Survive is a York based voluntary organisation that works with adult women survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Our services are offered to people in the York and in the North Yorkshire area. We offer information and support through our help-line, self-help groups, advocacy, book loan service, and face-to-face meetings. We have been in existence since 1990 and until 1995 operated as a collective, with services run entirely by volunteers. Given the demand for Survive's services in the York and North Yorkshire area, funding was sought to enable the creation of paid posts within the organisation. Two part-time workers were employed in October 1995 to develop the work of Survive. These were a Counselling Co-ordinator and a Frontline Co-ordinator. Later we were able to employ administrative support also.

Four years ago, we secured finance from the National Lotteries Board, now the Community Fund, which enabled us to develop our counselling services further. A second application to the Community Fund, in 2002, radically changed the way that Survive was run. They generously quadrupled our finance, and with the help of the Primary Care Trust for Selby and York, it enabled us to appoint a full time Project Manager, two part time Counselling Co-ordinators and a Frontline Co-ordinator. This has given us the opportunity to develop our services further to help those women survivors with complex needs.

There has also been a need to find more volunteers to help with providing Survive’s services. We have been lucky to get help from many volunteers training in Counselling skills at the local colleges, who have continued to help us after they had qualified.

In October 2002 the membership of Survive unanimously agreed to change the aims of the organisation to include male survivors. This was a major change in direction for Survive. A steering group has been formed to look into the ways which we can provide services for both men and women in the future.

The appointment of paid staff and the need to expand Survive's services has led to a period of considerable change. The organisation has moved from a self-help collective towards a more structured management framework, with Trustees now responsible for all budget, finance, funding and legal decisions. Survive is a Limited Company with Registered Charity status.

Last Updated:Jan 2004