St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) Annual Conference – 25th and 26th April 2023
This year marks the 20th annual conference held by St Mary’s SARC. After hosting the previous events over the past few years virtually, the conference this year will be held in person in Manchester where delegates will be able to meet and consider this year’s theme which centres around protecting children in the digital age.
20 April 2023
What is a SARC?
A SARC is a Sexual Assault Referral Centre which offers a range of support services including medical, practical and emotional. It is a centre with specially trained members of staff to help survivors of abuse who can refer themselves directly or who have been referred by the police following a report of a sexual assault.
St Mary’s SARC in Manchester has always been at the forefront of developing and highlighting the need for a specialised approach in cases involving sexual assaults.
Back in 1986 when St Mary’s SARC was first established, it was a pioneer in providing a comprehensive and combined approach. Survivors of sexual abuse can access a range of services including immediate crisis support, forensic medical examination, pregnancy advice ,sexual health screenings and other aftercare provisions such as counselling.
A huge development in the approach of caring for and advising survivors of abuse came in the form of the introduction of ISVAs (Independent Sexual Violence Advisers) who are specially trained advisers based in many SARCs.
St Mary’s SARC has been recognised nationally and internationally for its approach in providing a multitude of services at one point of contact. Although St Mary’s is one if the busiest SARCs, its’ outreach is not limited to Greater Manchester and Cheshire but has provided training and awareness raising sessions in a number of countries including France, Japan, Australia and Nigeria.
What started out as a unique approach as the first SARC in the country, has now resulted in over 45 Sexual Assault Referral Centres across the UK.
Slater and Gordon are incredibly proud to be one of the sponsors for this year’s event with Kim Harrison and Richard Scorer speaking at the conference on Civil and CICA legal remedies as well as hosting a workshop for attendees.
How Slater and Gordon can help
Our expert abuse solicitors work with victims and survivors of abuse every day and have decades of experience fighting for compensation for our clients. We have dedicated solicitors with vast experience in dealing with child abuse claims.
Our specialist public inquiries team has acted for many individuals and organisations in several high-profile public inquiries, including the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), the Manchester Arena Bombing Inquiry, and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
We encourage anyone impacted by abuse to contact our team of specialist abuse claims solicitors. Our experts are experienced in handling cases involving highly sensitive matters, including sexual abuse. They professionally and compassionately support victims of abuse to obtain compensation from the people and organisations responsible for their injuries. To get in contact for a confidential discussion of your potential case, please call us on 0330 107 5008.
For more information or to contact St Mary’s SARC directly please visit their website – www.stmaryscentre.org or alternatively call their 24 hour helpline on 0161 276 6515.
Claire Jaunbocus
Senior Litigation Executive