Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC)
The SARC is a facility where recent victims of rape or sexual assault, (within the last 7 days), can access free, specialist medical and forensic support from specially trained professionals. Anyone can access this service, it’s available 24 hours per day, 365 days of the year.
You don’t need to report a rape or sexual assault to the police to access the SARC, the service is designed so that anyone can access it without having to involve the police. In addition, the SARC won’t pressure you into reporting the rape or the assault to the police, they will secure and store the forensic information until you make up your mind whether or not you want to.
The SARC also provides immediate medical care and support including the provision of emergency contraception and initial infection control.
Its premises have been designed with the full involvement of service users and because of that, it is a comfortable, private, and confidential space for forensic examinations and interviews. If you attend the SARC, you may want to consider taking a trusted person or a friend if you can.
The SARC will offer you access to an Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA), who will provide independent, confidential, practical, and emotional support and information regarding your options for support, from reporting to the police to accessing other relevant services.
Contact details
- Victims under the age of 18 should contact the West Midlands Child and Young Person Sexual Assault Service. Telephone 0808 196 2340. www.westmidscyps.co.uk
- Victims aged 18+ years, should contact the Blue Sky Centre situated at George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton. Telephone 0800 970 0370, www.blueskycentre.org.uk
- You can find the closest SARC to you by searching for your location on the NHS website‘s SARC Locator.
