Opening Times: Monday – Friday: 9am-9pm | Saturday: 9am-1pm | Sunday: 1pm-5pm
Opening Times: Monday – Friday: 9am-9pm | Saturday: 9am-1pm | Sunday: 1pm-5pm
Opening Times: Monday – Friday: 9am-9pm | Saturday: 9am-1pm | Sunday: 1pm-5pm
Opening Times: Monday – Friday: 9am-9pm | Saturday: 9am-1pm | Sunday: 1pm-5pm
Safe Spaces England and Wales is a free, independent, remote support service for adults who have experienced abuse by someone in the Church. We operate as a helpline and online service, so you can access support from anywhere
This includes abuse linked to:
Safe Spaces offers emotional support, practical help, and advocacy to adults aged 18 and over, whether the abuse happened recently or many years ago.
Safe Spaces is jointly funded by the Archbishops’ Council and the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CaSSA).
To protect the independence that people need and deserve, Safe Spaces England and Wales (SSEW) was established to independently commission the service and ensure it operates effectively, meeting the needs of survivors.
First Light have been commissioned by Safe Spaces to operate the Safe Spaces service since 2023.
Safe Spaces is not part of the Church.
Many people affected by church-related abuse feel unsure about where to turn for help.
Some may feel unable to approach services linked to the institution where the abuse occurred.
Safe Spaces exists to provide independent, impartial support, separate from church structures, leadership, and decision-making.
This independence means:
Our Services are for people aged 18 or over, regardless of whether the abuse occurred recently or in the past, or whether the perpetrator is living or deceased.
Safe Spaces comprises a team of trained support advocates who have also undergone specialist training in supporting survivors of sexual violence, domestic abuse, and church related abuse.
The team have received additional specific training in how the churches respond to abuse cases, the way in which faith and church-related settings have been used to conduct abuse, and the challenges affecting people who have had or still have, a relationship with the church.
Safe Spaces England and Wales is delivered independently.
We are not part of the Church.
Your contact with Safe Spaces is confidential.
We will explain clearly if there are any limits to confidentiality.
Safe Spaces England and Wales (SSEW) is governed by its own independent Board.
The Board is responsible for:
The Board does not deliver support or have contact with individual people accessing the service.
Its role is to ensure that Safe Spaces operates safely, ethically, and independently.
First Light are the current service operators of Safe Spaces.
First Light is a leading charity supporting and empowering survivors of sexual violence, rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, domestic abuse and church-related abuse.
They provide compassionate, inclusive, and specialist help to anyone affected, regardless of age, gender, sexuality, or background.
They will listen without judgement, believe you, and work alongside you to find the support that feels right for you.
As part of First Light’s efforts to improve the response to victims of church related abuse, we sit on a number of Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panels and Safeguarding Subgroups.
Safe Spaces is committed to being transparent, respectful, and person-led.
If you have concerns about decisions, safeguarding responses, or outcomes, you have the right to ask your Survivor Advocate to support you to raise an appeal or complaint.
Any appeal or complaint is always your choice.
Our role is to support and advocate for you if you decide to proceed.
When someone contacts Safe Spaces, they will first speak with a Support Advisor.
If a person is eligible and would like ongoing support, they may be offered work with a Survivor Advocate.
Survivor Advocates provide one-to-one advocacy, emotional support, and case coordination.
All Survivor Advocates within Safe Spaces are also trained Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs), with specialist skills to support people affected by sexual violence and abuse.
Support is provided at the person’s pace and guided by their choices.
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Mon – Fri: 9am – 9pm, Sat: 9am – 1pm, Sun: 1pm – 5pm
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Mon – Fri 9am – 9pm, Sat 9am – 1pm, Sun 1pm – 5pm
We respond as soon as we can during opening hours.