Our Black Country Rape and Sexual Violence Service supports women, children and men who have experienced rape, sexual violence and childhood sexual abuse. For over ten years, we have worked across Sandwell, Dudley and Wolverhampton. Now, with support from the Ministry of Justice, our expert independent support is available to survivors in Walsall.

The support we offer

Our support workers are called ISVAs (Independent Sexual Violence Advisers). They are trained specialists who work with survivors one to one, offering both emotional and practical support.

The things that they can help with include:

  • Being there for survivors to talk to in confidence about what has happened;
  • Sharing information with survivors so they feel empowered to make decisions that are right for them;
  • Helping survivors to understand how the criminal justice process works, and supporting survivors to report to police if they choose to;
  • Supporting survivors through the legal process, at court, and afterwards;
  • Advocacy with other agencies, ensuring that survivors’ views, opinions, wishes and feelings are respected and listened to;
  • Access to counselling and support groups.

 Our support is available whether the abuse happened recently or years ago, and whether or not survivors choose to report what happened to the police.

Although ISVAs work closely with other organisations to get survivors the best support, they are independent of all statutory agencies including the Police, Local Authority and Social Services.

Find out more about how we can help by visiting our Black Country Rape and Sexual Violence Service information page. You can also contact our support team by calling 0121 553 0090 or via email.