Sexual Abuse Survivors Proposal for developing services following the conclusion of the Sexual Abuse Service Development Fund.

The following projects are our proposal for further development of services regarding the help and care of sexual abuse survivors in Shetland with special regard to male survivors.

Siobhan Canavan:

Two day training session, with the aim of educating a wide range of workers and service managers about the needs of survivors in Shetland, with a focus on male survivors.

First Person Plural:

First Person Plural will give one days training on understanding Dissociative Distress. Then they will give a second days training using their new training package to educate professionals who help survivors with dissociative distress when in crisis.

Deep Release:

Training for pastors and church leaders about the subject of sexual abuse and the long term effects, including ‘response to disclosure’ and advice on appropriate help/referral, with an emphasis on male survivors.

This will be a one day event.

 Open Day:

An opportunity for professionals and interested people to meet survivors and facilitators, with Siobhan Canavan, to discuss survivors needs. The proposed DVD Resource Pack, (see below), will be released on the open day.

 Networking Day:

Bringing together Sexual Abuse Survivors and a range of agencies e.g. Community Alcohol Drug Support Services, Citizens Advice Bureau etc. This is with the goal of inter-agency support for survivors, and their helpers, in Shetland. It will include discussion on the difficulties of working together in a small remote community.

 DVD Resource Pack:

This will consist of a DVD made by survivors including their stories, coping strategies, poetry, and artwork. Siobhan Canavan would narrate and aid the making of the DVD.

The DVD would be used to offer connection to survivors in the remote areas of Shetland. It will also educate helping support workers about the real life experiences of survivors living in the islands.

We would also use it for further funding bids in the future.

The DVD to be launched on the Open Day.

 Updating the SAS website:

The website is an integral aspect of the support network for survivors in Shetland. Geographical difficulty in attending meetings and confidentiality issues, in a small community, make the website a high level access for support.

Together, we make the difference