Support service statement
Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre is a charity that has supported survivors of sexual violence for 45 years.
We want to reassure all our current survivors and anyone seeking support that we are still here for you.
We offer support to all survivors of sexual violence aged 12 and over in Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian.
We are concerned about misinformation about our support services. For clarity:
Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre is survivor-centred. We meet survivors where their needs are. Our support is tailored to individuals and flexible.
When accessing our support services we offer survivors an initial meeting to help identify support needs. In these, we will explore any preferences or barriers a survivor may have and accommodate these as best we can.
We do not exclude survivors based on their beliefs.
We offer women only spaces.
We follow and are committed to the Rape Crisis National Service Standards.
Our staff are trained to a high standard to provide specialist, trauma informed support to survivors. They are skilled and experienced and there are robust processes in place at the point of recruitment to make sure workers meet those standards (PVGs, references, interviews, applications, probation etc.)
We offer group support for up to eight survivors. Our group support is for survivors who have already undergone 16 weeks of long-term support with ERCC, or another service. If a survivor is interested in group support but has not already undertaken long-term support we won’t be able to offer them a place in group support, but we will offer them a place on our waiting list for long-term support first.
When the next group is due to start we invite survivors who are on the waiting list to an initial one-to-one meeting online or in person to discuss if the group is right for them at this time. This is with one of the workers who will be facilitating the group. This is an opportunity for survivors to ask questions and we will talk about what they can expect, safety, and holding space with others. When the group starts group members come together to co-produce a group agreement with includes safety measures such as confidentiality and respect.
We offer a wide range of support to survivors. This includes: support for a recent rape or sexual assault; advocacy for reporting to the police; STAR project for young survivors aged 12 –18; a dedicated service for survivors from black and minority ethnic backgrounds; support project for student survivors; art therapy; group support; and outreach in East Lothian and Midlothian.
For further information about our support and confidentiality please see our FAQs page.
Please see our website for further details of our services and how to make a referral for support.
Providing a safe, inclusive, survivor-led support service is the very foundation of our work. Continuing to deliver our support services for those currently accessing support and anyone seeking support is of highest importance.