News

Our statement on the ongoing employment tribunal concerning Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre

As a national organisation working to end sexual violence, Rape Crisis Scotland works with a network of 17 member Rape Crisis Centres across Scotland. Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre is an autonomous member centre and as such, Rape Crisis Scotland was not involved in any of the circumstances leading to the tribunal and cannot comment on the proceedings, which are ongoing.

Rape Crisis support services should be survivor centred, trauma informed and meet survivors where their needs are. All Rape Crisis Centres in Scotland are signed up to working within UK-wide national services standards. These set out that every Centre must provide and protect dedicated women only spaces. These standards also require Rape Crisis Centres to ensure that their services are informed by the needs of service users, with each service user being an active partner in the support they receive.

These standards aim to ensure that service users are enabled to make their own choices about the support they receive and who provides it. Rape Crisis Centres should always seek explicit and informed consent from service users, and work with them to develop individual support plans that are flexible and tailored to their specific needs.