Welcome to Synergy Essex. This website will provide information for anyone who has been sexually abused or raped, or who has been affected by sexual violence at any time in their lives.
All our staff and volunteers are trained to provide specialist support. We offer support from accessible outreach sites across Essex and have dedicated spaces for women and girls as we recognise that many individuals need designated space to feel safe and regain control of their lives.
We offer an Essex wide service providing specialist emotional support, counselling, advocacy and other services to support adults, children, young people, family and their supporters.
A BIT OF HISTORY ...
In 2014 The Essex Police and Crime Commissioner (EPCC) facilitated Essex wide consultations with providers and service users to inform their commissioning strategy and routes to accessing services across Essex. As part of this consultation process, IPSOS MORI conducted focus groups and interviews with service users of the Rape Crisis Centres in Essex. This was the first time the Essex Police and Crime Commissioner extensively involved service users to shape the future of service delivery in Essex.
An Essex wide conference was held with over 120 participants. Victims and survivors presented their experiences of accessing services.
As a direct result of women & girls sharing their views and opinions, the three Rape Crisis Centres in Essex prioritised expanding specialist service provision.
The Rape Crisis Centres in Essex came together in February 2015 to form a partnership (Essex Rape Crisis Partnership), comprising of South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre (SERICC) Southend Rape Crisis Centre (SOSRC), and Mid & North Essex Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse (CARA).
All three Rape Crisis Centres work within a shared vision, aims, objectives, quality assurance policies and procedures.
The Essex Rape Crisis Partnership are full members of Rape Crisis England & Wales and as such are working to a memorandum of understanding, an outcomes framework and national service standards and have been professional approved by Rape Crisis England & Wales.
Together we have over 54 years of frontline experience, working with individuals to:
- Regain choice and control
- Increase access to networks of support and reduce isolation
- Achieve full potential
- Improve health, wellbeing and independence
