News

Helpline success in THP Helpline Impact Award

The Rape Crisis Scotland Helpline is delighted to have won 2nd prize in the THP Helpline Impact Award, in recognition of the on-going development and impact of the service.

The RCS Helpline is open daily, across Scotland from 6pm – midnight, offering free and confidential support and information to survivors of sexual violence (aged 13+), their friends, relatives and workers. The RCS Helpline has consistently strived to develop and enhance its service to ensure a high quality response to anyone affected by sexual violence, at any time in their life.

There have been many developments since we launched including:
• An email support service available across Scotland, offering confidential written support and information to survivors.
• A Deaf access service available every Tues afternoon, with enhanced access via minicom, email, sign on screen and text relay. This was launched in 2009 and since then all volunteers and staff have undergone deaf awareness training prior to staffing the helpline.
• The development of multi lingual and translated support materials supported by publicity, partnership working with BME women’s organisations and the availability of language interpreting services to promote access to the RCS Helpline. All helpline staff and volunteers receive training in relation to BME access, Forced Marriage and FGM awareness prior to staffing the helpline.
• Partnership working with Rape Crisis Centres across Scotland to develop a support pathway from the national helpline to on-going support provided locally, developing and evaluating outcomes to measure the effectiveness and contributing to the development and implementation of National Service Standards for Rape Crisis services.
• Providing an enhanced response to survivors of stalking including the development of a support and information resource and participation in multi agency working to address the legal and support needs of survivors of stalking.
• Partnership working with Police Scotland to provide an automatic referral for survivors of sexual crimes who wish to access support and information following reporting. This process includes gathering anonymised feedback from service users on their experience of reporting. The feedback is provided to Police Scotland to inform developments in their training and practice in relation to sexual crimes.
• The development of a support resource and response for survivors of sexual crimes who were attacked overseas, this development was underpinned by partnership work with the FCO and Police Scotland.
• The development of a support and information resource for LGBTI survivors of sexual violence, accompanied by twice weekly ‘badged’ access sessions on the helpline and informed by partnership work with LGBTI organisations, including the training of helpline staff and volunteers and attaining a silver Chartermark promoting LGBTI access.
• The development of a wide range of support and information resources available in hard copy and from the RCS website.

The RCS Helpline would like to thank all of the workers who have supported and contributed to the development of the RCS Helpline, but most importantly we would like to thank all of the survivors, friends, relatives and workers who have used our service.