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⚠️Office Closure- January 2026

The weather is taking a severe turn, and now there is an amber weather warning across the region. Storm Goretti might make travelling quite difficult due to snowfall predictions, and that’s why RSVP has made the decision to temporarily close our office till normal weather returns.

Here are the dates to keep in mind:

a. Office closed from Thurs 8th Jan, 2pm onwards, after which our team will work from home.

b. Office closed all day on Friday, 9th Jan, with our team working from home. This is a precaution, since the amber warning extends to Friday morning and could impact safe travel.

c. Office open on Saturday as usual, unless the current predicted weather changes. We will send further updates if anything changes.

We are in the processing of contacting clients, due to be seen in person (at our main premises, outreach, schools etc. and from 2pm today or tomorrow) to inform them to stay safe, not to travel & to be offered an alternative phone session instead. For younger children we will offer carers/parents a check in instead.

Please look out for a message on your email or phone to update you. Already booked phone appointments will generally continue as planned.

Although this is a change to how we support clients, we want to ensure that survivors, our team and colleagues can avoid travel during an amber warning, and stay safe. This is our priority.

For any questions or assistance, please get in touch with us via email: info@rsvporg.co.uk

Our Take On UK’s Violence Against Women and Girls (2025- 2030)

At RSVP, we welcome the Government’s recently published Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy. We are relieved it has finally been released, following several postponements, making it long overdue. We are relieved, because actions to reduce and respond to VAWG are needed now more than ever.

Key Concerns about the VAWG Strategy

• Education alone cannot counter the scale of pornography harms:
  Expecting parents, carers and teachers to offset the influence of multi‑million‑pound porn platforms, designed to push violent, misogynistic content to children, is unrealistic. We need stronger action on the platforms themselves and a society that stops profiting from the sexualisation of women and girls. Young people also need ongoing, specialist‑led reflective spaces to explore and unpick what they’ve seen. Evidence‑based programmes, like Time to Talk delivered by Safer Together and other by the specialist sector, must be prioritised.
• Teachers are not specialists, and cannot be expected to carry this work alone:
  Improvements to Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RHSE) are welcome. However, disclosures, trauma and creating safety for young people to have complex conversations requires specialist skills and survivor‑informed practice. Properly funded specialist services must work alongside schools, supporting already overstretched teachers, who are not fully trained to respond to abuse and misogyny.
• NHS referral expansion without resourcing specialist services will lead to increased distress for survivors:
  Health already refers around a third of survivors into specialist organisations like RSVP. We are concerned that rolling out “Steps to Safety” nationally will increase referrals to our sector even further, with no additional resource provided to meet this rising demand. Without investment, survivors will simply face longer waits and experience greater distress.
• Commitment to provide “holistic, tailored support” can only happen with long‑term funding:
  The Strategy sets out a vision for a coordinated, responsive system over the next decade. Without secure, ring‑fenced funding though, these commitments will remain aspirational, and fail to become reality. Survivors need support now, they cannot wait years for a system that works.
• Children under 16 are missing from the Strategy’s headline measure of VAWG:
  The goal to halve VAWG relies on data that excludes children under 16, despite high numbers being subjected to sexual abuse in childhood. This omission risks masking the true scale of abuse, and leaves a significant group of children invisible in national targets.
• Child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors are still waiting for the promised “standalone response”:
  The Strategy acknowledges that CSA requires its own specialist approach, yet provides no timeline. After years of delays in implementing the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Our Final Thoughts:

Investment in the specialist sexual abuse sector is long overdue and essential. For decades, services like ours have been asked to do a lot with very little. Now, more than ever, we are being stretched beyond capacity. During Covid, additional funding recognised our work as vital and an emergency service. Now, we need the same level of prioritisation again if we are to avoid letting survivors down.
Proper funding means we can respond well, reduce distressing delays and ensure every survivor gets the support they need, when they need it, in order to rebuild their lives with hope and confidence after sexual abuse.

Office Closed on Nov 6, 2025

Since the wellbeing of both the children and adults we support, and our team are at the centre of all we do, our Birmingham City Centre premises will be closed all day on Thursday 6^th November.

This due to there being a risk of unrest, trouble and protests in the city centre, before the evening’s football match. This is a very cautious approach, but clearly centres everyone’s wellbeing, for the whole day and evening.

Counselling and ISVA support will still continue, with city centre appointments changing to on the phone or online. Our schools and our outreach counselling locations will go ahead as normal and are unaffected.

Thank you for your patience and sorry for any inconvenience causes.

Black History Month: Understanding Race, Culture and Sex

This delightful news comes from RSVP’s Race and Equality ISVA, Angela Foster-Mason. In celebration of this year’s Black History Month, Angela was invited to be a part of a grand event organised by a trailblazing black organisation, Melanin Moods 🎤🍹. She was accompanied by Jade Henry (CYP ISVA). Both were supported by Maria Serrudo (CYP ISVA). 

Tapping into her expertise, Angela was invited to speak as part of the ‘Spotlight’ section of the evening. She opened the conversation about embodied trauma and what it can look like for minoritised survivors of sexual violence. This brought to attention the difficulties and barriers that are faced institutionally, but also internally from within the community. She also highlighted how language is important, and how we need to get to grips with the language associated with not only sexual violence, but our own body parts as well. 

RSVP and our incredible ISVAs are proud to amplify the voices of our black and brown communities. We stand in pride and power, continuing to be an ally for black survivors of rape and sexual abuse.

You can find out more about Melanin Moods here.

Counselling evaluation

We have extended our external evaluation of the adult counselling service at RSVP, so that we will be evaluating the service up to 2024. In this phase, the evaluation has focused on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the adult counselling service. It looks at how the service adapted in unprecedented circumstances and the impact of significant changes in delivery for survivors and the team; the impact of national lockdown on new referrals into the service and what has been learnt from the pandemic to inform the service in the future.

The full report can be read here:

Recommendations include:

• Maintain the blended approach to adult counselling where survivors can access face-to-face, online or telephone counselling, depending on their needs and preferences. Remote support via phone and online widens access to the counselling service.
• New internal communication tools and team wellbeing initiatives should not be lost with the return to in-person working. There
  is still a great deal of uncertainty about the continuing
  impacts of the pandemic therefore this way of working should continue
• A dedicated investment of time in the short term on paperless systems will improve administrative processes
• Some people would benefit from a post counselling session self-care guide. Sessions can at times feel tough and very emotional, and self-care immediately after is needed.
• Some people would benefit from seeing a photo of their counsellor before their first session. This would feel more relational and friendly than only having a name.

If you would like to read previous phases of the evaluation, go to:

https://rsvporg.co.uk/blog/counselling-evaluation-report-2/

https://rsvporg.co.uk/blog/counselling-evaluation-report/

Survivor Steering Group

A new steering group led by survivors of sexual violence and abuse in Birmingham and Solihull will inform RSVP’s work and support us to achieve our mission:

To support people who have been subjected to sexual violence and abuse to thrive and enjoy a future of hope and confidence.

We boldly stand with survivors and challenge victim-blaming attitudes.

We are looking for individual survivors to join this new group, to influence strategic and operational decisions about RSVP’s future direction, services and other areas of the organisation.

About you:

• You are currently using or have used RSVP’s services in the past (even if for a short time).
• You share RSVP’s values of bold, big-hearted belief in all survivors
• You are age 18 or over (we are developing a separate under 18s steering group, email for info).
• You are willing to attend meetings, read notes and take an active part in the group. Meetings will be a blend of in-person at our Birmingham office, and virtual.

Please note that there is no requirement or expectation for you to discuss any details about the violence and abuse you have been subjected to. This is not a therapy or support group.

This is a paid opportunity. We are looking for people to commit to attending monthly meetings (approx 1.5 hours, plus meeting preparation).

If you are interested in taking part, please read the documents above in full, complete the brief application form and submit by email to lisa@rsvporg.co.uk. If you would like to arrange a discussion, please email Lisa Thompson lisa@rsvporg.co.uk

Have your voice heard – counselling during the pandemic

Have you had counselling at RSVP over the past year? Are you 18+? We are asking for feedback about our adult counselling service during the Covid-19 pandemic, to see how people used our service and what we can learn from this difficult time.

Your opinions and ideas can really help us to improve what we do.

We would like to invite you to take part in a focus group discussion with other counselling clients on:

Monday 7 June 2021 at 12.30pm-2.30pm

The focus group discussion will be run by Karen and Polly, independent researchers who will pull everyone’s comments together and report them back anonymously. There will be up to 10 people in the group and it will take place on Zoom. You will be sent a link to join by email or text.

We would really like to hear about your experience of counselling at RSVP during COVID19, to help us understand what worked well and what we could have done better.

Please contact Sarah Lafford at sarah@rsvporg.co.uk to book your place.

Meet Nikki

Meet Nikki, the newest member to our CYP ISVA team.

Hi, my name is Nikki and I am one of the newest members to the children and young people’s ISVA team here at RSVP.  I joined the team at the beginning of December 2020 and everybody has been extremely friendly, welcoming and supportive as well as incredibly passionate about the work we all do and the support given to survivors. 

Due to these unprecedented times, the RSVP team are committed and going above and beyond to ensure that support continues as best possible for all of their survivors. 

I bring to the team a wealth of experience working with young people, including 12 years working in a secondary school supporting 11 – 18 year olds and their families facing various challenges and complex needs.  Over the years my role has developed and I have gained lots of knowledge and experience in supporting teenage parents ensuring they access relevant support services whilst continuing with their education, safeguarding and supporting vulnerable children, young people and families with complex needs, and in sexual health ensuring young people know their rights and responsibilities and have an understanding of consent and the law and how to access confidential services.

I have attended a variety of training over the years that has developed my skills, providing me with a wealth of information, tools and confidence to offer the best support that I can.  For the past two years I have worked specifically in sexual health delivering Relationships & Sex Education (RSE) to young people in educational settings across Birmingham and Solihull, helping them to maintain good sexual health and positive relationships free from violence, coercion and exploitation.

I am passionate about supporting children, young people and families, and reaching out to those who have or who are experiencing difficult times.  My role as an ISVA is to provide emotional and practical support with compassion, professionalism, empathy and hope.

I am really excited to be part of RSVP and to help and be an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and to be right there, with them through their journey.

Meet Oscar

We’re delighted to welcome Oscar to our ISVA team, we all hope you enjoy being part of the RSVP team.

Identity has always been important to me. But the question of ‘who am I?’ has not always been one I’ve found easy to answer. This question consumed me when I was growing up. Sleepless nights and endless days staring into space and asking myself the question over and over. Labels were forced upon me before I started to speak for myself. ‘Tomboy’, ‘gifted’, ‘naughty’, ‘different’, ‘girl’. These labels always felt wrong to me. I wasn’t naughty, I just couldn’t focus like everyone else. I wasn’t ‘different’, but I was unique. I didn’t think I was a girl, so who was I? Who will I be when I grow up? Will I be comfortable in my own skin? Will I find a community of people who understand me? Will I be proud?

Throughout my teenage years, I tried on a lot of identities. My styles and interests constantly evolved and changed. I played semi-professional football, toured around playing in jazz bands and worked in the House of Commons. I tried a Goth phase for a couple of weeks, but I had blonde hair and smiled too much, so that style didn’t last too long. I experienced homelessness, I formed strong friendships and threw myself into schoolwork; a source of stability in my life.

The question of who I am continued to weigh on my mind, crushing me. All my friends began forming relationships, but questions about my sexuality made me feel isolated, alone. I started talking to people I could trust about how I was feeling and learnt that a big part of my identity was openness. My chosen family became a significant part of who I was, and who I still am. University was a very important and exciting time for me. It allowed me space to grow, meet a diverse range of people and try new experiences. I studied History and Politics and got heavily involved in student politics and social groups. In 2014, I was elected as LGBT+ Liberation Officer of my university and had the chance to support others in a way I was supported when I needed it the most. I also became involved in activism and advocacy support, particularly surrounding LGBT+ Liberation, Sex Worker Rights, and preventing homelessness.

For a long time, I became consumed with the label ‘victim’. I was a victim of sexual assaults, a victim of hate crimes, a victim of abuse. This became my identity and dictated how I acted. I felt embarrassed, ashamed, alone. I felt like no-one understood me or saw my struggles. It took time, patience and support for me to decide that I wanted to reject this identity of ‘victim’. A big part of my identity now is that I am a survivor, and what I have been through has made me stronger, more compassionate and surer of who I am and who I am not.

After I completed my Undergraduate Degree, I began a PhD in Political Science, looking at the overlap of disability and trans studies, entitled: The Other Body: A Trans and Disability Studies Critique of Privacy, Privilege and Power. I’ve worked as a Lecturer and as a Programme Facilitator at a charity which saw me travelling around the country and spending many nights in hotel rooms, eating takeaways. I would go into schools and help young people discover what social issues they were passionate about (such as climate change or supporting elderly communities) and helped them form plans of how they would make a difference in the world. These experiences helped shape my identity and learn more about who I am. I became a strong public speaker and I learnt about coping mechanisms for my anxiety and depression. I learnt about my disabilities and ways I could speak out about them and ask for support and I learnt how to better support people. I also learnt that you can get sick of takeaways and delicious greasy food if you eat too much of it (who knew??).

I love learning and reading. As I began forming a picture of my identity, I wanted to find stories like mine. I wanted to see an existence like mine, to feel validated and affirmed. But I struggled to find any. I couldn’t find stories about disabled young people or films about LGBT+ people (especially not stories of people who are proud and happy). No TV shows of survivors thriving. No diversity or celebration of difference. I realised I had to become the representation I wanted to see. I didn’t know entirely what story I wanted to tell, but I knew that I wanted to speak. I wanted to support people and make them feel seen; to help people understand that their stories, their experiences, their feelings are always important. This is why I continue to speak out. To fight for the rights of myself and others. To continue understanding, unlearning, remembering, forgetting, processing, thinking, feeling and listening. To be someone people can talk to. And I want to continue listening to myself. I speak out about my experiences in solidarity. To process. In the hope others can relate and feel less alone. These are some of the core values I want my identity to be about, and what I have strived to do in the past, and what I hope I continue to do in the future at RSVP.

I joined RSVP in October 2020 as an Adult Independent Sexual Violence Advocate. My role involves assisting anyone who has experienced sexual abuse or violence, helping them to understand their options, ensuring they can access the services and support they need, including reporting if this is something they wish to do, and offering emotional and practical support. Since joining RSVP, I feel like my chosen family has grown. Everyone is so supportive, welcoming and accepting, and it has felt powerful and affirming to openly be my authentic self and stay true to my identity.

So, who am I? The answer to this question is forever evolving and growing. I am my experiences, my journey and my story. I am Oscar. I am a trans, non-binary man. I am disabled, queer, and flamboyant. I love otters and bird-watching. My most listened to music genre on Spotify is ‘Show Tunes’. I tell terrible jokes. I am serious when I need to be, but don’t take life too seriously. I’m positive and energetic. I am flawed. I am kind. I am privileged. I am accepting of everyone. I’m passionate about my beliefs, my hobbies and about helping people. I’m also passionate about dogs. Dogs are great. I’m an activist. I am a survivor and I am strong. I am who I was in my past and who I will be in my future.  Most of all, I am proud.

Are you interested in working as a survivor co-researcher?

We want to make you aware of an opportunity to work as a co-researcher. A research team at University of Birmingham are inviting applications from individuals who identify as survivors of sexual violence to work on a national research study examining the role of the voluntary sector in supporting survivors.

This is a paid position, 2-3 days a month, with training provided, til August 2022.

The study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and led by a team at the University of Birmingham, working in partnership with survivors, voluntary sector services, health services and commissioners.

The role will include:
 Offering knowledge and experience of the issues being researched
 Co-facilitating interviews with survivors of sexual violence
 Helping to recruit survivors to the study
 Assisting in the development of research materials and tools
 Assisting with data analysis
 Attending some research meetings (these may be virtual)
 Helping to develop publicity around the research
 Helping to support/attend activities to promote the study findings

This is a great opportunity to influence policy and service provision and to develop your research skills and experience.
If you would like to know more about the research project, please contact the study’s lead: Professor Caroline Bradbury-Jones c.bradbury-jones@bham.ac.uk

The PROSPER study: www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/applied-health/research/PROSPER-study.aspx