Victims Bill Consultation Response

Theme: Victim Support Services 05. What was your experience of accessing, or trying to access, support services? What services did you access and how did you access them?

VBCSM11 started the conversation with a sense of deep personal feeling that victims/survivors’ voices are only heard through “places like this [Survivors Manchester]”, and that “more people should go to places like Survivors Manchester as it’s been so helpful”.

VBCSM7 stated that in their school counselling treatment, when using the term ‘sexual assault’ they were ‘not taken seriously’ and the severity term should be taken seriously. The lack of engagement at this point then made it impossible to access support at any other point as the message they receive is “won’t be heard”. VBCSM1 stated that this is the thing that makes him so sad, if a service doesn’t hear or see the survivor at any point, the survivor will close down and for males, getting over the barriers in the first place only to be shot down is harrowing.

VBCSM4 stated that in his experience “so many of us experience it as kids” [being shut down]. VBCSM1 reinforces this point, given that it is a “myth that kids find it harder to come out about abuse, they just need to know they can and be given the right space”.

VBCSM3 stated that its not just kids, as adult males it’s hard as “you feel like you have failed’, failing to live up to your own expectations to what it is to be a man” and how the overwhelming fear of services believing the same thing is silencing. VBCSM3 continued that it was only because of engaging with therapy in prison and there being a knowledge that the prison therapist was a survivor as the service was known as a survivor-led service that it felt he could say something… “by us for us becomes vital to break down barriers to access the right support where you feel you will be understood”.

VBCSM5 had a professional service provider tell him at the age of 21, “you should have known better” and “why did you let him do that?” which shut VBCSM5 down for many years.

VBCSM12 said that location was a big issue as there was no male specific service in his area and had to travel 50 miles to the closest one. He stated that the Police were blunt, no compassion, not emotive or offered connection or consideration and reflected on maybe that’s because of who he is. They never helped him find support.

VBCSM4 gave a personal example that he had to move prisons in order to receive the survivor support he deserved and needed. VBCSM3 insisted on the “importance of being understood” in the process and by the system.

All present had accessed the specialist male survivor service, Survivors Manchester, and 85% of those present were still in some way connected, even if it was ad-hoc in the ‘Drop In’ service.

16% of the participants had accessed support initially in Prison using the Survivors Manchester OUT Spoken Talking Therapy Service.