Name: Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence and Abuse Conference 2026
Start: 20260616T083000Z
End: 20260616T151500Z

16th June 2026

CCE1 - City Campus East 1

9.30am - 4.15pm

Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence and Abuse: A National Conference for Healthcare Professionals

Join us for a groundbreaking national conference dedicated to enhancing healthcare responses to survivors of sexual violence and abuse. This full-day event brings together survivors, healthcare professionals, researchers, and advocates to share knowledge, build skills, and foster collaboration in supporting survivors.

Aims:

Enhance Awareness and Understanding
Deepen healthcare professionals' understanding of the dynamics, prevalence, and impact of sexual violence and abuse across diverse populations.
Strengthen Clinical Skills
Develop confidence and competence in identifying, responding to, and supporting survivors in clinical settings.
Trauma-Informed Approaches
Promote trauma-informed care principles to ensure healthcare responses do not retraumatise survivors.
Address Systemic Barriers
Examine institutional, cultural, and systemic factors that hinder disclosure, access to care, and justice, particularly for marginalised communities.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Foster collaboration between healthcare providers, safeguarding leads, social workers, police, and advocacy services.
Showcase Innovation
Present current research, case studies, and service innovations that inform best practice in healthcare responses.
Reflective Practice
Create space for attendees to consider their own assumptions, biases, and areas for professional growth

Programme Schedule:

9.15am: Registration and refreshments

9.45am: Welcome

10am: Maxime Rowson: Policy to Patient: Rape Crisis Reform and influence on Healthcare Practice

10.30am: Dr Eleanor Lutman-White & Dr Alex Dorgan Coventry University, Health and wellbeing of survivors of sexual violence and abuse attending sexual assault referral centres in England: the MESARCH mixed-methods evaluation

11am: Lime Culture – Supporting those who support others: vicarious trauma

11.30am: Institute for Addressing Strangulation - Strangulation: non-fatal and fatal strangulation and suffocation: understanding the prevalence and clinical indicators.

12.10pm: oral presentations

12.45pm: Lunch

1.30pm: Workshops options (1 hour)

2.40pm: Workshops options (1 hour)

3.50pm: Conference round up and close (4.15pm end)

Workshops are included below and each workshop is ran twice giving attendees the opportunity to attend x2 workshops.

Workshop	Content	Facilitator
Evidence-Based Prevention of Sexual Violence and Harmful Masculinity: Implications for Practice	An exploration of evidence-based preventative measures practitioners can adapt in practice, focusing on prevention of sexual violence and harmful masculinity.	Dr Emma Senior
Culture, Conduct and Accountability: Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Healthcare Workforce	A practical session exploring sexual harassment in the workplace in healthcare, safer workplace cultures, and organisational responsibility. Aimed at those with a role in workforce development, culture change, and staff wellbeing.	Dr Anna Beatie & Lime Culture (safer cultures)
From Disclosure to Documentation: A Practical Healthcare Session on Responding to Sexual Violence and Abuse	A practical session exploring trauma-informed communication techniques, immediate response protocols, and how to create a safe environment for disclosure. Also covers sexual violence and abuse in older adults, forensic evidence collection, chain of custody, documentation requirements, and collaborative working with police and SARC services.	Dr Claire Dosdale
Reaching Every Survivor: Addressing Barriers, Intersectionality and Cultural Competence in Sexual Violence Care	Addressing specific barriers and considerations when supporting survivors from LGBTQ+ communities, disabled individuals, those with learning disabilities, global majority (racially minoritised people), sex workers, and individuals with insecure immigration status. Explores intersectionality, cultural competence, and accessible care pathways.	Dr Aysha Haddington-Ahmed, Dr Elizabeth Evans & Changing Lives
Recognising and Responding to Child and Adolescent Sexual Abuse: A Forensic-Informed Clinical Guide	Delivered by specialist paediatric SARC clinicians, this session covers recognition of abuse indicators, trauma-informed response, safeguarding pathways, and key forensic considerations including evidence preservation and multi-agency working with police and SARC services.	Paediatric SARC Team. Dr Hannah Dumelow and Dr Naomi Jones. Royal Victoria Infirmary