My name is Debbie Naylor and I am the ISVA Team Leader at Safe Link. I have worked within Safe Link ever since the service started in February 2009.
What does Safe Link do?
Safe Link provides an independent and victim focused service. Our service ethos is to support victims to cope and recover and adhere to the Victims Code of Practice.
Safe Link covers the whole of the Avon and Somerset Force Area.
What is the ISVA team?
At present, the ISVA team consists of nine workers including myself. We provide support to women, men, children and young people around both recent and non-recent cases of rape, sexual abuse and sexual assaults. We can provide support to victims whether they wish to report to the police or not. We aim to contact each referral within 24 hours. I am proud to say that Safe Link has been running for over eight years now and to date has supported over 6000 victims. As a service, our aim is, to empower victims to put their lives back together. We provide non judgemental, help, advice and support when and where needed.
What help and support can the ISVA team offer?
The ways in which we can help victims include supporting them with reporting to the police, which can also include reporting anonymously. We can speak to the police on behalf of the victim and we offer support around video interviews. Other ways in which we support the victim include arranging pre-trial visits of the courts and discussing special measures where necessary. We can provide support from Report to Court.
Preparing for court can also include preparing the victims’ family particularly in relation to verdicts as part of the court process. We offer support around both guilty and not guilty verdicts and help everyone involved in the process reflect on what’s happened.
The ISVA service provides a holistic approach to support. We can also signpost to other agencies where it is needed, such as: counselling, housing, pregnancy advisory service, mental health and sexual health clinics etc.
We can also advocate on behalf of a victim by talking to employers, universities and schools for the victim, if they are struggling with their attendance due to what has happened to them. We can offer victims a safe place to talk about what has happened to them and give them valuable information on other services that can also offer them support.
More information about our services can be found here.
To get in touch, click here or call us on 0333 323 1543
Safelink are supporting the #itsnotok campaign from the 5th – 11th Feb 2018.
