New Online training courses from Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland

North East charity Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland, which supports victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence has launched a new programme of online digital training.

The courses have been developed during the Covid-19 pandemic to allow flexibility for those undertaking the workshops – enabling the training to be completed remotely and at a time which is convenient.

Built on its 40-year reputation for delivering engaging and informative in-person training across many of the North East’s largest employers, Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland’s new online course options mean organisations can continue to offer employees the opportunity to develop their understanding of the issues surrounding rape and sexual violence despite Covid-19 restrictions and extended working from home policies.

Each of the two courses, which have been funded by Comic Relief, take around two hours to complete and can be worked through at the trainee’s own pace.

Aimed at increasing knowledge and understanding of sexual violence and supporting those who have experienced it, Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland have developed two workshops:

Adult Rape and Sexual Assault Awareness
Sexual Violence and Older Women Awareness.

Sue Pearce MBE, CEO of Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland, says:

“We wanted to make sure the Covid-19 restrictions we were all having to live and work under didn’t paralyse our ability to offer and deliver the training we know people and organisations find so valuable.

“When the first lockdown came into effect in March, we were finalising new training workshops focused on the issue of sexual violence against older women, as part of a programme funded by Comic Relief.

“When it became clear we weren’t going to be able to deliver training sessions in the usual way, we started work on putting together digital options which could be undertaken and completed remotely and at a time convenient to the trainee.”

Using a powerful combination of real-life case studies alongside thought-provoking information and statistics, the training is delivered through an engaging mix of written and audio-visual content.

After completing the course, participants will have a greater understanding of the prevalence, impact and societal context of rape and sexual assault. They will also understand the barriers which may make it difficult for a victim to disclose their experience and seek support – and how those barriers can be overcome.

Sue says:

“Increasing general awareness of the issues surrounding rape and sexual violence is vital in order to help more survivors feel they can safely seek the support and help they need.

“These courses are designed to enable organisations of all sizes to promote greater understanding and awareness around this subject. This will help create an atmosphere where employees who have experienced sexual violence will feel safer in disclosing it, and their colleagues will be better prepared to offer the right support.”

Feedback from the online training has been universally positive, with participants appreciating the flexibility and accessibility of the courses as well as commenting on the value of the content and how user friendly the process is.

Following a pilot training project, comments from participants included:

“I found this training informative and reassuring as I now feel confident about dealing sensitively and appropriately should anybody choose to disclose any experience of rape or sexual assault.”

“I learnt a lot and will take a lot of it away to reflect on and I am certain it will help me in my direct work with older women.”

Sue says:

“We’ve been really pleased with how the online courses have been received and are confident they will be a valuable and important addition to our training programme.”

The Adult Rape and Sexual Assault Awareness Training Course costs £35.99 per person and the Sexual Violence and Older Women Awareness Training is £32.99 per person.

For more information, visit https://rctn.org.uk/shop/online-training-courses/ or email enquiries@rctn.org.uk