If you are a survivor of sexual abuse, or family and friend who are supporting survivors
Sexual Abuse Support Services
CAPS Hauraki has a specialist service for anyone affected by sexual violence. We support survivors of sexual violence as well the friends, partners and whanau of those affected by sexual abuse and/or violence. We offer support in a range of ways including:
Helpline/Online/Txt
The Helpline is there to support you, talk with you about your options or help with what is going on right now. To access the helpline you do not have to be an existing CAPS Client and you don’t have to be involved with the police. Our only role is to support you as someone affected by sexual abuse.
The helpline number is 0800 88 33 00. If you are dialling from a landline select 2 to access this service, if you are dialling from a cell phone select 3 for the Waikato region and then 2 for this service.
During business hours you can also contact us through our email, helpline@capshauraki.co.nz and our txt support number 027 732 7000.
Crisis counselling sessions
We provide crisis counselling sessions for people affected by sexual violence in Thames/Coromandel and Hauraki area.
The purpose of these sessions is to offer a space for you to start making sense of what has happened, regain some control or a sense of normality back in your life and support finding strategies to cope with the affects.
We offer up to 4 sessions for each crisis and these sessions can be accessed at any time not just after a recent sexual assault or abuse. From these sessions we can also support you to access long-term ACC sensitive claims counselling and other support you might want.
The purpose of these sessions is not to go into what happened, but rather to help you cope with the affects and support what you want to do next (if anything).
Crisis Counselling is available by appointment in Thames and Paeroa or can be done via Skype if required.
Support during Police Process
It is absolutely your choice whether you report the abuse to the Police. We support whatever choice you decide to make and can offer support through the Police and Medical processes available after sexual abuse. We do this by offering an advocate that can walk alongside you whether the event has just happened or it is something that has happened in the past (historical).
What happens if I call the police? In New Zealand there is no statute of limitations for sexual abuse crimes.
This means that you can report a sexual crime any time after the assault (minutes or years after the event). If it is abuse that happened over 7 days ago, it is useful to make an appointment to talk with the CIB (criminal Investigation Beaurau) of the Police and to take a support person with you.
To report sexual violence that happened in the last 7 days or if you need immediate attention, call 111.
Initially the Police will want a brief account of what happened to you and may suggest a forensic medical. Soon after, often the next day, you will be asked to do a formal interview.
Speaking to the Police does not automatically mean that the offender will end up in court or going to jail. The CAPS Sexual Abuse Support Service can help you understand what the Police process involves, what outcomes might be possible, and can support you through whatever you choose.
What if I change my mind? If you initially talk to Police but change your mind soon after, you can withdraw your complaint. However, the longer the Police have been investigating and the closer to the Court process it is, the harder this will be. If there is significant risk to safety, the Police may choose to talk with the person who has harmed you even if you are not wanting them to. They will usually do this after talking with you about it so you know what is happening.
Support during medical process
After an incident of assault or abuse, attending to your physical well-being is important. One way to establish you’re physically ok, is to have a forensic medical examination. This is done by a specialist doctor called a DSAC (Doctors for Sexual Abuse Care in Hamilton) Doctor who can also help gather evidence (from a range of places including under fingernails, in your mouth etc.) if you wish to report the abuse to the police.
Forensic medical examinations can be done separately from the police and we usually recommend accessing the Doctors for Sexual Abuse Care (DSAC in Hamilton) as they are specialised in working with people who have been sexually abused.
You can also work with DSAC to collect evidence without the police being involved and DSAC can keep the evidence for up to six months so you have time and space to decide whether you want to go to the Police. This is called a ‘Just in case’ Forensic Medical.
We can support you through medical procedures. Please call our helpline on 0800 883300 for more information.
Select from the links below to find out more:
CAPS Hauraki has a specialist service for anyone affected by sexual violence. We support survivors of sexual violence as well the friends, partners and whanau of those affected by sexual abuse and/or violence. We offer support in a range of ways including:
Helpline/Online/Txt
The Helpline is there to support you, talk with you about your options or help with what is going on right now. To access the helpline you do not have to be an existing CAPS Client and you don’t have to be involved with the police. Our only role is to support you as someone affected by sexual abuse.
The helpline number is 0800 88 33 00. If you are dialling from a landline select 2 to access this service, if you are dialling from a cell phone select 3 for the Waikato region and then 2 for this service.
During business hours you can also contact us through our email, helpline@capshauraki.co.nz and our txt support number 027 732 7000.
Crisis counselling sessions
We provide crisis counselling sessions for people affected by sexual violence in Thames/Coromandel and Hauraki area.
The purpose of these sessions is to offer a space for you to start making sense of what has happened, regain some control or a sense of normality back in your life and support finding strategies to cope with the affects.
We offer up to 4 sessions for each crisis and these sessions can be accessed at any time not just after a recent sexual assault or abuse. From these sessions we can also support you to access long-term ACC sensitive claims counselling and other support you might want.
The purpose of these sessions is not to go into what happened, but rather to help you cope with the affects and support what you want to do next (if anything).
Crisis Counselling is available by appointment in Thames and Paeroa or can be done via Skype if required.
Support during Police Process
It is absolutely your choice whether you report the abuse to the Police. We support whatever choice you decide to make and can offer support through the Police and Medical processes available after sexual abuse. We do this by offering an advocate that can walk alongside you whether the event has just happened or it is something that has happened in the past (historical).
What happens if I call the police? In New Zealand there is no statute of limitations for sexual abuse crimes.
This means that you can report a sexual crime any time after the assault (minutes or years after the event). If it is abuse that happened over 7 days ago, it is useful to make an appointment to talk with the CIB (criminal Investigation Beaurau) of the Police and to take a support person with you.
To report sexual violence that happened in the last 7 days or if you need immediate attention, call 111.
Initially the Police will want a brief account of what happened to you and may suggest a forensic medical. Soon after, often the next day, you will be asked to do a formal interview.
Speaking to the Police does not automatically mean that the offender will end up in court or going to jail. The CAPS Sexual Abuse Support Service can help you understand what the Police process involves, what outcomes might be possible, and can support you through whatever you choose.
What if I change my mind? If you initially talk to Police but change your mind soon after, you can withdraw your complaint. However, the longer the Police have been investigating and the closer to the Court process it is, the harder this will be. If there is significant risk to safety, the Police may choose to talk with the person who has harmed you even if you are not wanting them to. They will usually do this after talking with you about it so you know what is happening.
Support during medical process
After an incident of assault or abuse, attending to your physical well-being is important. One way to establish you’re physically ok, is to have a forensic medical examination. This is done by a specialist doctor called a DSAC (Doctors for Sexual Abuse Care in Hamilton) Doctor who can also help gather evidence (from a range of places including under fingernails, in your mouth etc.) if you wish to report the abuse to the police.
Forensic medical examinations can be done separately from the police and we usually recommend accessing the Doctors for Sexual Abuse Care (DSAC in Hamilton) as they are specialised in working with people who have been sexually abused.
You can also work with DSAC to collect evidence without the police being involved and DSAC can keep the evidence for up to six months so you have time and space to decide whether you want to go to the Police. This is called a ‘Just in case’ Forensic Medical.
We can support you through medical procedures. Please call our helpline on 0800 883300 for more information.
Select from the links below to find out more:
