How to deal with sexual assault with CEO Jayne Butler

In this conversation we will examine the immediate, mid-term and long-term effects of sexual assault. We will also examine the short-term treatment that pre-hospital clinicians should consider. We will also examine some of the long-term support that is available for victims of sexual assault. We will also examine elements of safeguarding, care pathways, and forensics that work on a co-aligned basis with psychological support mechanisms. To do this I have Jayne Butler with me. Jayne is the CEO of Rape Crisis and an experienced voluntary sector leader with a strong background in frontline service delivery. Jayne has worked in social justice-focused organisations for almost 20 years. These include organisations working on asylum and immigration, mental health, child sexual exploitation and access to justice. Before moving into infrastructure and influencing work, Jayne was involved in designing, fundraising for and managing a range of frontline services. She has worked strategically as a consultant in a range of voluntary sector organisations, and as a staff member or trustee in a number of membership and infrastructure organisations. These include The Comfrey Project, North East Law Centre, Relate Northumberland and Tyneside, Newcastle United Foundation and The Children’s Society. Prior to joining RCEW, Jayne was Head of Income and Development for Law Centres Network, the national membership body for Law Centres. During her time there, she led on the Network's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Jayne is a Fellow of the RSA. In the conversation we discuss:

• The need for psychological support as an immediate intervention • The pre-hospital prevalence • What are the main considerations in the pre-hospital phase of care • Pre-hospital assessment when a patient has been sexually assaulted • Forensic assessment • Immediate treatment options, midterm, and long term • Safeguarding needs of this patient group • Care pathways available for these patients • Example case of when services work well together. • Final thoughts & take-home messages from Jayne.

Services that Jayne sign posts to in the episode includes:

24/7 help line: https://247sexualabusesupport.org.uk/

Rape Crisis website: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

Statistics on sexual assault & rape: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-informed/statistics-sexual-violence/

My thanks to Jayne for an informative and insightful interview.