Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault (ECASA)

ECASA provides a free counselling and support service to people who have experienced sexual assault either recently or in the past. The service is also available to non-offending family and friends. ECASA’s counsellors are trauma specialists with degrees in psychology and social work.

Please contact us at 9870 7330 to speak with an intake worker. People who have been assaulted during the past 2 weeks are offered immediate crisis care service. For after-hours sexual assault support please contact the Victorian Sexual Assault Crisis line on 1800 806 292. Referrals and Medicare card are not required to access ECASA’s services.

Services include:

Face to face, telehealth and telephone counselling, support, and advocacy
24-hour access to crisis care services for adults who have been sexually assaulted within the last two weeks
Therapeutic group work
Information and referral to other relevant services
Community education
Secondary consultation and training for professionals

Book an appointment

Is it confidential?

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.

How do I access your service?

How long do I have to wait for a service?

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.

Do you offer male and female counsellors?

What is an advocate?

Do I have to report the sexual assault to the police to access counselling at ECASA?

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.

Do I have to talk in detail about the (sexual) assault?

Does ECASA do prevention work?

Useful Information

Important numbers:

For after-hours sexual assault support contact the Victorian Sexual Assault Crisis Line on 1800 806 292.
For Mental Health Triage please contact 1300 721 927
To report a sexual assault please contact Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team (Police), Knox SOCIT on (03) 8335 6701 or Box Hill SOCIT on (03) 8892 3293
For Family Violence support please contact:
- Safe Steps on 1800 015 188 OR,
- FVREE on (03) 9259 4200 OR,
- The Orange Door
  - Inner Eastern Melbourne on 1800 354 322
  - Outer Eastern Melbourne 1800 271 150

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities please contact Boorndawan Aboriginal Healing Service (ATSI) on (03) 9212 0200
For CALD communities please contact InTouch on 1800 755 988

Resources

Online Inquiry

Address	Our main office is in Ringwood East. Outreach sites are also available at Box Hill, Deakin University, Doncaster, Glen Waverley, Hawthorn, Knox, Nunawading and Yarra Junction. (These outreach sites may be limited due to COVID-19 restrictions).
Contact	P 9870 7330 or 9870 7310 (Business Hours) or 1800 806 292 (24 hours) F (03) 9879 8306 Email ecasa@easternhealth.org.au
Hours	The intake line is open for support Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm. Counselling is available at Ringwood East: Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm 24 hour access to crisis care services (recent sexual assault) is available via the business hours phone number (9870 7330), or after hours via the statewide Sexual Assault Crisis Line (1800 806 292).
Car Parking	Available on site at Ringwood East. Outreach location parking varies.
Public Transport	By train or bus to Ringwood East and close to most other outreach locations.

Services