Services

Christmas Opening

The last DropIn before Christmas is Thursday 18th December, and the first one of 2009 will be Thursday 15th January.

The HelpLine is open until Friday 19th December, and will reopen Wednesday 7th January.

Everybody at Survivors' Network would like to wish you a relaxed and peaceful holiday season.

National HelpLine

Many survivors find it easier to begin speaking about their abuse or its effects over the telephone. Often a call to our HelpLine is the first time a woman has been able to disclose her experience of sexual abuse.

Our HelpLine provides a confidential, emotionally supprotive and informative service for female survivors and those supporting them (supporters can be male or female) and is operated by fully trained and supervised volunteers. Nobody is asked for their name or any other details. We also offer an information resource, including details of other local and national services for survivors and their supporters, and information on many of the issues associated with sexual abuse.

The HelpLine number is 01273 720 110 and it is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 7-9pm.

DropIn

Our DropIn service is a safe place for women to meet and form connections, to exchange ideas and find support. You will be made very welcome by our friendly and caring, trained and supervised volunteers. The Drop-In is open to all women - survivors, their female supporters, professionals, members and non-members. You are welcome to bring a female friend. We have a library of books available to borrow, and information on other services and issues which often arise for survivors of sexual abuse.

The DropIn is open every Thursday evening from 7-9pm at 251 Preston Road, Brighton; EXCEPT the second Thursday of the month. The venue is on the number 5 and 5a bus routes and is close to Preston Park station. We ask for a small donation to contribute to running costs.

Facilitated support groups

These groups are for women survivors. Up to eight women can join each closed group, which meets weekly for ten weeks and is an opportunity to meet other women survivors, share stories, be heard and be supported. Having support in a safe environment to speak out, break the silence and acknowledge what happened is a very important part of healing.

The groups are facilitated by qualified, experienced facilitators, and are a confidential space that operate under the policies and guidelines of Survivors' Network.

If you would like to put your name down to join our next support group, please call or e-mail the office, or talk to a volunteer through our HelpLine or Drop-In services. We often have a waiting list as the groups become very popular, so please get in touch soon if you are interested.

SpeakOut newsletter

SpeakOut is a quarterly newsletter providing an information resource and a way for survivors to keep in touch, and share experiences and feelings. It contains articles written by and of interest to survivors. If there are features you would like to see, or you have items to submit for inclusion in SpeakOut, please post or e-mail them to the office. SpeakOut is sent to Survivors' Network members, local doctors' surgeries and other professionals, and copies are available at the Drop-In. Become a member of Survivors' Network to receive all our publications.

New services

Please contact us for details of our new E-mail Support service and Youth DropIn, which will be arriving soon.

For more information on any of our services, please call or e-mail our office; contact details are at the bottom of the page.