Thank you Rachel, Steve and everybody, this is wonderful news. Very moving. Thank you.
The website address is
stepupcharity.org.uk/
A bit about Step-Up....
Step-Up provides support to families whose children have been sexually abused or raped.
Step-Up was set up in 2003 by families who had suffered sexual abuse. The main aim of Step-Up is to provide a safe place for parents, children and young adults to come to following the trauma of discovering that their child or sibling has been sexually abused.
Step-Up is an East London charity that deals with local cases, pan-London cases and cases from up and down the UK. In a way you could say we are a local charity trying to help deal with a national issue.
We do the best we can in very cramped conditions, and we are always financially limited to the amount of direct face-to-face support, counseling and advocacy our qualified practitioners can offer. At the moment we have a six month waiting list of victims of sexual abuse seeking this much needed support.
The funding raised in thia auction will all go directly to the provision of face-to-face counseling and support for such victims.
Our doors are open to all. We provide professional counseling to adults, children and young people; a telephone helpline, access to a library of subject-specific books, and family outings in school holidays.
We offer a befriending service whereby families can be visited at their home for up to three visits. This is so that they can get to know the personnel working at Step-Up in a safe environment and so that Step-Up can do a detailed assessment of the family's needs and any risks involved.
We also offer a weekly drop-in during term time for parents. This is peer support that is facilitated by a Step-Up volunteer and/or the Step-Up support worker. This is for parents to learn coping skills and to share their experiences, thoughts and feelings. It is also a place for them to be able to express their anger and traumatised feelings in a safe non-judgmental environment. .
Our advocacy services are provided by trained Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVA). A ISVA practitioner is trained to be able to support clients immediately after the abuse/rape has been disclosed. The ISVA can also attend police interviews, support families with meetings with social services and attend court hearings..
In addition Step-Up also holds school workshops to raise awareness of sexual abuse.
Step-Up's holistic approach seeks to actively sustain and strengthen, educate and empower families whose lives have been affected by sexual abuse and rape.
We get very positive feedback from families that we have worked with. Our internal monitoring shows that 80% of children self reported that they are empowered to cope with flashbacks, peer pressure, self harm and nightmares. 90% of parents reported that their children have increased emotional health due to attending Step Up.
We will always support families for as long as they need us, and we don't limit the visits/sessions we seek to provide.
I can always be contacted directly by email on
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if anyone needs any further information.
Once again, thank you for your support.
