Everyone is offered an initial appointment with one of our independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs) or children’s independent sexual violence advisers (CHISVAs).

CHISVAs provide immediate and ongoing one-to-one support tailored to each young person that needs it. This can be over the phone, by video or in person.

Our in-person sessions will usually take place in education settings as these are often identified as safe spaces for the young people we support.

Our support includes:

• Helping you understand how to keep yourself safe.
• Helping you identify common trauma responses and encouraging you to develop coping strategies and grounding techniques.
• Helping you understand your rights in relation to the Victims’ Code and managing your expectations of the criminal justice system.
• Supporting self-reflection and confidence building.
• Working collaboratively with other professionals and agencies, including school, social workers and youth workers, and verbalising your wishes and needs.
• Signposting and referrals to other agencies (such as counselling and mental health specialists) if required.

We understand that every child is different, and so we make it our mission to adapt and tailor our work to your needs.

Court and outcome support

Our CHISVAs can be there every step of the way in preparing for court and on the day(s) itself.

Our support includes:

• Preparation for court, including pre-trial visits and discussing special measures with you.
• Support and advocacy during court proceedings.
• Guidance on next steps following an outcome.
• Step down support for those receiving a No Further Action (NFA) decision or concluding court processes.

You can visit the Victim Care Lancashire website for a video guide produced by Lancashire Constabulary.

All CHISVAs undertake specialist ISVA and CYP accredited training, and receive regular supervision to ensure they are able to provide safe and effective support to victim-survivors of sexual violence.