When they get here
In this section, we will describe what will happen when the person you are concerned about reaches our centre. We will describe the process as if you are not there with them, but if the person you are concerned about asks you to come with them, be prepared to be present and supportive for many, if not all, of these steps. Remember our advice on how to be supportive to the person you care about: listen to them, let them show their emotions, do not be judgemental and do your best to be calm and sympathetic.
We will send a specially trained police officer to pick them up as soon as possible to get them to one of our centres within an hour or two. If they have asked you to come with them for support, that’s fine, and we will make appropriate arrangements. But be prepared for the fact that they may choose to come to our centre alone or ask you to contact a different person to go with them. Respect their decision, whatever it is. Everybody’s wellbeing is the most important thing to us, which is why we will make sure everyone is safe and get the person you are concerned about to one of our centres so that we can support them as soon as possible.
How long will they be at the centre?
We can’t say for certain how long they will be with us at our centre because every person who visits us has different concerns and needs. But most of the time, visitors can expect to be with us for around 3 or 4 hours. This may seem like a long time, but they won’t spend all their time in a doctor’s room. Most of this time will be spent talking to one of our trained members of staff about all their concerns.
What happens when they first arrive?
The police officer who brings them to our centre will know where your friend or relative needs to go. They will bring them to our centre so they don’t have to deal with the added worry of finding us in a place that probably won’t be familiar to them.
When they arrive, we will make sure that one of our specially trained members of staff is there to greet them. This person is called a Crisis Support Worker and they are there to help the person you care about through every step of their visit to our centre. The Crisis Support Worker will listen to their concerns, talk to them, let them know their options and make sure that they get the help and support that they need while they are with us. The Crisis Support Worker is also there to make sure that everything is in place for us to keep giving the person you care about the help and support they need after this first visit, for as long as we feel that they need it.
The Crisis Support Worker will be very experienced with helping people who have had similar experiences to the person you are concerned about. Crisis Support Workers are there to be patient and listen to all the concerns of anyone who is referred to us, even if they are upset, angry or confused by what has happened. These things can be difficult to process, and that’s completely understandable. The Crisis Support Worker will know how to best look after the person you are concerned about.
What happens next for them?
After listening to all their concerns, the Crisis Worker will decide with them what their best options are. In most cases, if your friend or relative agrees, we will arrange a medical and forensic examination for them. The most important reason we do this is to make sure that they are in good health by checking them for any injuries and making sure they are OK. But this is also important for finding any evidence that might be helpful to the police in any investigation into their abuse. We are experienced in giving these examinations to children and young people. We will go at their pace and talk them through each stage to help them feel comfortable. If you or the person you are concerned about want to know more about the medical and forensic examination, please click the box below, and we will answer in more detail any concerns or worries you might have.
The Crisis Support Worker will have listened to all the concerns of the person you care about and will help them access a range of help and support options after they leave the centre. They can discuss accessing therapeutic support with workers who are experienced at helping to give children and young people who have had similar experiences the support they need to deal with the emotional effects that sexual abuse can have. Therapeutic Support Workers will also help them to understand how they are feeling and cope with these emotions, for as long as therapeutic support is needed.
The person you care about can also discuss further medical treatments and tests if they decide with us that they are the best course of action, from emergency contraception (which will be given on this first visit) to tests and treatment for sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy testing. To learn about our full range of follow-up care that we provide after they leave, please click below to see how we can help in the future.
Information for Children Under 13
We’ve written a guide for children under the age of 13 which explains what happens when you come to the centre.
The guide is available as a PDF, so you can view it on your computer or print a copy.