officer will meet with you face to face as soon as possible and ask you what has happened and look at the circumstances of the assault. They will make a note of everything you say and make sure you get the right support and information quickly.

They will offer to bring you to the SARC to assess your medical needs, collect any forensic medical evidence that could be used in an investigation and also provide you with on-going support from an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor through any criminal investigation.

The examination that takes place is conducted as part of the police investigation into a criminal offence. The police may also need to gather other evidence. This might come from where the assault took place. If the offender has been apprehended they may take medical evidence from them or any other relevant people or places.

The police will want to interview you in order to take a full account of what happened and under what circumstances. They will discuss this with you and you can decide if you are happy to have a video interview or provide a written statement, this usually takes place while you are at the SARC.

If the assault happened more than seven days ago, ring the Police on 101 and tell them what happened to you. They won’t need to bring you to the SARC as there will be no need for you to have a forensic medical examination but they will want to take a statement from you, either by video interview or a written statement.

If you would like to be supported by an ISVA, the officer dealing with your case will refer you into our service and we will contact you to make an appointment for the ISVA to come out and see you.

I don’t want to report to the Police

If you are aged 13 and over you don’t have to make a report to the police to access the services at The Harbour Centre, whether the assault happened recently or in the past. Call us on 01603 276381 for help & advice.

Please be aware, all cases involving children under the age of 13 have to be reported to the police.

If the assault happened within the last seven days please contact Mountain Healthcare on 0330 223 0099 / [email protected] who will discuss your options about attending the SARC for a forensic medical examination. As a self-referral, they can store all your samples for a period of 2 years, so if you want to make a report to the police at a later date you can do. It gives you the chance to consider your next steps.

There will be no pressure for you to make a report to the police, they will talk through your options with you so you can make an informed decision about the care & support you receive.

No information will be shared without your consent unless we feel that there is a child or vulnerable adult safeguarding issue. If we felt that we had to share information we would inform you of this.

If you would like on-going support from one of our Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVA’s) we can arrange this for you.