Our advocacy service is available to anyone (aged 13 and over) who has experience rape, sexual assault or childhood sexual abuse and who has reported to the police or who is considering reporting to the police.

We know how difficult it can be to report what has happened, our advocacy workers can offer practical and emotional support, helping you to make the decision that is right for you. If you do choose to report, your advocacy worker can support you through the whole criminal justice process.

They can offer a range of different types of support, depending on your needs and the kind of support you would like. They can:

• Provide you with information about the criminal justice system and what to expect from the process
• Liaise with other agencies such as the police and the procurator fiscal and keep you informed
• Arrange for you to have your statement taken at our centre and be present during your statement
• Attend appointments related to the criminal justice process including any potential court case
• Listen to you, believe you and offer you non-judgmental emotional support before, during and after the process

When you first get in touch, you’ll have an initial appointment and we’ll have a chat about whether you have any immediate advocacy needs we can help you with. After that, you can get in touch at any point if you have any questions or need anything. You can also contact us if you want an advocacy worker to come with you to a meeting about your case – please give us as much notice as you can for this.

Please be aware that not everyone who reports sexual violence to the police will go through all the stages of the criminal justice process.

In this section

• How reporting sexual violence to the police works
• How the criminal justice system works
• Evidence in sexual assault cases
• Claiming compensation
• Glossary of legal terms