To hear that Guernsey’s ‘child sexual abuse pathway is almost complete’ and receive it as good news, you first have to get over the knee-jerk reaction that it shouldn’t be necessary at all – that planning to improve services for future victims somehow constitutes an acceptance of the inevitable continuance of so hideous a crime.
But as manager of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre – known as Willow House – Katie Thomas is involved, every day, in conversations that leave her in no doubt that such a pathway is, and will remain, necessary. It’s not acceptance – it’s preparedness.
In addition, as recently reported in this newspaper, Willow House is – and will always be – available to those who wish to report crimes committed years, or even decades ago.
The new enhancement, recommended by the Sarc, approved by Home Affairs and funded from the committee’s budget, will ensure that at any time of day or night, Willow House will be able to call upon the services of a paediatric forensic doctor.
With one such doctor based in Jersey and a further two based in the UK, advice will be available remotely or, if necessary, via an in-person visit to the centre at 13 North Plantation.
‘They’ll be able to advise our own team of sexual offence examiners here at Willow House,’ says Katie, ‘along with staff at A&E, the Multi Agency Support Hub, police – all the agencies that might be involved in the gathering of any evidence.’
This will extend the remit of the Sarc. Prior to this initiative, a child of 14-plus has been able to request an examination from one of Willow House’s own sexual offence examiners but those aged 13 or younger have had to travel to Jersey or England.
‘We’re available to see all ages,’ says Katie, confirming that some children calling on their services have been of primary school age, though most are adolescents. She is hopeful that further improvements could arise out of closer working with Jersey’s equivalent service.
The Sexual Assault Referral Centre at Willow House took more than a hundred calls in 2024 – its first year of operation. More than 50 forensic examinations were carried out and almost half of these involved children under 16.
When Katie took on the role of manager towards the end of that year, she conceded that they hadn’t expected such a high proportion to be children.
In 2025, the Sarc took more than 200 calls. In some cases, these simply sought advice, while others resulted in a referral for forensic examination or to the Independent Sexual Violence Advisory Service.
In all, 71 new clients were taken on during this second year, with a third of these being under 18. Another third were referred to the ISVA as non-recent cases of sexual assault.
Of the remaining 25 clients, 16 were adults self-referring for a forensic examination, five were referred for a forensic examination by the police and four were referred for blood tests for drink or drug spiking.
To provide this service, Willow House has 10 crisis workers who are on a rota to ensure there is always someone able to take a call at any time of day or night. These crisis workers are the first point of contact for those dialling 227700 and are tasked with making an immediate assessment of what the caller needs.
‘They’re there to pick up the phone 24/7 and will triage the callers,’ says Katie. Some may need immediate assistance, while others may be in a position to arrange a future appointment.
Those who call in to the Sarc can be offered therapeutic and psychological support and staff are able to record a ‘first account’ – initial testimony regarding the crime committed against them.
While some may be signposted to other agencies, those who choose to undergo a forensic examination will next see one of Willow House’s 10 sexual offence examiners – again, a sufficient number to ensure there is always somebody available, regardless of the time.
Katie is keen to stress that the pace of all this, and all the decisions around next steps, are in the hands of the caller.
‘When they come in, they’re greeted by their crisis worker, who will stay with them throughout their journey,’ she says.
‘They will advocate for them, be in the room, hold their hand through the process – whatever is needed.’
Willow House has several rooms available, ensuring due privacy, and a space designed for young children.
Those who choose to be examined will have their evidence stored for up to two years, should they wish to make use of it in future to help secure a prosecution of the perpetrator.
High-definition images can be recorded of injuries, cuts and other wounds, an intimate examination can be carried out if appropriate and swabbing for DNA is available depending on the offence.
Following the exam, emergency contraception can be offered (95% of clients are female) along with a hepatitis B vaccine and post-exposure prophylaxis – PEP – which is medication to reduce the likelihood of infection with HIV.
A shower room is available, along with a wash bag provided by a charity set up by Queen Camilla, which can be taken home. Food and drink is offered, as is a set of spare clothes.
Following all this assistance – which will include psychiatric assessment and emotional support – a client may be referred to another service and Willow House can also write to the client’s GP.
‘The advisory service is still seeing some of the clients who came to us when we opened two years ago,’ says Katie.
‘Therapy for children is via the Letting the Future In programme, which is for those aged 4-18 who have been sexually abused. They could be on their books briefly or for a couple of years.’
All clients are advised that their evidence can be kept beyond the initial two years but that has to be initiated by the client themselves.
‘We won’t contact them about that because a contact from us out of the blue has the potential to re-traumatise them,’ Katie says.
‘We haven’t got rid of any evidence yet – there’s still space in the freezer.’
It’s not hard to imagine that for staff at Willow House, dealing with the consequences of abusive crimes has the potential to leave a psychological legacy.
‘It’s highly emotional work,’ says Katie, ‘but we have developed very closely as a team. We’ve trained together, we’ve become very close and there’s been very little staff turnover. Even so, all staff have a review every six weeks – mental wellbeing is a priority.’
One of the biggest motivating factors is the response from clients.
‘Previous clients become strong advocates for the service,’ Katie says.
‘We were set up to break down the barriers for those who don’t want to – or aren’t sure if they want to – go to the police. It’s been really successful – it was needed for some time. We get very good feedback that we have been supportive of clients in their situations.’
The year-on-year increase in calls is seen as a good thing, as it demonstrates a growing awareness of the service, and Katie says this ‘applies to acute cases as well as non-recent cases’. She predicts that ‘many more victims of non-recent sexual violence will come forward as knowledge grows about the support that is available’.
On the other hand, incidents of drink spiking appear to have declined, which Katie ascribes to a combination of the SafetyNet campaign and reporting of successful prosecutions.
Already this year there have been several prosecutions of sexual abuse or assault, and while this too is good news, Katie acknowledges that it’s rarely the end of the journey for survivors.
‘It’s always nice to hear that a victim has managed to get justice,’ she says, ‘but we know that it’s a long voyage of recovery for them. From our point of view, it’s nice to get to that point. That’s what we were set up to do.’
I point out that the most common public response whenever we publish stories about sex offenders being prosecuted, is that the sentences should be longer. Home Affairs president Marc Leadbeater acknowledged this on our latest politics podcast and appears to be keen to encourage longer sentences where appropriate.
‘The courts are prosecuting sex offenders, which is encouraging,’ Katie says, ‘but the courts are governed by sentencing guidelines. The writing of new domestic abuse laws has been a huge positive change for Guernsey. The police have more power over perpetrators now and injunctions can be put in place much quicker due to Dapos (domestic abuse protection orders], which also help victims of non-sexual domestic abuse.’
The whole Sarc operation currently comes in at £435,000 a year, including the new initiative – that’s the budget for 2026.
Although Willow House is still in ‘pilot’ phase for the remainder of the year, ‘officers and the Committee [for Home Affairs] will be reviewing options and developing proposals for the continued delivery of services at the centre’ until the year is out, according to Justice and Regulation director of operations Dave Le Ray.
In these challenging times of financial constraint, we can all help to reduce this cost burden by encouraging men to stop committing acts of sexual violence. I make this point to Katie as our interview ends, with a certain sense of cynical resignation. But she points me in the direction of other work that aims to tackle just that.
‘There is scope to do more educational work on what’s right and what’s wrong in relationships,’ she says, ‘but sexual health and relationship education nurses are doing good work in schools, talking about safe sex in relationships. That’s been going for a few years, although Guernsey has been a bit behind the UK on this.’
So there is work on prevention as well as... well, let’s not call it cure. What do we call it?
‘Our work is about recovery,’ says Katie, ‘putting the victim back in control. After a sexual assault, they’ve had their control stripped from them. We can help bring that control back towards them. It’s about empowering choice and letting them lead with control.’
The Sexual Assault Referral Centre at Willow House is a free and confidential service providing emotional and practical support to survivors of rape and sexual abuse. Anyone can call 01481 227700 any time, whether they have been assaulted themselves or if they are wanting advice in order to support someone else. However, those who feel they are in immediate danger or need urgent help should call 999. Visit willowhouse.gg for more details.
