Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy (ISVA)

Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy is available across South Yorkshire from a central referral hub, funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).

For those that are considering reporting, we know that the idea of talking to the Police about what happened to you or giving evidence in court can be frightening and overwhelming, but we also know that survivors of sexual violence want and deserve justice.

You can report incidents of sexual harm to the police whether they happened recently or a long time ago. We recommend that if you are considering reporting your experiences that you contact us as we understand that this can be a very difficult decision, particularly if you’re not familiar with the criminal justice process.

What is an ISVA?

The service is available to adult females & males (ISVA) and children (CHISVA). The ISVA worker will give information to help a victim decide whether they want to report the incident(s) to the police. If they decide not to report the matter, they can still access the services. If a victim does decide to report the matter, the ISVA worker will help them through the whole process, including working with the police and the rest of the criminal justice system.

How can they help?

An ISVA advocates on behalf of someone who has been a victim of sexual violence. They represent the needs of the client & help them to access support and services from a range of statutory & non-statutory services such as:

Health Services

• Housing Support
• Benefits advice
• Counselling

They will advocate and support a client through reporting to the Police to Court including:

Liaising with the police, courts, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and other public agencies

• Keeping the victim informed of developments in the case
• Advocating on victim’s behalf
• Supporting victim before and during any court case.

The referral process

The South Yorkshire Sexual Violence Partnership is funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to deliver the Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy (ISVA) Service across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.
The South Yorkshire Sexual Violence Partnership (SYSVP) consists of three specialist sexual violence providers:

• Barnsley Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Service (BSARCS)
• Doncaster Rape & Sexual Abuse Counselling Service (DRASACS)
• Rotherham Abuse, Advocacy and Counselling Service (ROTHACS)

Client Feedback

Clients can submit feedback about their ISVA or any support they have received from their ISVA via emailing isvateam@rothacs.org.uk, or by completing our ISVA End of Service Questionnaire, https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ISVAsurvey/

Accreditation

We are accredited by Lime Culture and all of our ISVAs are appropriately trained by Lime Culture. If you would like and further information about our service or staff accreditation, you can contact our office on info@rothacs.org.uk.