Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

At SAASSBMK, we stand firmly against all forms of racism and discrimination. We believe that no one should face barriers to accessing support, safety, and justice based on their race, ethnicity, or cultural background. Sexual assault and domestic abuse impacts people from all communities, but we acknowledge the specific and disproportionate impact these crimes have on minoritised groups, including Black, Asian, and other racialised communities including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people.

Research and lived experiences show that individuals from minoritised communities often face compounded trauma due to systemic racism, cultural stigmas, and socio-economic inequalities. These intersecting factors can make it harder to seek help, report abuse, or access justice. Survivors from these communities may also face additional challenges, such as fear of racial stereotyping, language barriers, or mistrust of authorities due to historical and ongoing discrimination.

We are committed to providing a service that is inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the diverse needs of our community. This commitment includes:

• Acknowledging Intersectionality: We understand that identity is multifaceted. Survivors experience sexual assault and abuse differently depending on intersecting factors such as race, gender, class, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. Intersectional feminism shapes our approach by centring the voices and experiences of those who are most marginalised.
• Breaking Down Barriers: We understand that survivors may not feel able to access support for one reason or another. We welcome contact from anyone affected by sexual assault and abuse and we commit to actively work with you to dismantle barriers, including the need for interpreters, prayer spaces or access to specialist workers with unique understanding of your community. All of our services are free and confidential.
• Challenging Systemic Racism: We recognise that sexual assault and abuse occurs within the broader context of systemic inequalities. As such, we actively work to advocate for systemic change that uplifts marginalised communities. This includes the provision of free sexual violence awareness training for any faith or cultural community leaders or groups.
• Diversifying Our Workforce: We are committed to building a team of staff and volunteers that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively seek to recruit individuals from diverse backgrounds and ensure equitable opportunities for career development and leadership within our organisation. You can find out more about volunteering with us here.
• Ensuring Cultural Competency: Our team is dedicated to ongoing training and education to better understand and address the needs of diverse communities, ensuring that our services are accessible, respectful, and culturally sensitive. As part of our commitment to continuous learning and improvement, we welcome any feedback on this (which you can also provide anonymously here).
• Amplifying Voices: We seek to amplify the voices of survivors from minoritised communities. We recognise that many survivors may wish to seek support from a religious or culturally specific group or organisation, and we commit to collaborating with organisations that focus on racial justice and equity to provide holistic support tailored to a survivor’s individual needs.

Our Services are for survivors of all genders over the age of 5 that have been affected by sexual assault and domestic abuse.

We provide dedicated women-only and men-only support sessions, as well as a range of sessions and spaces open to people of all genders.

When we offer services which are for men or women only, we provide the following options:

• Support sessions for those who wish to be in a space with other cisgender people only (those assigned a sex at birth who continue to identify as this sex)
• Support sessions which include transgender individuals (those who identify differently to their sex assigned at birth), and those with complex gender identities who feel the space is right for them.

We are transparent at the outset with anyone accessing a service about whether it is limited to cisgender people or a transgender-inclusive space for all who feel that the support offer is right for them.

All our services are designed to offer safety, choice, and support for anyone who has experienced rape, sexual assault or domestic abuse.

We are committed to fulfilling our legal obligations under the Equality Act. Upholding our principles of dignity, equality and inclusion, and ensuring that all those who need support after sexual assault and domestic abuse can access it in a format which is right for them. This includes working to expand our provision to ensure everyone who has specific needs under the Equality Act can access support appropriate to their needs.

Please note that whilst we offer services which are for specific groups of people, our offices are based in a mixed gender space and to demand for our services, we provide a range of support services simultaneously. This means we are unable to guarantee that the entire building will be restricted to a specific group of people at any time.

Check out Our Services for more information about our services and how to make a referral.

At SAASSBMK, we offer specialist support for members of the LGBT+ community, with deep understanding of the issues faced by LGBT+ people following experiences of sexual assault and domestic abuse. We also know that sexual orientation and/or gender identity can sometimes be used as part of the abuse.

We know that members of the LGBT+ community who have experienced sexual assault or domestic abuse may experience difficulties in accessing support.

We recognise everyone as an individual and offer space for all our service users to express their sexual orientation and gender identity in their own way – free from assumption, judgement, prejudice or discrimination.

We will always use your preferred pronoun, never ‘out’ your status. We will offer non-judgemental support and use the words you want us to use.

You do not need to have reported anything to the police to speak with us and, within safeguarding limits, everything you tell us will be confidential. You won’t be asked to talk to us about anything you don’t feel ready to share.

We offer specialist support for LGBT+ survivors including specialist LGBT+ workers and workers from the LGBT+ community.

Check out Our Services for more information about these services.

During your Information, Advice and Guidance session you will receive more information about our services, and we encourage you to let us know if there is anything we can do to make you feel more comfortable accessing our support.

Within safeguarding limits, everything you tell us will be confidential and you won’t be asked to talk to us about anything you don’t feel ready to share.

Make a referral here

At SAASSBMK, we know that disabled people are more than twice as likely to be impacted by sexual assault and domestic abuse than non-disabled people and can face additional barriers in seeking support.

We aim to make all our services as accessible as possible, both in the physical sense as well as catering for any other access needs, including any requirements around neurodiversity.

We operate from shared buildings which are accessible to wheelchair users and have disabled toilet facilities. We are careful to place ourselves in buildings that have varied transport options to make it as easy as possible for survivors to travel to see us. Please let us know upon referral if you need additional support with accessing our buildings.

We also offer all of our services online for those who are unable to travel or would prefer to access our services from home.

During your Information, Advice and Guidance session you will receive more information about our services, and we encourage you to let us know if there is anything we can do to make you feel more comfortable accessing our support.

All staff and volunteers receive training on how to work with survivors with disabilities, including neurodiversity. We also have specialist neurodiversity workers and counsellors who specialise in supporting survivors with learning, processing and sensory needs.

We tailor our support to meet your needs. That means if you need additional breaks from sessions, resources to help ground you or would prefer to work with us in another way, we will work with you to make your support as beneficial to you as possible.

Check out Our Services for more information about our services and how to make a referral. If you would prefer to speak to us over the phone, you can find our contact information here.