Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) • 4 mins read
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The Survivors Trust has become the first organisation to gain UKAS accreditation for the inspection of charities providing specialist support for victims and survivors of sexual violence and childhood abuse. The inspections, accredited to ISO/IEC 17020:2012, will be conducted against the requirements of The Survivors Trust’s bespoke standards of operation and care.
This grant of accreditation marks the culmination of four years of hard work by both The Survivors Trust and UKAS throughout a unique pilot assessment programme. The UKAS certificate of accreditation was presented to The Survivors Trust at a special event at the House of Lords, hosted by UKAS Chair Lord Linday and attended by Jess Phillips MP, the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls.
Explaining the reasons behind the creation of The Survivors Trust standards, Faye Maxted OBE, Chief Executive Officer of The Survivors Trust said: “Put simply we wanted the best for survivors. Whilst people are drawn into this sector for the most noble of reasons, the operational integrity of each organisation needs to be just as robust as the therapy they are providing. With no consistent way of operating across numerous and diverse organisations, it quickly became apparent that bespoke service standards were needed if organisations supporting the victims of sexual violence and abuse were to reach their full potential. The Survivors Trust standards are accessible, achievable, specific to sexual abuse and benefit all survivors regardless of their age, gender or ethnicity.”
Commenting on the significance of these standards and accredited inspections, Faye continued: “The success of each service is not down to luck – it must be replicable and evidenced. Standards bring improvements to the governance and delivery of services. Complying with The Survivors Trust standards shows that victim support services are properly managed and that processes are properly integrated. In turn, gaining UKAS accreditation for our inspection assessments against that standard provides commissioners, support organisations and survivors with an additional layer of confidence in the reliability and integrity of survivor support services. I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved.”
Jess Phillips MP highlighted the importance of standards when working with the survivors of sexual abuse: “As the only MP who has worked for a Survivors Trust service, I’ve seen first-hand cases that have gone horrendously wrong when standards haven’t been in place. Despite everyone’s best intentions, there is a real risk that without robust standards you could be harming rather than helping the already traumatised victims of sexual violence. High standards really do matter, especially when services seeking government funding must have demonstrable value and outcomes. Commissioners across the country should take The Survivors Trust standards very seriously, as it provides both a quality benchmark and guarantee of real value for survivor support services.”
Congratulating The Survivors Trust on attaining UKAS accreditation, Lord Lindsay, said: “UKAS accreditation underpins confidence and assurance throughout the criminal justice system; from crime scene investigations and forensic science, through to Sexual Assault Referral Centres and now support services for the survivors of sexual abuse. It is vital that all these services operate with competence and integrity if they are to provide reliable and meaningful support to the victims of crime. This grant of accreditation assures victims and survivors of sexual violence and childhood abuse that the services they receive are underpinned by safety, quality, consistency and credibility through meeting international best practice in the delivery of trauma-informed care.
Highlighting how the accreditation of conformity assessment services can deliver trust and confidence in similar areas, Lord Lindsay concluded: “The Survivors Trust accreditation is a pertinent example of the tangible, real-world difference accredited services can make to people’s lives. UKAS is proud to be a part of the system providing assurance throughout the criminal justice system and is committed to continuing this work with partners across government, healthcare and the voluntary sector.”