66% of the participants had accessed ISVA services. 75% of the participants had accessed Survivors Manchester’s facilitated ‘peer-support’ service, The Safe Room, which was stated as being vital in the healing and not instead of therapy but as well as. This was because “you get to meet other survivors, other people like you and that is so important… don’t we all need to feel like we belong at a time that is so isolating and lonely and that no one seems to understand outside of those that have experience”. VBCSM11 added that professionals being “upfront about being survivors themselves benefits the victims in the Criminal Justice System process because you know they can empathise”. VBCSM10 said knowing the victim supporter is a survivor helped him “build trust”. Everyone agreed with this statement. VBCSM1 said that presently there are only 5 male specific survivor organisations in the UK and that means that it’s a postcode lottery and so even if someone wanted to speak out they might not get the support or have to travel like VBCSM12 did. VBCSM5 stated that his initial reach out to Survivors Manchester was hit with a barrier due to him not being in the catchment area but the Survivors Manchester leadership reviewed decision and offered him the support if he could travel. VBCSM5 stated he didn’t think he would be here otherwise. VBCSM2 said that the experiences at the SARC have been horrible as everyone in the staff team was female and they talked in ways that made male survivors feel they should be grateful to be there, “it’s as if they are made for women and girls, and sometimes boys, but if you’re a man then they need to adjust to let you in”. VBCSM1 stated that a friend of his had an ISVA in a different area and the ISVA could only meet him in Starbucks to talk and have sessions as “the centre isn’t for men, it’s a women only space” despite the ISVA service supposed to be for all genders. VBCSM1 also stated that everyone he’s met in the group space had first found out about Survivors Manchester via the internet and so that is the first point of call, maybe with that being a place makle survivors can be anonymous. 91% of participants referred themselves to Survivors Manchester rather than being referred and that is something that has to change as it shouldn’t be that hard to have to go looking. Majority started with a phone call and then moved on to coming in for an assessment and identifying which of the services would be suitable. VBCSM11 stated that he went to the SARC and “filled out a form and they said they would be in touch”… “they didn’t get in touch and left me”, “they might as well have offered nothing as that wouldn’t have hurt as much”
06. In your experience, did the services that you accessed (or tried to access) recognise and tailor support so that it was specific to your support needs?
