Registered Charity No: 1078638

Information for women using the RASA Centre

Please read the following information.  It is intended to give you an idea of how the service works, and what you can expect from us. If you have any questions about the service, please feel free to raise them with your counsellor or support worker.

What do we offer?

RASA provides support & counselling for any woman who has experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in her life.  We also offer support and information to female friends and relatives of survivors.  It is a service run by women, for women. The service is free & confidential. RASA strives to work in an anti-oppressive way. We actively oppose the discrimination women experience, in all forms.

How do you contact us?

We feel that women should be able to choose whether or not to use our service. RASA does not take referrals from third parties - e.g. doctors, social workers and the police, without the clear permission of the woman herself. However, RASA recognises that for a variety of reasons, some women cannot refer themselves & so we will work with other agency workers, family members, friends, etc, to enable those women to use our service.

Phoneline

0151 666 1392

You can speak directly to a woman support worker by ringing on:

Monday between 7pm and 9pm Wednesday between 2pm and 5pm Thursday between 7pm and 9pm Sunday between 3pm and 5pm

At all other times there is an answer-phone service in operation, we try to reply to all messages within a few hours whenever possible. Our number cannot be traced by dialling 1471.  However, it may appear on itemised phone bills.

Support Appointments

If you would like to speak with someone face to face then we can arrange an appointment for you, usually within a week. You can use this appointment to talk about your feelings, get information and support or find out about other services - according to what you want from the service. You can discuss face to face counselling with the support worker and if you feel this is what you would like, she will put your name down on the waiting list to see a counsellor.

Home visits

We will sometimes visit women at their homes, a hospital, hostel etc, if they are unable to get to our safe house or feel unsafe doing so. If this is the case, two women will visit.

Face to face counselling

Although there is usually a waiting list for counselling, we try to make sure that the wait is kept to a minimum.  We are aware that it is very difficult to have to wait for counselling, but please remember that you can always use the phoneline or arrange for a counsellor to call you back during this time.

Other work

RASA also offers women support & information around issues such as health, welfare rights, legal issues & training. We will support you with the police, solicitors, courts etc. We also provide education & training for schools, statutory agencies, private companies, etc. RASA campaigns to raise awareness around the issues of sexual violence against women.