You do not need a referral from your GP to use our service. You can call our intake worker on 9870 7330 who will be able to assist you and talk you through the process.
Health professionals can also call intake and request an assisted referral form.
People who have been sexually assaulted during the past two weeks are offered an immediate crisis care service.
All our files are confidential. However, there are limits to confidentiality where files are subpoenaed to court.
Where safety concerns exist, a Counsellor/Advocate may need to contact other services to ensure your safety and well-being. The Counsellor/Advocate in our intake team can explain the times when we may need to share your information with other services such as the police, child protection, family violence and mental health services.
You will be offered an initial support on the phone by our intake team who will respond to your call as soon as possible. There may then be a wait for a service but support will be available to you during this time via our Intake line or via the Sexual Assault Crisis Line after hours. Priority for a service is given to children, young people and those who have experienced recent sexual assault.
ECASA is a team made up of female and male Counsellor/Advocate’s. The intake worker will ask if you have a preference for the gender of your Counsellor/Advocate.
At ECASA Counsellors are also referred to as Advocates. Advocates support Victim/Survivors with their rights in relation to a sexual assault, help navigate reporting and legal processes and provide linkages to supports to promote their healing journey.
You do not need a police report to access ECASA’s services.
Counsellor/advocates can help you explore your options around reporting to police if this is something you are considering, but it is your decision.
If you are under 18
Our priority is to make sure you are safe. Under the Mandatory Reporting laws, some professions must report if they believe someone under 18 is at risk of harm. This means a report to DFFH Child Protection or other relevant health services may need to be made.
There are other laws which may require us to make a report to the police.
To learn more about where your information might go, please speak to intake team who can advise you.
ECASA focus for counselling is on the impact of your experience. We work collaborative with you to come up with a plan to meet your goals. You are in control of how much information you wish to share. Our Counsellor/Advocates will ask for basic information about your experience with sexual assault.
ECASA provides community education workshops on a range of topics such as Responding to Disclosure and Consent.. We are able to tailor our workshop to suit your needs. For more information, please contact us at 9870 7310.