When you get here
We will send a specially trained police officer to pick you up as soon as possible to get you to one of our centres within an hour or two. If you have a friend, relative or any trusted person you would like to bring with you for support, that’s fine. We understand that this situation can be difficult and upsetting, so many young people like to bring someone with them who helps them feel safe and calm.
Your wellbeing is the most important thing to us, which is why we will get you to one of our centres so we can support you as soon as possible.
How long will I be at the centre?
We can’t say for certain how long you will be with us at our centre because every person who visits us has different concerns and needs. But most of the time, visitors can expect to be with us for around 3 or 4 hours. This may seem like a long time, but you won’t spend all your time in a doctor’s room. Most of this time will be spent talking to one of our trained members of staff about all your concerns.
What happens when I first arrive?
The police officer who brought you to our centre will know where you need to go. They will bring you to our centre so you don’t have to deal with the added worry of finding us in a place that probably won’t be familiar to you.
When you arrive, we will make sure that one of our specially trained members of staff is there to greet you. This person is called a Crisis Support Worker and they are there to help you through every step of your visit to our centre. They will listen to your concerns, talk to you, let you know your options and make sure that you get the help and support you need while you are with us. They are also there to make sure that everything is in place for us to keep giving you the help and support you need after this first visit.
They will be very experienced helping people who have had similar experiences to you. They are there to be patient and listen to all your concerns, even if you are upset, angry or confused by what has happened. These things can be difficult to process, and that’s completely understandable.
What happens next?
After listening to all your concerns, you will meet our staff, the crisis support worker or specialist nurse and the doctor, they will discuss your concerns and you can talk together about what will happen next. In most cases, if you agree, we will arrange a medical and forensic examination for you. The most important reason we do this is to make sure you are in good health by checking you for any injuries and making sure you are OK. But this is also important for finding any evidence that might be helpful to the police in any investigation into your abuse. We are experienced in giving these examinations to children and young people. We will go at your pace and talk you through each stage to help you feel comfortable. If you want to know more about the medical and forensic examination, please click the box below, and we will answer in more detail any concerns or worries you might have.
Your Crisis Support Worker will have listened to all your concerns and will also help you get access to a range of help and support options after you leave the centre. You can discuss getting therapeutic support with workers who are experienced at helping to give children and young people who have had similar experiences the support they need to cope with the emotional effects that sexual abuse can cause. They will help you to understand how you are feeling and cope with these emotions, for as long as they feel you need their support.
You can also discuss further medical treatments and tests if you decide with us that they are the best course of action, from emergency contraception (which will be given on this first visit) to tests and treatment for sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy testing. To learn about our full range of follow-up care that we provide after you leave, please click below to see how we can help you in the future.
After you leave the centre
Information for Children Under 13
We’ve written a guide for children under the age of 13 which explains what happens when you come to the centre.
The guide is available as a PDF, so you can view it on your computer or print a copy.