Introducing our PWER ISVA role

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which seemed an appropriate date to announce that our ISVA team is offering a new service, specifically for People from communities Who Experience Racism (PWER). This service is run by a person of colour, for people of colour.

The PWER ISVA, Yasmin, offers information & support to people of all genders, aged 18+ , who live in Brighton and Hove or East Sussex, and who have experienced sexual trauma. The sexual trauma can be a current issue or an issue from the clients past. The role can offer support on a range of issues relating to the offence(s) including accessing counselling, and liaising with other agencies, such as Police, Housing, Mental Health and Social Services. The role also offers six sessions of emotional support (after the initial assessment,) which can be beneficial in order to explore feelings & emotional concerns regarding the experience of sexual trauma.

The PWER ISVA will offer an initial call to identify your needs and then work with you to devise a support plan. The service is open to both people who have decided to report their experiences of sexual violence to the police, and to those who have chosen not to report their experiences.

We will listen to your concerns, hear your worries and help you feel central to any process that you are involved in. We offer face to face, telephone, text and email support – whatever works best for you. We can also organise pre-trial visits to court, and support throughout the criminal justice process, including attending court with you where needed.

We recognise that people from non-white communities experience additional barriers to accessing support, and we have created this service specifically to address and try and break down these barriers. We will always work to ensure your voice is heard and we are completely independent from police and any other agencies.

If you have a referral for Yasmin you can refer in the usual way using our referral form or our self referral form. Please ensure you include your/the client’s ethnicity information on the referral and flag in the referral a request that it comes to Yasmin as our PWER ISVA.