Self Referral Service
We realise how hard it is to speak out about rape and sexual assault and to report an assault to the Police. Oakwood Place Sexual Assault Referral Centre provides another option for people who don't want to or are undecided whether they want to report an assault to Police.
Clients who self refer to Oakwood Place can access a number of services such as ongoing and long term support and/or a forensic medical examination to gather evidence. If you have been assaulted in the last 7 days we can offer you the choice to have a forensic medical examination. This is completed by a qualified Forensic Examiner. Any samples or evidence gathered from this examination can then be stored securely allowing you time to think about what action you want taken. These samples can be stored for up to 7 years. See the Forensic Examination page for further details about the examination.
If you wish to report the assault to the Police at a later date Oakwood Place will pass any samples or evidence gained from the forensic medication examination to the Police with your consent. We can also support you and assist you with reporting the assault to the Police if you decide you want to.
If you attend Oakwood Place as a self referral client we will complete a first account with you - this will detail all facts about the assault. If you report to the Police at a later date this can also be passed to them with your consent and will act as your initial account.
Oakwood Place will not pass any information about you or the assault to the Police without your consent, unless someone is at risk of harm.
Anonymous Reporting
If you self refer to Oakwood Place, a Support Worker will discuss the option of anonymous reporting with you - this will only be done with your consent.
Anonymous reporting information may consist of; details about where the incident took place, time/date and/or who assaulted you. We will not pass your personal details to the Police when making an anonymous report unless you have given written consent.
Why report anonymously?
Any information you pass on helps the police to track patterns of crime and can help them gain a profile on an attacker that may assist other similar investigations. However the Police cannot prosecute anyone for your attack without your support. On occasions the Police may ask Oakwood Place to contact the client who provided the information for further information. We will only contact you if you have given your consent for us to do so.
To self refer to Oakwood Place please call 01277 240620