assume nothing., [TW for discussion of rape/sexual violence, mental health issues, suicide, self harm, domestic violence] A useful post for anyone, really.

[TW for discussion of rape/sexual violence, mental health issues, suicide, self harm, domestic violence] A useful post for anyone, really.

I’ve been thinking of putting this together for a while now - something of use in amongst all the fluff and complaining.

As people who know me in real life might know, I volunteer for an organisation called SARSVL, which operates a helpline for women and girls who have been victims of rape or sexual violence. I figured it might be an idea to put together a contacts post of useful organisations such as SARSVL for people to use themselves if they want, or to pass onto anyone who needs them. (I’ve seen a few posts like this focusing on the US, but not so much for the UK. Some of these may be a little Yorkshire-centric, so apologies for that, but I’m just going on what I know. Please feel free to reblog and add to the list.)

**Note - I’m very aware that some of the services listed offer support to women only. If anyone has any numbers for organisations which openly state they support trans* and non-binary individuals, please please add them to the list. Thank you.

Specific to rape/sexual violence

SARSVL - 0113 202 1844 (based in Leeds, but accepting calls from anywhere), open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 6pm-8pm (hopefully will have longer opening hours soon). If you call out of hours you can leave a message and someone will try to call you back.

Croydon Rape Crisis - 0808 802 9999 - open every day of the year, 12 noon to 2.30pm and 7pm to 9.30pm including weekends and bank holidays. Number will not show up on bills. Again, although the centre is based in Croydon, they will accept calls from anywhere. It’s a useful number to have as they are open every day.

STAR (Surviving Trauma After Rape) - based in West Yorkshire, STAR is an organisation for anyone who has recently been raped or sexually assaulted (aged 14 and over). They can assist with things like reporting to the police (if that is something someone wants to do), and also offer counselling and emotional support.

The Rape Crisis website is a good resource for anyone looking to find support within their local area (that site supports England, Scotland and Wales; there is a separate site for London. Scotland did have a separate site, but it appears to have been merged now).

Domestic violence

Women’s Aid has a free 24 hour helpline (0808 2000 247) offering support and assistance to any women experiencing any form of domestic violence. The website has links to local resources and areas of support.

Suicide and emotional support

Samaritans offers assistance for anyone who is suicidal or needing emotional support, be that by telephone (UK 08457 90 90 90, Republic of Ireland 1850 60 90 90; see here for information on how much it costs to phone them), by email (jo@samaritans.org), or face to face (click here to find your nearest centre).

Support for younger people

ChildLine provide support for any issue, no matter how big or small. Their website states that:

You can phone ChildLine on 0800 1111, send us an email, have a 1-2-1 chat with us, send a message to Ask Sam and you can post messages to the ChildLine message boards.

Mental health

Mind runs two helplines. One offers support in a number of areas, such as mental distress, where to get help, drug and alternative treatments and advocacy, and can be reached on 0300 123 3393 or by email at info@mind.org.uk. The other offers legal advice and can be reached on 0300 466 6463, or by email at legal@mind.org.uk. Both helplines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.

SANE offers support to anyone affected by mental health issues. Their helpline is open 6pm to 11pm every day of the year, and can be reached on 0845 767 8000. They also have a contact page for email support and an online support forum.

Self harm

The National Self Harm Network offers support in a number of ways (however, please note that they do not operate a crisis service). They operate an online support forum, email support at support@nshn.co.uk, and have a freephone helpline, 0800 622 6000, which is currently open from 7pm to 11pm Thursday-Saturday, 6.30pm-10.30pm Sunday.

That’s about all I can think of at the moment, but if any more come to mind I’ll add to the list.