We’re here for you

Vacancy: Specialist sexual violence trainer

RSVP are recruiting for a trainer with specialist knowledge in sexual violence.  The successful candidate will train professionals across sexual health services to improve understanding of, and responses to, sexual abuse, exploitation and coercion. You will have an understanding of the effects of trauma and be able to share this understanding to ensure that survivors’ voices are heard and they have access to respectful, confidential and compassionate services.

This post is funded by University Hospitals Birmingham, as part of the Umbrella sexual health services.

Application form

Specialist Trainer job description and person specification

For more information, contact Anjella Darcy at info@rsvporg.co.uk / 0121 643 0301

JamFest 2016 Launched!

We’ve had an exciting day in the office today, finalising our partnership with the annual music festival, JamFest, hosted by Birmingham’s premier Jazz and Soul music venue – The Jam House!

Tuesday 11th October will see a host of exciting acts descend on The Jam House, bringing an eclectic mix of musical delights right to our doorstep. All proceeds from the night will go to RSVP to keep supporting, inspiring, and encouraging survivors of rape and sexual abuse to be bold, hopeful, and to have self-belief.

We think this could be the start of something big, so if you’re interested in music and want to change some lives then come on down, we’d love to see you!

Why not like and follow our JamFest Facebook page and follow us on Twitter whilst you’re there? We’ll be releasing more details about the event and about the artists who will be supporting us in the run up to the event, so keep your eyes peeled on our social media! (Click on the icons below to take you to our pages, and to buy tickets).

New Legal Clinic for Survivors

Hi, my name is Yvonne Langham. I am the Head of the Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy (ISVA) Services at the Rape and Sexual Violence Project (RSVP).

I am delighted to announce that RSVP are hosting free Legal Clinics with lawyers Scott and Neerali from the very well known and respected, Irwin Mitchell Solicitors.

Irwin Mitchell have kindly offered to have a lawyer available for two hours a month to offer free, legal advice to any RSVP client who would benefit from this service. The Legal Clinics will be held on the last Friday of each month between 11am and 1pm at RSVP. Anyone wishing to attend can just turn up and give their name at reception, stating they are here for the Legal Clinic. No other information will be required at the reception area and a private room will be allocated for the meeting. An Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) will be on hand to offer support, however it is entirely up to the individual if they wish the ISVA to be in the meeting, or if they would sooner speak one on one with the lawyer.
I am so pleased that the first Legal Clinic was such a great success. I look forward to seeing this new service accessed by any of RSVP clients who would benefit from good quality, free legal advice from a trusted and well established firm of Solicitors. I believe the ISVA service, which can be offered hand in hand with the Legal Clinic, will prove to be extremely useful in offering emotional and practical support to anyone who uses this exciting new service.

Free Legal Clinics for sexual violence survivors takes place at RSVP, Grosvenor House, 14 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham, B2 5RS on the last Friday of each month 11am-1pm. The next clinic will be Friday 29th July.

Helpline volunteers – we’re recruiting

You could make a big difference to the lives of survivors by becoming a helpline volunteer at RSVP. Our telephone helpline supports survivors emotionally and practically, by lending a friendly, non-judgmental ear. As well as giving empathic support, we provide information on services available and make referrals into counselling, advocacy and other services.

The helpline opening hours has increased significantly over the past year, and we want it to keep growing. As a helpline volunteer you would commit to a weekly shift at our Birmingham city centre office, you would receive full training and regular clinical supervision.

For more information, and to apply please find below:

Cover letter for helpline applicants 2016

Helpline application form 2016

Role Description Helpline Volunteer

Please return completed application form by 5pm Sunday 18^th September to info@rsvporg.co.uk  Interviews will take place on  4^th, 6^th, 12^th October. 

If you are successful at the interview stage you will then be required to attend a training programme and complete shadow shifts to understand our work.  The training dates for this recruitment are on five consecutive Thursdays – all training dates must be attended. 

Thursday 10^th November 2016 10.00 – 16.00
Thursday 17^th November 2016 1000 – 16.00
Thursday 24^th November 2016 10.00 – 16.00
Thursday 1^st December 2016 10.00 – 16.00
Thursday 8^th December 2016 10.00 – 16.00

if you would like to discuss the role before making an application, speak to Katie Simpson, Helpline and Counselling Team Leader on 0121 643 0301 or info@rsvporg.co.uk

RSVP selected by John Lewis

John Lewis has selected RSVP as one of three Community Matters charities over the next three months at their Birmingham city centre store. £3000 will be shared amongst the three charities, and it’s up to customers to decide how much each charity receives! You can help RSVP raise funds by using a token to select us the charity you’d like to support. You can find the information, and tokens at the Place to Eat, Level 4 and Customer Collections, Level 2.

We’d love it if you could vote for us, and spread the word!

Vicky’s Room

Tuesday 21st June was about a very special person, Vicky. She was our beloved colleague who we lost last year. Since she was one of our children’s advocates, with the blessing of her family, we have created “Vicky’s Room”, a safe welcoming space where we’ll support all the sexually abused children and young people that we see.

Vicky’s Room

On Tuesday we held a launch event for her children, family, friends and colleagues. It was an emotional day but a great success too. We had lovely feedback about the special space that we’ve created as Vicky’s legacy. For everyone who attended it was both a proud day and a sad one at the same time.

We are pleased to share these images with you and let you know that Birmingham now has a special place to support children who’ve been sexually abused. Our thanks also go to:
-Vicky’s family, friends and loved ones, including those who gave to Vicky’s appeal last year

-the funders and businesses who donated to us

– to the builders who helped create our newly expanded premises.

To you all, we could not have done it without you. Vicky would feel so excited about the warm colourful space that traumatised children can now be safely supported in, so they can grow and thrive after sexual abuse. Just the sort of thing that Vicky helped so many children achieve.
Lisa, CEO.

#Giveme5 – £5 donations doubled tomorrow

Tomorrow, Thursday 16th June, £5 donations to RSVP via Localgiving will be placed into a draw. 1000 donations made to charities via Localgiving will be doubled. There’s no limit to how many donations to RSVP could be doubled, it’s a random draw, so the more £5 donations the more likely!

Start date & time: Thursday 16th June at 00:00:00

End date & time: Thursday 16th June at 23:59:59

Conditions of entry: Each £5 donation made to a participating charity through Localgiving between the promotion start and end times will be placed into a draw to be doubled by an extra £5 of match funding. Donations of other amounts will not be included in the draw. The promotion only applies to one-time donations.

If you’re able to donate please do so using the following link localgiving.org/charity/rsvp-wm/ from midnight, and please spread the word to family and friends.

Infinity Stage Company make RSVP their charity of the year!

We’re delighted to be Infinity Stage Company’s charity of the year for the next academic year. Charlie from Infinity has written this guest blog, as an introduction to the group, and explaining why the members chose to support RSVP.

Some of the members of Infinity Stage Company

The University of Birmingham’s Infinity Stage Company produce roughly six shows a year, specialising in contemporary theatre. However, what sets us apart from other drama societies at the university is that, every year, we choose a new charity to which we donate the proceeds from our shows. This allows us to combine our dedication to high quality performances with a contribution to charities and causes that we consider important. This year, we put the decision of choosing a charity down to a poll by our members and RSVP was chosen.
It isn’t difficult to understand why so many felt so passionate about supporting this local charity. As students, most of us are living alone and away from home for the first time in our lives. While this is obviously an exciting new chapter in so many ways, the flip side of this new independence is a new vulnerability. There are new dangers that we have to deal with and it means a great deal that there are institutions, such as RSVP, in place to help us if the worst should ever happen. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that RSVP should resonate so profoundly with Infinity.

The University of Birmingham and its Guild of Students have always taken an unwavering stance against sexual harassment, as shown by its #NotOn Campaign, which has mobilised students to challenge and prevent sexual violence wherever they find it. We hope that, by supporting and promoting this cause, we will not only encourage people to donate and contribute to the great service that it provides, but also raise awareness that, if you should ever need it, help is available. We plan to be actively involved in RSVP in whatever way possible, in order to benefit the
charity as best we can.

Enormous thanks to all the members at Infinity for supporting RSVP, watch this space for future updates on fundraising activity.

Sex and intimacy after sexual abuse, with Nina Burrowes on Sunday 26th June

Finding pleasure after pain. Sex and intimacy after sexual abuse

We’re thrilled to announce an event with psychologist and cartoonist Nina Burrowes, who will be in conversation with RSVP Chief Exec Lisa Thompson on Sunday 26th June 3pm-5pm at mac (Midlands Art Centre), Cannon Hill Park, B12 9QH.

How can sexual abuse as a child or adult impact the way you have sex and experience intimacy later in life? How can we ‘recover’ our sexual selves, as well as the rest of us? Join  Nina Burrows and Lisa Thompson for a conversation about sex and intimacy after sexual abuse. This event is open to anyone who has experienced any form of sexual violation, their partners, or professionals who work with sexual violence survivors in therapy.

Please note that this is not a therapy session, and participants will not be expected to share personal stories. The event will be a mutual educational session, with  opportunities for questions and discussion.

About Nina Burrowes

Dr Nina Burrowes is a psychologist who helps people understand the psychology of sexual violence. She works closely with police, prosecutors and the judiciary as a trainer and consultant both in the UK and overseas. She’s a regular contributor to media discussions on sexual abuse; the author of ‘The courage to be me’ and ‘Eyes open to sexual abuse: What every parent needs to know’, the creator of the online video series ‘Sexual abuse: The questions you’ve never had the chance to ask’, and the instigator of ‘Clear Lines Festival’ the UK’s first festival on sexual assault. You can find out more about Nina and her work at www.ninaburrowes.com or follow her on Twitter @NinaBurrowes

About Lisa Thompson

Lisa is a qualified social worker and psychotherapist with 23 years experience supporting survivors of rape and sexual violence. She is Chief Executive of RSVP, who provide compassionate services in Birmingham and Solihull for children, women and men who have experienced rape, sexual violence and abuse. Lisa also founded GINA, a community interest company that creates products, events and opportunities for sexual violence survivors, including a regular survivors’ running group.

Tickets are £15 + booking fee and available from www.eventbrite.co.uk

New LGBT ISVA service

RSVP and Birmingham LGBT have partnered up  with the Umbrella sexual health service to deliver a new advocacy service for the LGBT community. Bev Higgins writes about her new role as LGBT ISVA.

I became an ISVA to help survivors to have their say, and get the help and support to overcome the impact of sexual abuse, and not face prejudice or mistreatment. As a member of the LGBT community myself and as a professional, I have a wealth of knowledge and experience of the impact and trauma of any sexual abuse on LGBT people. I am passionate about developing and providing this much needed service.

WHAT IS AN LGBT ISVA?

If you are lesbian, gay, bi, trans* and have ever experienced rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse at any point in your life the Rape and Sexual Violence Project (RSVP) now can offer you our specialist LGBT ISVA services within the Birmingham LGBT community. (*Including but not exclusive list- non binary, non cis, gender queer, MSM, androgynous, intersex, pansexual…)

An ISVA will offer a caring and professional service providing practical advice and emotional support to those who have been directly impacted by rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse. The abuse could be recent, in the past or ongoing.

Rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse are experienced by a significant percentage of the population and are prevalent in the LGBT community too. Sexual abuse of any nature is a very hidden problem and can be an extremely difficult issue to talk about. The LGBT community often are overlooked or misunderstood and can face prejudice and extra fears around speaking to professionals and organisations when seeking help and support. Rape and abuse against LGBT people can occur in relationships, they can occur as homophobic hate-crimes, childhood sexual abuse and as sexual harassment. Research suggests that the LGBT community experiences disproportionate level of sexual violence.

Support is available; we are here to offer you an advocacy service delivered with compassion, professionalism and humanity. We want to make a difference to you and help overcome the barriers that prevent sexual abuse survivors who identify as LGBT from getting the help and support they need.

Our service is free and is inclusive of all sexuality and gender identities. Everyone is treated fairly, equally and with value and respect. We embrace diversity, promoting equality and human rights for all. We are passionate about helping survivors to thrive and are a user lead service. We are here for you, and so will tailor the support to your individual needs. We understand you may feel nervous getting in touch and it takes a lot of courage to take that step. We will support you every step of the way.

How can we help?
• Talking you through your options
• Ensuring you can access the services and support you need
• Offering emotional and practical support
• Enabling you to report to the police if you decide to
* Exploring other ways you can pass on information about the trauma you have experienced (e.g. anonymously through the Sexual Assault Referral Centre – SARC)
• Ensuring your wellbeing, by chaperoning you on health appointments, including sexual health screenings

What is sexual violence? 

The term sexual violence is used as a broad term for all forms of rape and sexual abuse. Rape and sexual abuse might involve physical violence, coercion, threats and control.
Often rape and sexual abuse is committed by people you know, such as partners, friends, family, acquaintances, and people in positions of trust. You may feel love for the person who has abused/is abusing you. You may be befriended and offered things in return for sexual acts, you could have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol to such an extent you couldn’t consent. You may feel coerced or pressured into doing sexual things you don’t want to. You may be pressured/ forced into sexual acts with other people.

Being groomed?
Abusers can seem very charming and well liked, they will gain your trust and those around you. You may think people won’t believe you, we will. You may be terrified and living in fear, we can help.

If you are being forced, pressured or coerced into sexual activities, you can contact us. You don’t have to suffer in silence or cope alone – we’re here for you.

To contact the LGBT ISVA service speak to Bev via:
Tel: 0121 643 0301 option 2
Mob: 07535 172 052
Email: isva@rsvporg.co.uk