Self-help and support services for men and women survivors of childhood and adult sexual abuse

                                                        Charity Reg No 1119389

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Healing Our Past Experiences

HOPE Training Courses

All sexual abuse including sexual assault and rape of adolescents and adults, and in particular childhood sexual abuse, remains a taboo subject. The very existence of any kind of sexual abuse challenges society’s view of a caring and compassionate society.  The physical and emotional damage for survivors can often be lifelong, and requires sensitive, informed handling by committed and caring services and individuals who understand the trauma and issues around sexual abuse, and can who offer responses which help survivors move on.

Many survivors report a lack of understanding and this in turn leads to a fear of reporting. So the key emphasis must be on providing and improving support services, listening to survivors and providing them with choices in how and where they access help and support and the kind of help and support they want, when they need it. Existing services need to respond in a more co-ordinated way. There is a huge need to remove barriers to joint working and to agencies coordinating in delivery of local services. To enable this, organisations and individuals need better understanding of how to encourage survivors to access services, how, why and when survivors access services, and what their needs are when they do.

Survivors must be comfortable and trust workers and supporters to enable them to disclose abuse. Workers and supporters must be supported, know where to receive support and information and respond appropriately when dealing with disclosures of sexual abuse.

It is HOPE’s view that survivors of sexual abuse, which includes childhood sexual abuse, adult sexual abuse and/or rape, in any form, should be actively involved in influencing the content and presentation of all our courses. We also believe good professional practice is responsive to feedback from service users and this is integral to the way we work.

          Surviving To Thriving

The aim of our course is to provide an opportunity for those professionals, volunteers and supporters of survivors, to receive information about sexual abuse, its emotional impact, long-term effects and the healing process.

                Listening Ears

This  course is aimed at those who may be the first to hear and respond to adults disclosing sexual abuse in childhood, as adolescents or as adults, including rape. 

          Ritual Abuse Training 

                    Izzy’s Promise

                  (Ritual Abuse Network Scotland)

Ritual abuse exists - of that there is no doubt - yet it is one of the most denied sexual abuse areas.

This is a unique opportunity to gain insight, information and specialist training around ritual abuse.