We’re here for you

We’re recruiting Trustees

We support and inspire people affected by sexual violence and abuse live a future with hope and confidence. If you would like to use your skills and experience at Board level to support our work with survivors, we would love to hear from you.

There are a number of trustee vacancies open, including the important roles of Treasurer, Secretary and Vice Chair.

We are looking for women including those from BME backgrounds as these groups are under represented on our Board.  We want active and committed individuals to bolster the skills and experience of the Board, ensuring good governance, strategic planning and financial scrutiny.

Recruitment documents are below, including specific information for the Treasurer, Secretary and Vice Chair roles.

Completed applications forms should be returned by email info@rsvporg.co.uk by 5pm on Monday 31st July 2017. If you would like to discuss the roles advertised, please contact RSVP’s Chief Exec Lisa Thompson 0121 643 0301 option 3 / lisa@rsvporg.co.uk

Please download and read the following documents:

RSVP Trustee duties and responsibilites

RSVP trustee vacancies

Eligibility of Trusteeship

Nolan Principles (ethical standards for public life)

About RSVP

And please download, complete and return the following document:

Trustee Application and Monitoring Form

 

The Epic Vale Fest!

ValeFest did it!

The one day music festival with a difference ‘ValeFest 2017’ was held on Saturday June 3rd. This fabulous musical extravaganza is run once a year from the Vale at Birmingham University primarily to raise funds for charity. This year we were ecstatic and extremely grateful to be one of the two chosen charities, Basic Needs being the other.

The whole festival with its main and smaller stages, acoustic tent and comedy stage, amongst other things too, was organised by around 30 students. They volunteered their own time to pull together this vibrant, enjoyable and amazing day, while completing their degrees at the same time too! They showed how a group of dedicated people can achieve absolutely huge things when they collectively rally their energy, time and determination.

Fiona from our advocacy team and Lisa our CEO were delighted to attend the festival and join in the fun. Fiona chatted to students and passed on information about RSVP from our stall. Lisa recorded a piece for Burn FM radio, was filmed for Guild TV and even read out a Vagina Monologue appearing with our ongoing supporters Infinity Stage Company highlighted here in a past blog: https://rsvporg.co.uk/blog/infinity-stage-company-make-rsvp-their-charity-of-the-year/

The monologue was about consent and respect and we will write more about this in a later blog. Afterwards Lisa spoke on the main stage to let the 4,000 plus festival goers know about the services that RSVP offers. She also wanted everyone to know how enormously grateful we were for their support.

This year the vibrant day finished with a celebration that they had raised a record breaking amount for their charities. Although ValeFest are still confirming the exact amounts they have said that last years figure of £32,000 was smashed! This means that there will be an even bigger, colossal and unbelievable amount of funding raised to share between us and Basic Needs.

We want to say an enormous thank you for the kindness, support and generosity of ValeFest organisers and ticket holders.  As an independent and local charity we raise every penny ourselves to provide empathic support to people affected by sexual abuse and violence. We would like to extend our gratitude and love to everyone from ValeFest 2017, you truly are fantastic, you really are!

We are recruiting

We are recruiting into a number of new vacancies. RSVP is a long established and well respected specialist charity supporting children and adults of all genders following rape, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. We are a vibrant, growing organisation. We believe survivors. We are bold and will go the extra mile to support survivors. We are big hearted, showing the empathy that survivors deserve and need. If you fit these values then we would love to hear from you!

Please read below to find out more about the vacancies and to download application documents.

 

Advocate For Female Sex Workers x 2

Hours Of Work: 19 hours per week (negotiable to include late night working)

Salary: £23,398 unqualified / £24,964 qualified + 1-3% employer pension contribution

RSVP are looking to recruit two advocates to work with female sex workers. The role will require you to provide a high quality and victim/survivor-focused advocacy service to female sex workers who have been subjected to or are at risk of sexual violence, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and/or sexual coercion. The advocate will be part of the RSVP  team and will also work as part of the West Midlands Sexual Violence and Abuse Consortium’s regional team delivering outreach support for women in sex work. The role requires some unsociable working hours, including late nights, and some travel around the West Midlands area. A valid driving license and use of own vehicle is essential.

This post is open to women only (Exempt under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1).

‘Supported by the Tampon Tax Fund’

Download the Advocate job description and person specification

Download the Advocate application form

Deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 28th June 2017. Please email applications to info@rsvporg.co.uk

 

Group Counsellor

Hours Of Work: 13 hours per week, Tuesday 9.30am-4.00pm and Thursday 2pm-8.30pm

Salary: £24,174.00 pro rata + 1-3% employer pension contribution

RSVP are looking for a female Group Counsellor to deliver a counselling therapy group, in a safe and therapeutic way, to meet the needs of women affected by rape, sexual violence and childhood sexual abuse. The therapeutic group will enable survivors to decrease their sense of isolation and help them to establish safe and supportive relationships and networks with other survivors. The group will support survivors to feel empowered to participate in their own healing and recovery. You will have experience of therapeutic group work and a knowledge of the impact of sexual violence on survivors.

This post is open to women only (Exempt under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1).

Download the Job description and person specification

Download the Group Counsellor Application form

Deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 28th June 2017. Please email applications to info@rsvporg.co.uk

Specialist Trainer

Hours Of Work: 20 hours per week
Salary: £22,658 pro rata + 1-3% employer pension contribution

We are recruiting a trainer with specialist knowledge in sexual abuse and sexual violence.  The successful candidate will train professionals across sexual health services in Birmingham and Solihull 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 safe, confidential and compassionate services.

Download the Specialist Trainer job description and person specification

Download the Specialist Trainer application form

Deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 28th June 2017. Please email applications to info@rsvporg.co.uk

 

 

 

Three Girls and More

The BBC are tackling child sexual exploitation this week in their compelling and hard-hitting new drama ‘Three Girls.’  The series will  be shown on consecutive nights from Tuesday 16th May to Thursday 18th May from 9pm to 10pm on BBC1. The three part series is based on the true stories of over a thousand children who were victims/survivors of grooming, sexual exploitation and trafficking in Rochdale between 1997 and 2013. It is made with the involvement and cooperation of the victims/survivors and their families as they wanted other people to hear and understand their experiences. The girls found they were drawn and groomed into a world that they could not escape, despite pleas for help; they were also failed by authorities which were responsible for their protection.

 

Sadly, children like Ruby, Holly and Amber, the ‘Three Girls’ of the series title are still out there – often traumatised, alone, vulnerable, voiceless and confused. NSPCC figures suggest that 1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused and 1 in 3 of these never tell anybody.

 

This must stop.  At RSVP our mission statement is ‘a world free from sexual abuse and violence.’  Last year we supported 5,330 children, young adults and adults of all genders and anticipate that this year the number of people needing our services will increase. Our vital services give hope and confidence so people can survive and thrive despite the distressing sexual trauma they have been through.

 

If you are a survivor of recent or non-recent sexual exploitation or sexual abuse please get in touch, you can find more about how our services can help you. We are here for you and we believe you – https://rsvporg.co.uk/services/

 

Finally, if you have been moved by watching ‘Three Girls’ please consider supporting RSVP and our work, there are many ways you can help us, some of which won’t even cost you a penny. Find out more here: https://rsvporg.co.uk/support-us/support-us/

Arts with Hearts Crafty Summer

Arts with Hearts will be selling their crafty creations at a number of events over the coming months.  Confirmed so far are:

20th May – St Martin in the Bull Ring, 10am – 4.30pm
24th June – Bournville Village Festival, Cadbury Recreation
Ground, Bournville, 2pm – 8pm
1st July – CoCoMAD, Cotteridge Park, from 12 noon

A wide range of craft items, all hand-made by survivors of
sexual violence and abuse and their supporters, will be
available – all at good prices.

Please come along and support us!  All proceeds of our stalls go toward the work of RSVP.

Roaring Thanks Lions!

When was the last time you got a big cheque?  Well, thanks to the generosity of the Birmingham China Town Lions, RSVP has received a big cheque for a big amount – £5, 000!

We’re absolutely delighted that the Lions have been raising money for us at the various events and functions they organise, most recently their 30th Anniversary dinner.  Their commitment in supporting our services in Birmingham and Solihull, allows us to inspire people affected by sexual violence and abuse and support them to make meaningful changes and live a future with confidence.

Thanks again China Town Lions – and here’s to another 30 years!

 

Consultation on Cuts

Birmingham City Council have announced plans to remove the Third Sector grants programme, which funds 41 charities in Birmingham that support vulnerable people. This is in order to make a saving of £3.2 million in 2017/18 increasing to £5 million in 2018/19 as part of the savings they have been told to make by central government.

This will mean that from September 2017 RSVP will lose annual funding of £10,625 that has previously contributed to counselling, advocacy and self-help group support and information for adult survivors of sexual violence and abuse.

There is currently a public consultation, where any members of the public can submit their thoughts, suggestions and recommendations. You can access more information, and the survey here https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/people-1/grants-for-the-third-sector-people-directorate-bud

We particularly encourage survivors to contribute as we think it is vital that your voices are heard.

For anyone who uses our services please be reassured, that though this is a loss of income for RSVP, it will not result in the closure of any service. We have worked hard to diversify our income so that we are not wholly reliant on local and central government at a time when there are so many cuts to public spending.

Find out who currently supports our work, and how you can donate or fundraise for us here rsvporg.co.uk/support-us

Arts with Hearts at Rowheath Pavilion Craft Market

Fancy a nice day out for Bank Holiday Monday?  Then head down to the  Rowheath Pavillion Vintage and Craft Market on Monday 1st May where Arts with Hearts will be selling their crafty creations to raise money for RSVP.  

Look out for their cute range of sock monkeys!

 

Challenging Misconceptions-The Power of Art

In March we were proud to support this performance, which used music and drama to challenge misconceptions about sexual assault, by producing some flyers and  promoting it on social media. We’re delighted that composer Chloe Knibbs, an activist we’re proud to be connected with, has written this blog for us reflecting on the performance, its impact and the power of art in challenging myths and raising awareness about sexual abuse. You can hear Chloe talk more about her work on 27th April, details below.

By Chloe Knibbs:

Just over a month ago, I had a performance of my work – “The Girl Behind the Glass” – a piece that used music and drama to explore sexual assault recovery (for more details, please see: http://thecuspmagazine.com/reviews/girl-behind-glass-review/ ).

 

The piece was made up of singing, cello music, drama and recordings of my own song material and was performed with great empathy, care and attention by all the performers (Suzie Purkis, Abigail Kelly and Megan Kirwin).

 

In everyday life, most people are exposed to issues of sexual assault in the 5 minutes it is featured on the news. And yet for this performance, people were staying with these issues for an hour. Naturally, I was terrified – would people just switch off? Would they be disgusted by it? Could they find beauty in the process of sexual assault recovery?

 

Moreover, sexual assault is often viewed as a one-off alien happening. Often most people would like to pretend these things do not happen. Or point to the ways those who have experienced sexual violence should have handled the situation differently – “Did you actually say no?”. Moreover, depictions in the media often make it seem that those who have experienced such trauma will be permanently broken and forever vulnerable – “Her life will never be the same again”. And so often there is misunderstanding around the process of recovery – “But it happened a year ago, don’t you think you need to move on now?”.
This was why focusing on recovery became integral to the work. I was keen to demonstrate the non-linear – and sadly often traumatic in itself – nature of recovery. Many survivors talk of feeling like that they have been split in two, that one part just remains with the trauma whilst the other part attempts to maintain ordinary everyday life (despite everything feeling anything other than normal). As a result, I decided to make the two singers represent parts of the same person, a visual indication of just how fractured someone may feel in the aftermath of this type of trauma. The piece followed the journey of these two parts of the same person at various points. There was the denial, the withdrawal, the anger, the self-hatred – how the media and responses from others can feed this – the trauma symptoms, and the coming together of these two parts with acceptance and self-compassion.

 

The performance finished with yellow flower petals falling down to the stage floor. It was a funeral of what had been lost. It was hope. It was pain. And accepting that pain. I sat quietly, wondering what the audience responses would be. Would they have been affected? Would they have been affected too much?

 

After the performance I gave out feedback forms to all the audience members, with just one question: “How did the piece affect you?” And after plucking up enough courage, it did take five days (!), I read them and was incredibly surprised by the reactions.
It turned out there were a number of survivors in the audience, and all had written of how they could connect with the performance and how helpful – also exhausting – that had been. I was massively touched by this, and I think it is the best feedback I could have ever received. The fact that these individuals came to the performance was incredibly brave, and I am so glad they felt they could share their stories with me.

 

And there was a second surprise. Many of the other feedback forms included sentiments such as “I will rethink how I respond to these issues in the future”. Or “I have an insight into the difficulties people face when trying to recover from sexual assault”. When writing the piece I had hoped it would open people’s eyes, or make them aware of the negative impact certain comments or responses can have. Nevertheless, I did not expect this level of feedback. As an artist, I am inevitably invested in the power of art – for myself, for others, for communities – but I had underestimated it this time. For people to be prepared to rethink and question the normalised responses to rape and sexual assault, gave me an insight into what changes could be made in the future. Perhaps one of the audience members will meet someone who is dealing with these issues, and they will be the voice of compassion that challenges the judgement and stigma. They will be a voice of hope, for the 85,000 women and the 12,000 men in the UK who experience sexual assault every year (https://rapecrisis.org.uk/statistics.php ).

 

Most importantly, this experience showed me that art can make human what has been dehumanised, stigmatised. That putting these issues in a context other than the news or social media, can give people the perspective to see things differently. To see that the rape and sexual assault is hideous, but that those who experience it are not. That life will be different, but these people are no less human or beautiful.

 

With thanks to Birmingham Conservatoire, mac birmingham, RSVP Birmingham for supporting the piece.

 

Also, for more information on this piece, Chloe Knibbs will be talking at Badego’s Short Talks Event on the 27th April: http://badego.org.uk/events/small-talks-april-2017/

@ChloeKnibbs1
soundcloud.com/chloek92

Baroness Newlove visits us

We were delighted that on Tuesday 28th March Baroness Newlove, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, called in to our office while visiting Birmingham.  She spent the time with two survivors, listening to their stories with great empathy. The Baroness also heard from Yvonne Langham, Head of ISVA Services, Lisa Monks, ISVA, Margaretta Vauls, Children and Young People’s ISVA, and Lisa Thompson, Chief Executive, about the services we provide and the challenges survivors face throughout police and court processes. If you’d like to learn more about Baroness Newlove’s role visit the Victims’ Commissioner’s website.