Willow House sexual assault helpline services available day and night

The 24/7 helpline accessed by calling 227700 will be answered by one of the crisis workers, who will triage the individual based on what they might need.

‘We’ve also had professionals calling the helpline, people working with youths for example, calling to get some advice, and if they need to come in for a forensic examination, we can see them here,’ said Willow House manager Katie Thomas.

‘We work completely independently from the police, some people find it really daunting to approach the police when something has happened, so we take self-referrals so these people do not need to go to the police initially, and can decide if they want to speak to the police at a later stage.’

If an individual needs to attend Willow House, they will be greeted by a crisis worker, usually the one they have spoken to on the phone, and they will go into the lounge area where they can have a hot drink and a chat.

A lot of the procedure will be talking and paperwork, and the actual examination is a small part of what is done.

Willow House has the facilities for people to have a shower and can offer a change of clothes.

‘For a forensic examination we will check someone top to toe to see if there’s any injuries and we can do swabs from different areas to collect any DNA evidence,’ said Mrs Thomas.

‘We have emergency contraception if that is needed, we can give the Hepatitis B vaccination and can start people on PEP if needs be, which is prophylaxis for HIV.

‘There is paperwork for risk assessing, checking their mental health, welfare checks and that they have somewhere safe to go.’

Information, swabs or clothing can stay at the SARC for up to two years, for the individual to decide whether they would like it to be taken to the police.

If contacted before the two years is up, this period can be extended.