ASSIST

Established in 2004, ASSIST is a specialist domestic abuse advocacy and support service focussed on reducing risk to and improving the safety of victims of domestic abuse

Its aim is to ensure that all victims of domestic abuse - women, children and men - are safe, informed and supported throughout their involvement with the criminal justice system. It does that through providing a high quality service tailored to individual needs and circumstances.

What does ASSIST stands for?

Advocacy - Help when other agencies are involved or to pass on information on your behalf,

Support - After an incident has been reported to the Police and throughout the court process, ASSIST can pass information to the court about what you would like to happen and talk to you afterwards about what has happened at court

Safety - We can help you assess the risks you face and talk to you about options that could help you stay safe,

Information - About the court process, civil protection, domestic abuse issues, housing and other support services like Women's Aid,

Services Together - We work in partnership to provide a coordinated community response to domestic abuse both strategically and operationally.

ASSIST will:

• Try wherever possible to contact you within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the referral, especially if the perpetrator is in custody, to offer a risk assessment and safety planning.
• Provide information to the Procurator Fiscal with your views about special bail conditions and safety options, and talk to you about what has happened at court
• Give you a more focussed service if you are at high risk of further harm, including younger victims, children and young people. If you are at high risk of further harm, we will make a referral to a Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC). MARACs are meetings where information about high-risk domestic abuse victims is shared between local agencies. By bringing a number of agencies together, a risk-focussed, coordinated safety plan can be put in place to support you.
• Attend MARACto represent your views, act as the link between agencies and ensure any actions agencies take will make you safer.Provide support to partners or ex-partners of men who are participating in the Caledonian programme undertaken by Social Work Services in Glasgow

ASSIST provides a service to women and men within most of the West Command of Police Scotland and is linked to all the Sheriff Courts in this area, including the Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts at Glasgow and Ayr. We also support male victims where the case is being heard at Edinburgh's Domestic Abuse Court.

Referral Process

Most ASSIST referrals are received from Police Scotland, who should ask you if you want referred to ASSIST, where they attend an incident of domestic abuse and your partner or ex-partner has been charged ASSIST also accept self referrals or referrals from other agencies where there is a Domestic Abuse case going through a Court within the ASSIST service delivery area

No person will be deemed ineligible for the service based on her or his ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability, immigration status or gender.  

Interpreting services will always be made available for anyone who does not speak English or who asks for this service because they do not feel fluent or confident in English. Correspondence is also available in a range of languages. 

There is no fee for the ASSIST service.

You can get support from ASSIST if:

• You are the victim (female or male) of an incident of domestic abuse following which the police have been called, where your partner or ex-partner has been charged and the case is to go through court.
   
• You live in or the incident took place in either:
  Glasgow City
  East Dunbartonshire
  East Renfrewshire
  West Dunbartonshire
  Argyll and Bute
  Inverclyde
  Renfrewshire
  North Lanarkshire
  South Lanarkshire
  North Ayrshire
  South Ayrshire
  East Ayrshire
  Edinburgh - male victims only

For more information on ASSIST please view our new website  - www.assistscotland.org.uk