Update on Our Adult Counselling Service (31st March 2026)

Update on Our Adult Counselling Service:

We are deeply saddened to announce that from 9am on Wednesday 1st April, we will be pausing new referrals to our Adult Counselling Service. This has been an extremely difficult decision, since we know the need for our service is high and growing. We will review our decision during week beginning Monday 25th May 2026, and will publish an update on our website and social media channels.

Why we have decided to pause new referrals to our Adult Counselling Service:

This pause is sad but necessary. We need to respond to the 850 adult survivors who are already waiting for RSVP counselling, some of whom have already waited 12 months (or more). We cannot continue to add more adult survivors to our waiting list, and ask them to wait even longer. This does not seem fair or trauma‑informed.

Our commitment to survivors:

We know how vital, life‑changing and often lifesaving our specialist counselling is for adults who have been subjected to rape, sexual violence or sexual abuse. As Birmingham and Solihull’s only rape crisis and specialist abuse service, we know and take seriously, the unique role we play in supporting survivors to rebuild their lives with hope and confidence.

We want to reassure adult survivors that we will:

• Continue to deliver counselling to everyone currently on our waiting list.
• Regularly review our decision, with the next review scheduled for the week beginning Monday 25th May.
• Remain committed to increasing our capacity and gaining more funding, to ensure we can accept new referrals of adult survivors, to our Adult Counselling Service, as soon as it is safe to do so.
• Share information with you, about other organisations where you can request counselling from.
• Continue to advocate for you, to ensure there is more specialist counselling provision for survivors.
• Continue to support adults through our other services, including our Adult Advocacy, LGBT Advocacy, Race & Equality Advocacy, Helpline, Webchat and Online Services.
• Continue to support children and young people, and the parents, carers and loved ones who support them. There is no change to our Services for children, young people or their supporters.

Our commitment to funders and partners:

We have sought, and continue to seek, additional funding to respond more quickly to the needs of the high and growing number of adults who have been subjected to rape, sexual violence or sexual abuse. Despite being open 7 days a week this is still not enough to meet the need. We continue to seek and secure the level of funding required to meet the rising need for our specialist counselling.

We want to reassure funders that despite pausing new referrals to our Adult Counselling Service:

• We are still delivering counselling to survivors currently waiting.

• We continue to actively pursue new funding opportunities to expand our counselling capacity.

• We remain fully committed to being open with you and will continue to update you as the situation evolves.

A difficult but necessary step:

We know this decision is distressing and devastating for adult survivors across Birmingham and Solihull, and for every staff member and volunteer at RSVP too. Asking adult survivors to wait even longer for support is not something we can continue to do.

We remain determined to change this picture. We will keep reviewing our capacity, seeking new funding, and doing everything in our power to reopen to new referrals on our Adult Counselling Service, as soon as possible.