Crisis support

Have you been sexually assaulted? Are you safe? If you feel you are still at risk or think that others may be at risk, find out where to seek help and support.

On-campus

The Student Counsellor’s office is located on Level 1 at the Coglin St campus, or ask for help at Coglin st Student Services (Reception).

The Student Counsellor’s contact details are:

P: +61 8 82 169 144

M: +61 448 878 943

counsellor@eynesbury.sa.edu.au

Off-campus:

• In an emergency, call 000 to contact the State Emergency Services (Police, Fire, and Ambulance)
• In non-emergency situations, you can contact the Police on 131 444.
• If you need urgent help from an Eynesbury staff outside campus opening hours, you can ring the after-hours emergency only number +61 421 179 455

Do you need urgent medical help?

• Call for an ambulance – 000
• If you do not require emergency treatment it is best not to call an ambulance
• You may decide to go to Yarrow place rape and sexual assault service (24 hours / 7 days a week) or go to the Emergency Department of any hospital by taxi or Uber

If you are not at further risk…

• Find somewhere safe and warm as you may be in shock. If you can, phone a family member or a friend to come to you.
• If possible, don't drink, eat, wash, smoke, brush your teeth, urinate or change your clothes until you decide what you want to do next. This will be helpful if you want to report the sexual assault to police and need to have a forensic medical examination.
• Keep any used condom or bedding in a clean paper bag if possible as paper bags are better for preserving forensic evidence.

If you are thinking of reporting to the police, you can choose to have a forensic medical examination through Yarrow Place Rape and Sexual Assault Service. This examination is most useful within 72 hours of the rape or sexual assault. If you live in a country area, this service is offered by Country Health SA at your general hospital.

Contact your local police for further details.

If you have been subjected to sexual assault or sexual harassment, you may be faced with a number of decisions. This page provides some of the options you may wish to consider, so that you can make your own decisions about how you wish to proceed or deal with an incident of sexual assault or sexual harassment.

You have control of what action you take (including no action) and you can change your mind. You do not have to make a decision quickly and it is important that you make the decision that is right for you. Whatever you decide to do, you do not have to go through this alone. There are many support services available to you through Eynesbury and other external organisations.

Talk to someone

You may decide that you do not want to make a formal report to the College or Police. If so, you can still access support, both from the College and externally, to talk confidently with someone who can help you make the decisions that feel right for you. No matter when the incident occurred, support is always available. The support is free and will not pressure you to report the sexual assault.

Access the range of support services available to you.

Disclosing or reporting an incident to Eynesbury

Eynesbury takes all allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment seriously and has specific responsibilities when dealing with allegations made against our students and staff. We can and do investigate these reports. This can mean taking the appropriate action in conjunction with the Police, professional bodies or other government agencies.

If you wish to disclose or report an incident to the College, we encourage you to make contact with our Counsellor who is trained to respond to disclosures or reports of sexual assault and sexual harassment and can advise you of your options.

Once you have considered your options you may choose whether or not you wish to proceed with a formal report. The process will differ slightly for students and staff, and depending on whether the perpetrator is a student or a staff member.

Find out more about how to report an incident of sexual assault or sexual harassment to Eynesbury.

Report an incidence here

Disclosing or reporting a sexual assault to the Police

Unless you are under the age of 18, only you can make a decision about reporting sexual assault to the Police. You can report an incident to the Police at any time by calling 000 in an emergency or 131 444 (non-emergency). Police are well trained to provide assistance and advice to people who have been sexually assaulted and there are a range of reporting options available to you, including:

• Ask for more information: You may wish to talk to the Police informally and/or anonymously over the telephone or in person before making a final decision. Details of the incident can still be recorded by the Police without you having to identify yourself.
• Make a report and request no further action: You can choose to talk to the Police, make a police incident report and then sign a form saying that you wish there to be no further investigation.
• Make a formal report: If you choose to make a police incident report and provide a formal statement, Police may use your statement to try to apprehend, and where possible, charge the person who sexually assaulted you. Your statement then becomes the basis of the police investigation and is a key part of any court proceedings.
• Provide information anonymously without contacting the Police personally: You can provide information anonymously to Police by completing a questionnaire that in no way identifies you as the complainant.
• Delaying your report to the Police: If you are apprehensive about involving police, you are encouraged to make contact with Yarrow Place, Rape and Sexual Assault Service where you will be provided with information and choices about accessing medical and counselling services (call 08 8226 8787 or 1800 817 421). Forensic evidence can also be collected by specialist doctors from Yarrow Place and stored away for a period of time which allows you to make important decisions.
• Not reporting to the Police: If you are sure you do not want to report the incident to the Police at any time, then you can still access the support of the Yarrow Place, Rape and Sexual Assault Service.

When reporting the incident to the Police, they will discuss with you the need for a medical examination for evidentiary purposes. This examination will only take place with your consent. This is where a doctor conducts a thorough physical examination and collects evidence that may help the Police in building a case against the person who sexually assaulted you. The medical examination should take place as soon as possible. It is less likely as time passes that there will be any physical evidence for the doctor to collect.

Further information is available at the following website: http://voc.sa.gov.au. Reporting sexual harassment to the Equal Opportunity Commission Reports of sexual harassment can be made to the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) of South Australia on (08) 8207 1977. You can visit the EOC website for details of the definitions of sexual harassment and the process for making complaints

There are a range of support options available to you if you have experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment. It doesn’t matter if the incident occurred recently or a long time ago, if it happened on-campus or off-campus, or whether you are a student or a staff member. Support is always available and we encourage you to make use of the free and confidential services at Eynesbury or, if you prefer, outside of the College.

Immediate support:

Call 1800 737 732 (1800RESPECT) – National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service. This line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to support people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse.

Support at Eynesbury

Because sexual assault can be an overwhelming and traumatic experience, it is often useful to have someone to talk to about your feelings, fears and concerns. Professional counselling can offer you someone to talk to about the effects of the sexual assault and can provide you with information about your support and reporting options, in a safe and confidential manner.

• For students: counselling for students is free of charge and available from Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm. You can book an appointment via email or by phone or you can drop into the office on Level 1 to see counsellor Ann Sherwell. Her contact details are as below:

                               ○ E: asherwell@eynesbury.sa.edu.au

                               ○ P: +61 448 878 943

• For staff: The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is free of charge and available to all Eynesbury employees and their immediate family. Appointments are available from Monday to Friday, 9am - 5.00pm and staff can access free and confidential emotional support from the Employee assistance program (EAP).

Medical support

You may have concerns that you would like to discuss with a doctor. Common health concerns that you could discuss with the doctor include injuries, concerns about pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as other health concerns such as sleeping difficulties, eating problems, or feeling sick. You can also ask the doctor for a certificate if you think you will need to take some time away from study.

Medical clinics associated with the universities have been established to provide acute and preventative health care. In addition to standard medical care the clinics provides innovative programs and services which target the personal care and health of all international students and the general public.

• UniSA Medical Clinic: 1300 172 996
  
• Unicare [University of Adelaide]: 8313 5050

You can visit your normal GP or medical centre. If you don’t have a regular GP you can find one here: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/australian-health-services.

Other support options

Yarrow Place: 08 8226 8787 (24 hours/7 days) and 1800 817 421 (country callers)

Yarrow Place is the lead public health agency responding to adult rape and sexual assault in South Australia. They provide free, direct services to people aged 16 years or older who have been raped or sexually assaulted or who were aged 16 years or older at the time of the assault.

Their services include 24-hour crisis response service (medical and counselling services for recent sexual assault), professional counselling, therapeutic support groups for recent and past sexual assault, collection of forensic evidence as requested by those people who have made, or wish to make, a report to the police and referral to other services, as appropriate.

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

A free service, open 24 hours a day/7 days a week, to support people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse.

Victim support service: 1800 842 846

Victim Support Service (VSS) provides free and confidential help to adult victims of crime, witnesses, their family, and friends across South Australia. You can call VSS any time after the crime – it doesn’t matter where the crime happened and you do not have to report a crime to get their help.

Shine SA: 1300 794 584

SHINE SA is the lead sexual health agency in South Australia and welcomes people who are intersex, gender diverse and of all sexualities. SHINE SA is a provider of primary care services and education for sexual and relationship wellbeing. They provide nurse-led and medical clinical assessment, treatment and counselling services across nine clinical sites. SHINE SA may charge a fee for service.

Living well: 07 3028 4648

Living Well provides supportive, accessible and respectful service to men who have experienced sexual abuse or sexual assault, their partners, friends and family. This is a free service.

QLife: 1800 184 527

QLife is a national telephone and web counselling service for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people, families and friends. QLife provides nation-wide, early intervention, peer supported telephone and web-based services to people of all ages across the full breadth of people’s bodies, genders, relationships, sexualities, and lived experiences.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Lifeline is a national charity providing anyone experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. This is a free service.

Beyond blue: 1300 22 4636

Beyond Blue provides free information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live.