Helpline Support

Our helpline service is run by Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre and is available for those who have been subjected to, or are being subjected to, any form of sexual violence and/or abuse, and who are:

  • women
  • girls
  • AFAB non-binary individuals
  • individuals who have experienced oppression as women

This includes women and girls who are trans.

It doesn’t matter when this abuse happened, whether recently or a long time ago, we are here for you.

The service is for these survivors of all ages, backgrounds and sexual orientation and who feel comfortable receiving support from a service that is run by women for women.

We are also here for woman, girl and AFAB non-binary supporters who are supporting these survivors, personally or professionally.

If you need to talk, you can call the helpline during opening hours to speak with one of our trained volunteers. If you are calling for the first time you will have up to 45 minutes (up to 30 minutes after that) to chat with one of our trained volunteers over the phone.

During the session, the volunteer will create a safe space for you to talk, and we will listen to whatever you want to say, at your pace.

Don’t worry if you don’t know where to begin. We will help you to find ways to express difficult feelings and talk about difficult situations, without offering advice or telling you what to do. We can ask questions and listen while you explore your options, and if you ask us for information about other forms of support, we can help provide this too.

Our Helpline

Helpline open hours:

  • Wednesday 7pm – 9.30pm
    Sunday 10am – 12:30pm

National 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line

Helpline open hours:

  • 24hrs, every day of the year

Frequently Asked Questions:

Will you tell anyone what I say?

You can talk to us about anything in complete confidence. We will never repeat anything you say outside of our centre. We do discuss our helpline calls with other volunteers within the service. This is to encourage each other to deliver a good and consistent support service. It also means that if you call more than once you are less likely to have to repeat anything you have said previously, when you speak to different volunteers. We ensure this information never reaches anyone else.

We do not report anything that is said to us to the police or any other outside body.
If you are under 18, we will not pass along anything you say unless you tell us your full name and address and ask us to report to the police on your behalf. We respect your right to make decisions about your own life.

You don’t have to give us your name or any identifying details about yourself, although if you find you’re ringing regularly you might want to give us a name or pseudonym (made-up name) to help us recognise you. The 1471 function is disabled on our phone line, so you can remain fully anonymous.

While we recognise the experiences and pain of men who have suffered any kind of sexual violence, here at Cambridge and Peterborough Rape Crisis Partnership we have found that a women-only service provision is an invaluable environment for many female service users. We recognise the need for specialist services for men and boys, and would recommend that you get in contact with Survivors UK, Safeline or the Male Survivor Consortium.

Our helpline service is available for those who have been subjected to, or are being subjected to, any form of sexual violence and/or abuse, and who are:

  • women
  • girls
  • AFAB non-binary individuals
  • individuals who have experienced oppression as women

This includes women and girls who are trans.

The service is for these survivors of all ages, backgrounds and sexual orientation and who feel comfortable receiving support from a service that is run by women for women.

We are also here for woman, girl and AFAB non-binary supporters who are supporting these survivors, personally or professionally.

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Calls are charged at a local rate, and if you would like us to call you back please ask and we will happily do so. We will withhold our number when we call you back so that no-one else will be able to see who has called you (however if you have an itemised phone bill our number will appear on it).

You can leave feedback or complaints (anonymously or not) on our form located on our Contact Us page.

Any feedback we get is treated anonymously, whether it is good or bad, and helps us to improve our service. We do sometimes use anonymous comments in reports to our funders so if you don’t want your comments to be used, please tell us.