SOB UK #CSARecovery

What does #SOB do? How do we help individuals? Institutions? Society? m.youtube.com/watch?v=NLhU62… @survivorstrust @RapeCrisisEandW @NHSEnglandLDN

💙💥We did it… Breaking the Cycle™ is now CPD accredited 💥💙 This one feels big. After years of building, refining, delivering and learning — our Breaking the Cycle™ programme is now officially CPD accredited.

We did it… Breaking the Cycle™ is now CPD accredited 💙 This one feels big. After years of building, refining, delivering and learning — our Breaking the Cycle™ programme is now officially CPD accredited. This is a trauma-informed psychoeducational programme — designed to help people understand what has happened to them, how it has impacted their brain, body and behaviour… and how they can begin to rebuild. Piece by piece. This accreditation recognises: ✨ the structure of the programme ✨ the depth of the content ✨ the integration of research and lived experience ✨ the real impact we see every single week But more than anything… It recognises that survivors deserve understanding, not just survival. I am incredibly proud of what has been created — and even more proud of every single person who has walked through this programme and done the work. This is just the beginning. 💙 Rebuilding you piece by piece 💙 There is love, life and laughter after abuse 💙 Empowering futures #BreakingTheCycle #CPD #SurvivorsOfAbuse #TraumaInformed #DoIt4Survivors @SOB_Org

💥Day 6 | Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week💥 Understanding trauma, its impact and appropriate responses is essential. But understanding alone is not enough. Across the country, victims and survivors of sexual abuse struggle to access specialist, trauma-informed support — particularly support that recognises the long-term impact of childhood abuse. Instead, many encounter: *Short-term or crisis-only interventions *Long waiting lists and postcode lotteries *Services that are not trauma informed and attuned *Over-reliance on screening tools and thresholds that miss complexity Too often, survivors are expected to “recover” within systems that were never designed to meet their needs. Trauma does not follow neat pathways. Recovery does not fit into short funding cycles. And childhood abuse does not end when someone turns 18. If we are serious about safeguarding, recovery, and prevention, access to trauma-informed support must be consistent, specialist, and long-term — not exceptional. This is not about awareness. It is about infrastructure, commissioning, and political will. #ItsNotOK #SASV #TraumaInformed #SurvivorSupport #ChildSexualAbuse #SexualViolence #ACEs #MentalHealth #Safeguarding #SystemChange #ActOnIICSA #ImplementIICSARecommendations @SOB_Org @IICSAVSCP

💥Day 7 | Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week💥 Ten years ago, Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week was launched to shine a light on abuse that had been hidden, minimised, and ignored. Ten years on, awareness has grown. But awareness alone has never been enough. Too often, institutions still prioritise reputation over child protection. Survivors continue to face barriers to trauma-informed support, justice & redress. And recommendations designed to prevent abuse and improve responses remain unimplemented. Sexual abuse is not a historical problem. It is a present one. If this week is to mean anything, it must move beyond reflection and into accountability and action. That means: *Implementing existing recommendations *Embedding survivor-led, trauma-informed practice *Designing systems around reality, not convenience Survivors have waited long enough. @SOB_Org @IICSAVSCP #ItsNotOK #SASV #SexualAbuseAwareness #SexualViolence #VAWG #ViolenceAgainstWomenAndGirls #Safeguarding #Accountability #TraumaInformed #SurvivorLed #ActOnIICSA #ImplementIICSARecommendations

💥Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week — What Comes Next💥 Over the past week, I’ve shared a series of posts as part of #SASV Week. They were intentionally structured — not as isolated awareness messages, but as a connected narrative reflecting how abuse actually happens, how it is experienced, and where systems continue to fall short. Here’s what we focused on, and why: 💥Day 1 – Why this week exists We marked the origins of SASV Week and its 10-year anniversary. This work exists because abuse was historically hidden, minimised, and ignored — and because survivors and allies refused to accept that. 💥Day 2 – Abuse is complex We challenged the idea that abuse is simple or isolated. It is often multi-layered, relational, and rooted in trust, access, and opportunity — which is why victim-blaming narratives are so harmful. 💥Day 3 – Why most abuse remains unseen We explored the reality that most child sexual abuse is never known to authorities, and the limitations of relying on reported cases as a proxy for prevalence — particularly within VAWG frameworks. 💥Day 4 – Children are never responsible We were unequivocal: children do not ask for abuse, invite it, or deserve it. Responsibility always lies with the person who causes harm — and with systems that fail to protect. 💥Day 5 – Trauma is a normal response We reframed trauma responses not as weakness or pathology, but as understandable adaptations to overwhelming experiences. 💥Day 6 – Access to support is a systems issue We named the reality that specialist, trauma-informed support remains inconsistent and inaccessible — a failure of infrastructure, not individuals. 💥Day 7 – Awareness must lead to action We closed by returning to accountability. Ten years on, knowledge exists. Recommendations exist. Survivors exist. The question is not what do we know, but what are we prepared to do differently now? What still needs to be done Awareness weeks matter — but change happens in what follows. That includes: *Meaningful engagement with national consultations on child protection and safeguarding *Implementing existing recommendations, not revisiting them indefinitely *Embedding survivor-led, trauma-informed practice across systems Investing in long-term recovery, not just crisis response This work is ongoing, often uncomfortable, and rarely neat — but it is necessary. @IICSAVSCP @SOB_Org #ItsNotOK #SASV #SexualAbuseAwareness #SexualViolence #VAWG #ViolenceAgainstWomenAndGirls #TraumaInformed #SurvivorLed #Safeguarding #SystemChange #ActOnIICSA #ImplementIICSARecommendations

"Empowering Futures" #DayInTheLifeOfASmallCharityCEO This is part of a longer video that explores the following: *Gov & Local Gov / Councils *Funding *Services *3rd Sector / Voluntary sector language youtu.be/y_ABYXXkg0o?si… If you want to help & support SoB you can email me chris@survivorsofabuse.org.uk or donate here justgiving.com/s-o-b Thank you 🙏 @SOB_Org

We often talk about trauma psychologically. Thoughts. Emotions. Behaviour. But chronic stress is physiological. Prolonged activation of adrenaline and cortisol does not just affect mood — it can influence breathing mechanics, muscular tone and physical holding patterns. Over time, the body adapts: *Shoulders may round. *Breathing may shorten. *Muscles may remain braced. These are not aesthetic issues. They are adaptive survival responses. In Week 4 of our trademarked C.L.E.A.N.E.R.™ Living Therapy Programme (currently undergoing CPD accreditation review), we explore how stress chemistry can translate into embodied pattern — and how awareness can support regulation. When individuals understand that their physical responses developed to survive prolonged threat, shame reduces. And when shame reduces, agency increases. This is not about “standing up straight.” It is about teaching the body that it is safe to open. If trauma-informed practice focuses only on cognition and narrative, it risks overlooking a core regulatory mechanism. The body is not separate from trauma recovery. It is central to it. #TraumaInformedPractice #SomaticAwareness #CPD #CSA #ChildProtection @SOB_Org

TONIGHT ✨ Free Evening Webinar | Wednesday 28 January | 7.00–8.15pm ✨ ACEs-informed practice: what’s missing? We talk a lot about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in safeguarding, health, education, policing and social care. But most training focuses on: ✔️ definitions ✔️ checklists ✔️ scores It rarely explores what ACEs feel like from the inside — or how children actually experience harm, neglect, grooming, and missed opportunities for protection. And that gap matters. This free webinar is for professionals and individuals who want to deepen their understanding of ACEs beyond theory and understand why systems so often fail to see what’s right in front of them. What we’ll explore: • how ACEs cluster and compound in real life • why children don’t disclose the way systems expect • how neglect creates vulnerability long before abuse is visible • what safeguarding looks like from the inside out, not the outside in The session is grounded in lived experience and draws on Through the Eyes of a Child — a survivor-led account written before ACEs became professional language, and before hindsight and theory were layered on top. This is not a personal disclosure session. It’s a professional learning space designed to improve practice, curiosity, and judgement. 👥 Who it’s for: Safeguarding, health, education, policing, social care, probation, youth justice, professional trainers — and those who commission or design services. 🕖 Date: Wednesday 28 January 🕖 Time: 7.00–8.15pm (UK) 💻 Format: Online | Free us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regist… #ACES #Trauma #LivedExperience @SOB_Org

Zebra Day – Child Sexual Abuse Survivors Awareness 📅 31 January Context: survivor solidarity & awareness Meaning of the zebra: No two zebras have the same stripes. No two survivor journeys are the same. Visibility for experiences that are often hidden. survivorsofabuse.org.uk @SOB_Org

💥Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) don’t end when childhood ends💥 For many adults, early adversity continues to shape stress responses, health, behaviour and wellbeing — often in ways that are misunderstood, mislabelled, or treated as individual failure rather than survival. I’m hosting a free live webinar exploring the long-term impact of ACEs, drawing together lived experience and professional understanding to make sense of trauma, chronic stress and nervous system adaptation. Rather than focusing on scores, labels or awareness alone, this session looks at what ACEs do over time — and why understanding is essential, but not always enough on its own. 🧠 Breaking the Cycle™ – Living with the Impact of ACEs: Trauma, Stress and Recovery 📅 Tuesday 18 February 2026 ⏰ 7:00–8:15pm (UK) 🎥 Free live Zoom webinar (cameras optional) This session is relevant for: • professionals working with trauma-affected individuals and communities • professionals with lived experience of adversity • practitioners exposed to vicarious trauma and burnout The session builds on the insights from my free Webinar 1 (ACEs-Informed Practice: What’s Missing?), but can also be attended as a standalone session. 👉 Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regist… @SOB_Org

We are pleased to announce the date for our 10th Anniversary Impact Event. Breaking the Cycle: Tackling child sexual abuse within families - The Forgotten Group. We are confirming a venue and then sending out invites. @SOB_Org - Survivors Of aBuse

Day 2 | Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week Abuse rarely happens in isolation. It is often multi-layered and multifaceted, with impacts that intersect across a person’s health, relationships, education, and work. For many survivors, those impacts are lifelong — affecting physical and mental health, education, employment, relationships, family life, and overall wellbeing. It’s also vital to understand how abuse happens. Most abuse is perpetrated by someone known and trusted — someone with access and opportunity. This reality challenges harmful myths and helps explain why disclosure is often delayed, suppressed, or prevented altogether. Which is why victim-blaming is never acceptable. Responsibility always lies with the person who caused the harm — never with the child or adult who experienced it. Awareness must move beyond headlines and into understanding, compassion, and action. Beyond the ACEs Checklist was the focus of my recent webinar, exploring trauma beyond scores and tick-boxes. If you’d like access to the recording, please message me. #ItsNotOK #SASV #SexualAbuseAwareness #SexualViolence #TraumaInformed #SurvivorLed #EndVictimBlaming #Safeguarding #ActOnIICSA #ImplementIICSARecommendations @IICSAVSCP @SOB_Org

Day 3 | Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week The current sexual abuse strategy is rightly child-focused. But even while acknowledging that most child sexual abuse is hidden, our understanding and response remain heavily anchored to the “1 in 8” children who are known to the authorities. That matters. Because when abuse is primarily understood through reported cases, we risk mistaking visibility for prevalence. Around 7 out of 8 children who are abused are not known to the system — not because abuse is rare, but because it is concealed within families, relationships, and trusted environments. Fear, loyalty, dependence, shame, disbelief, and risk all play a role in delayed or non-disclosure. This is particularly relevant within Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), where frameworks often centre adult disclosure and criminal justice responses, rather than the childhood contexts in which much abuse begins — shaped by power, control, access, and opportunity. If we want to prevent abuse and respond effectively, we must start with how abuse actually happens, not only with the minority of cases that surface. Naming what remains unseen is not a criticism of safeguarding. It is a necessary step towards making it effective. #ItsNotOK #SASV #VAWG #ViolenceAgainstWomenAndGirls #SexualAbuseAwareness #ChildSexualAbuse #HiddenAbuse #Safeguarding #TraumaInformed #SurvivorLed #ActOnIICSA #ImplementIICSARecommendations @IICSAVSCP @SOB_Org

💥Day 4 | Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week💥 Children do not ask for abuse. They do not invite it. They do not deserve it. Child sexual abuse is never about behaviour, misunderstanding, or curiosity. It is always about power, control, access, and opportunity exercised by the person causing harm. Yet myths persist: *That children exaggerate or misunderstand *That abuse only happens in certain families or communities *That victims and perpetrators “don’t look like that” These myths do real harm. They shape whether children are believed, how disclosures are responded to, and whether abuse is stopped or allowed to continue. And when institutions prioritise reputation over child protection, the consequences are devastating — not just in the moment, but across a lifetime. Children are never responsible for abuse. The responsibility always lies with the adult — and with the systems that failed to protect them. #ItsNotOK #SASV #ChildSexualAbuse #Safeguarding #CSAMyths #EndVictimBlaming #VAWG #VAWC #ViolenceAgainstWomenAndGirls #TraumaInformed #SurvivorLed #ActOnIICSA #ImplementIICSARecommendations @SOB_Org @IICSAVSCP

💥Day 5 | Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week💥 Trauma is a normal and natural response to abuse. The impacts of child sexual abuse are not signs of weakness, dysfunction, or failure. They are understandable responses to overwhelming experiences that no child should ever have to endure. For many survivors, trauma shows up as: *Hypervigilance or numbness *Anger or shame probably both *Difficulty sleeping or concentrating *Disrupted relationships *Coping strategies that are later judged, rather than understood These responses are often labelled as “problems” — when in reality, they are adaptations to survive. And when trauma is misunderstood or ignored, survivors are blamed for the very responses that once kept them safe. If we want meaningful recovery, we must stop asking “what’s wrong with you?” And start asking “what happened to you?” Understanding trauma is not an optional extra. It is fundamental to safeguarding, recovery, and long-term wellbeing. Check out our one of a kind 8 week course suitable for survivors, practitioners and professionals alike. survivorsofabuse.org.uk #ItsNotOK #SASV #TraumaInformed #ChildSexualAbuse #TraumaAwareness #SurvivorLed #MentalHealth #ACEs #EndVictimBlaming #Safeguarding @SOB_Org @IICSAVSCP

@itsnotok2026 Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week #SASV2026 #ItsNotOk @SOB_Org

💫As Survivors Of aBuse approaches its 10-year anniversary, we are preparing a small 10-Year Milestone & Impact Briefing on Friday 24 April 2026.💫 The event will focus on our work tackling child abuse (in all its forms) within families – often referred to as the “forgotten group” – and will bring together local stakeholders, professionals and civic representatives to better understand why survivor-led services like ours are needed. This is not a fundraising event. However, as a small charity with limited resources, we are seeking practical, time-limited corporate support to help us deliver the event itself, for example: • venue support • AV / technical support • printing or programme materials • photography or event logistics We would also welcome a single main event sponsor to help cover core event costs. Any organisations supporting the event would be acknowledged appropriately in the programme and on event materials. If your organisation may be able to offer practical support or event sponsorship, or if you’d like a brief, no-obligation conversation, please message me directly. More details to follow. @SOB_Org Thank you Chris Tuck CEO, Survivors Of aBuse

🌱 Breaking the Cycle – 8-Week Recovery Course 🌱 We’re pleased to confirm that our next Breaking the Cycle 8-week group course will be running from 7 February. This trauma-informed, psycho-educational programme supports adult survivors of childhood abuse and domestic violence in a safe, structured group setting. 🗓 Course dates (Saturdays) • 7, 14, 21, 28 February • 7 & 14 March • 21 March – break • 28 March & 4 April ⏰ Time 9:45am arrival (10:00am start) – 1:30pm 📍 Venue One in Four Charity 219 Bromley Road, Bellingham, SE6 2PG • Parking nearby • Bellingham station – 2-minute walk 💛 Cost Places are fully subsidised. A returnable £25 deposit is required to secure a place and will be refunded after successful completion of the course. 👉 If the deposit is a barrier, please let us know — we don’t want this to stop anyone accessing support. ✅ How to sign up Secure your place via our website: 🔗 survivorsofabuse.org.uk/cleaner-living… Places are limited and confirmed on receipt of deposit. 💬 Please share this post with anyone who might benefit. Chris Tuck @SOB_Org

Just finished my webinar only took me all day. Extremely proud of the content. ✨ Free Evening Webinar | Wednesday 28 January | 7.00–8.15pm ✨ ACEs-informed practice: what’s missing? We talk a lot about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in safeguarding, health, education, policing and social care. But most training focuses on: ✔️ definitions ✔️ checklists ✔️ scores It rarely explores what ACEs feel like from the inside — or how children actually experience harm, neglect, grooming, and missed opportunities for protection. And that gap matters. This free webinar is for professionals and individuals who want to deepen their understanding of ACEs beyond theory and understand why systems so often fail to see what’s right in front of them. What we’ll explore: • how ACEs cluster and compound in real life • why children don’t disclose the way systems expect • how neglect creates vulnerability long before abuse is visible • what safeguarding looks like from the inside out, not the outside in The session is grounded in lived experience and draws on Through the Eyes of a Child — a survivor-led account written before ACEs became professional language, and before hindsight and theory were layered on top. This is not a personal disclosure session. It’s a professional learning space designed to improve practice, curiosity, and judgement. 👥 Who it’s for: Safeguarding, health, education, policing, social care, probation, youth justice, professional trainers — and those who commission or design services. Or anyone who wants to know more. 🕖 Date: Wednesday 28 January 🕖 Time: 7.00–8.15pm (UK) 💻 Format: Online | Free Sign Up Here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regist… #ACES #Trauma #LivedExperience @SOB_Org

💙 We have 3 incredible fundraising events in 2026 💙 As part of our £75,000 #DoIt4Survivors Fundraising Campaign, Survivors Of aBuse has secured charity places across three powerful challenge events — each one helping fund specialist recovery support for adult survivors of abuse. 🏃‍♀️ Virtual London Marathon “MyWay” – 26 April 2026 🔴 WAITLIST OPEN – more places may become available • £500 minimum fundraising 🪂 Tandem Skydive – 3 May 2026 • 7 places available • £1,000 minimum fundraising 🏃 Vitality London 10K – 27 September 2026 • 5 places available • £300 minimum fundraising Every step taken, every jump made, and every pound raised helps fund a survivor’s place on our Breaking the Cycle™ recovery programme. If you’ve ever wanted to do something meaningful, challenging, and genuinely life-changing — this is it. 👉 Interested? Comment below, DM me, or register your interest here: 🔗 survivorsofabuse.org.uk/walk-or-run-fo… Together, we can turn challenge into change. #DoIt4Survivors #Fundraising #CharityChallenge #TraumaRecovery #YoureWorthFightingFor @SOB_Org