The Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) is located in the Rainbow Centre in the main Alder Hey Hospital building.
Find out what happens at the SARC
Take a tour of the Rainbow Centre
You can familiarise yourself with the Rainbow Centre with our interactive 3D virtual tour below:
More information about SARC will be added to this page soon.
Information for professionals
The Merseyside Children & Young People’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) is based within the Rainbow Centre at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
The service sits within Safeguarding and Statutory Services and is delivered jointly by the Alder Hey Safeguarding Doctors and Forensic Medical Examiners (Doctors), supported by Specialist Nurses, Health Care Assistants and Clinical Psychologists.
The service provides a holistic assessment for children and young people up to the age of 16 years and 16 – 18 years where there are additional vulnerabilities, who are suspected or known to have been sexually abused.
The holistic child focused assessment may include:
• Documentation of injuries
• Collection of forensic samples
• Screening and management of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections
• Well-being and mental health screening
• Safeguarding risk assessment including liaison with children’s social care and police
• Formal opinions and reports for court processes
• A timely bespoke psychological therapeutic assessment and management plan for every child
• Professional and expert evidence in court proceedings
Referrals into the SARC come from either Police or Children’s Social Care via the Merseyside Multi-Agency care pathway, however Children and Young People or their families / carers can contact the service for advice or support.
Information for Children and Young People
We want to tell you a little bit about our service and what we can do to support you. The Rainbow Centre is a specialist unit in Alder Hey for when children and young people have been harmed. What happened was not your fault, and you have been so brave. It is our job to make sure you get the best support. It’s important that you know that it is your choice what you want and do not want to do when you come to see us. Here are a few things we can offer you:
• To come and see the centre and have a chat with a nurse about how we can help you
• To look at your sexual health – this could be testing for infections, pregnancy testing, or talking about contraception
• To have an appointment with one of our specially trained doctors, who can do a top-to-toe medical checkup
• To have an examination of your private parts to look for any injuries and give you reassurance that all is healthy
• To think about your mental health and how we can support you moving forwards.
And remember, these are only options; you can choose which bits sound ok to you. You will not be in any trouble for saying no to any of the above. You’re the boss!
We also want to let you know that our door is always open. Sometimes it can take time to feel ready to trust people again, after something really horrible has happened. That is totally normal and understandable. If you decide not to come to see us now, you can always change your mind in the future.
How to contact the SARC
If you are a Child or Young Person or a Parent or Carer and would like to chat to a Specialist Nurse between the hours of Monday – Friday 09:00 – 17:00 please call 0151 2525609. Outside of these hours, you can contact a Specialist Crisis Worker at Safe Place by contacting 0151 2953550 who will provide advice and support.
If you are a Professional wanting to make a referral:
Professional Referrals: 0151 2525609 Monday – Friday 09:00 – 17:00
Professional Referrals: 0151 2284811 Monday – Friday 17:00 – 22:00
Professional Referrals: 0151 2284811 Saturday & Sunday 09:00 – 22:00
Email: [email protected]