What is Pre-Trial Therapy?
Devon & Cornwall SARC offers a specialist therapy service for children and young people who have experienced sexual assault. Therapy can be useful to support you and help you to handle the feelings and emotions you are experiencing as a result of your assault.
Pre-trial therapy is any type of therapy and /or specialist support that is accessed when a report has been made to the police, a criminal investigation is underway and before the case has gone to trial.
If your sexual assault case is: open to the Police; you have reported to the police in the past; or you might report in the future, as part of the criminal justice process, the Police or Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) may seek in very limited situations access to the notes we keep about your sessions.
Privacy & Confidentiality
Devon and Cornwall SARC respect your rights to privacy and confidentiality. Personal information, which you give us, will only be disclosed to another person if you have agreed for this to happen.
In exceptional circumstances, for example, if your Therapist believes you or someone else is at risk of significant harm, or if required by law, we may need to pass on information without consulting you.
The Police will not have access to all your therapy notes. However, sometimes the police may request access to your notes with us if they believe there is material relevant to your case.
We will always let you know if we receive a notes request and will always ask for your consent to share information.
You do not have to share your notes with the Police, although sometimes this can help with an investigation. Your Therapist will discuss with you, whenever possible, if they need to pass information on to others outside of Devon and Cornwall SARC. In very limited circumstances the Court can ask for a Witness Summons to release notes without your consent, although this rarely happens.
The links below have more information on Pre-Trial Therapy and what to expect.
For children and young people:
D&C_Young_person_Pre-Trial_Therapy_Leaflet
For parents/carers and adults: