If you are not sure whether you are eligible for our service, please get in touch with us by phone on 0131 526 3944, email us on support@beirasplace.org.uk, or text us on 07546 697 067.
It’s often difficult to attend appointments when you have small children and although it’s usually OK to bring them along, when the appointment is for discussing sensitive issues, it’s best to try to make childcare arrangements if possible. Childcare is often difficult to get and can be expensive, but we may be able to help in some way. We can also discuss arranging appointment times that are flexible and fit with school/nursery hours or look at other ways of offering support. Any woman who needs childcare for her appointment times should contact us and we can discuss some of the options in more detail.
Beira’s Place is women only, so if there is a man accompanying you, we will ask him to wait outside until your appointment is complete. A woman companion may be able to wait inside but this is dependent on what services are running at that time and our free space. Please let us know if this is a concern. There are cafes, libraries and galleries a short walk away.
Anyone who has suffered trauma can be faced with days where they feel they’re just not well enough, physically or mentally, to leave the house and make it to an appointment, particularly if there may be some difficult issues to discuss. We have prepared some information on our assessment process and some of the questions we will ask you at that appointment. This can be a good time to talk about the times when you find it difficult to go out or speak to anyone and we can discuss flexible appointment times with you, or possibly combining the support you get so that it can be face to face when you are feeling well enough, or by phone or online if you don’t feel like going out on your own.
Beira’s Place is housed in the New Town in Edinburgh city centre. It’s a listed building and unfortunately, we are very restricted in what we can do to alter it. For anyone who is a wheelchair user, we will be making alternative arrangements for the support to take place in a fully accessible building that is still in the city centre and close to transport links. If you have limited mobility but can manage the few steps up to the front door of the building, there is a ground floor support room and accessible toilet that we can use for the support sessions. Phone and online support can also be available and if travelling into the city becomes too much, the method of support can be changed to one that is better suited to your own needs.
We understand that the Lothians are pretty big and getting into Edinburgh city centre might be difficult, particularly for women who are disabled or have limited mobility, who may be anxious about travelling, or have caring responsibilities. Travel can be expensive, and many people are having difficulties with the rising cost of living. If the cost of transport is the main problem, we may be able to help (see above). If travelling is the problem, we can offer telephone support or online support if it suits better. We hope to offer outreach services in 2023/24. When calling us or at the assessment appointment, please ask the support worker about help with travel.
No, services at Beira’s Place are provided free of charge. We are based in Edinburgh city centre, and we understand that for some women, travelling into the city can be expensive. If it is difficult to pay for transport to and from appointments, please speak to us about it when you first contact the centre. We have a fund which is available for women who live in the Lothians.
This women only service is offered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 which permits the provision of single sex services for women in various situations where there is a good reason for them.
From our years of experience working with women and girls who are survivors of sexual violence, abuse, and sexual exploitation, and from feedback from support service users themselves, we know that most women prefer to use a women only service when accessing support for the sexual violence trauma they have experienced. There are several services across the Lothians that provide sexual violence support to women and men and contact details for them can be found in our ‘Useful Links’ information sheet.
Beira’s Place is run by women for women and is led by our women only board of directors. The building itself is ‘women only’ during its opening hours so that women can be assured they can feel safe within a female only environment.
Beira’s Place is a support service for women who have experienced any form of sexual violence, sexual abuse, or sexual exploitation at any time in their lives. We offer a range of support services from online support, telephone support, face to face support and survivor support groups as well as survivor wellbeing sessions. We will recommend a programme of support that can meet your own specific need depending on the trauma you have experienced. Programmes are always created in consultation with the woman herself so you can be sure that you will be comfortable and confident in the support you are offered.
You can make your first contact us in several ways.
- You can phone our office on 0131 526 3944 to speak to a support worker or make an appointment for an initial assessment.
- You can text us on 07546 697 067 and we will call you back or text you, whichever you prefer. If you are texting us, please let us know you name and if you would prefer a call back or a text, when it’s safe to phone and if we can say who we are when we call or text you.
- You can email us on support@beirasplace.org.uk
Unfortunately, we do not have a drop-in service available so can only offer scheduled appointments. However, we can offer face to face, phone or online appointments depending on what you prefer.
