Vision, mission and values

Our Vision

A society where everybody is free to live without the threat of sexual violence

Our Mission and Values

Our mission is to be the centre of excellence in Ayrshire providing first class sexual violence and prevention education whilst supporting anybody who has experienced any type of sexual violence at any time.

We will do this in a way that is consistent with our core values:

Compassionate

• Empathetic and understanding: We recognise the trauma survivors have experienced and providing support without judgment.
• Patient and supportive: we provide survivors with the time and space they need to heal, and offer a safe and confidential space to share their experiences.

Inclusive

• Welcoming and supportive. We want The STAR Centre to reflect the population of Ayrshire and seek to support black and minoritised communities, people with disabilities, people of all ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, women involved with selling/exchanging sex and rural and remote communities including our island communities on Arran and Cumbrea.
• Cultural sensitivity: we recognise and respect the diverse backgrounds and experiences of survivors.
• As an organisation we are trans-inclusive, and pro-choice

Ethical

• Trauma-informed approach: All staff are trained in understanding the impact of trauma and how it can affect survivors, so they can provide appropriate support.
• Maintaining confidentiality: we maintain the highest standards of confidentiality to protect survivors’ privacy and safety.
• Avoiding harmful practices: we will never engage in practices that could re-traumatise survivors
• Reflective: we recognise that learning as an organisation is an on-going process and welcome challenge and feedback from all staff and stakeholders.

Survivor-focused

• Empowering survivors: We recognise that survivors are the experts in their own lives and provide them with resources and support they need to make their own choices about their healing and recovery.
• Listening to survivors’ voices: we listen to survivors’ experiences and perspectives, and ensure they are involved in the development of services.
• Awareness: we are working to embed an intersectional approach, recognising the compounding inequalities and discrimination that survivors and our staff may experience and seeking to reflect this in our service provision and broader work.

• Please note we are a charity for survivors only. If you have been accused of, or charged with, any crime of gender-based or sexual violence we will not be able to support you. If you disclose, or we become aware through any other means, that you have been accused of, or charged with, a crime of gender-based or sexual violence your support with the STAR Centre will be stopped

Feminist

• Challenging patriarchy: We believe that sexual violence is a cause and consequence of women’s unequal status in a patriarchal society.
• Women-only spaces: We provide women-only services and space for women’s voices to be heard (whilst being proud to support other gender identities).
• Challenging systems: We work to challenge attitudes, beliefs and systems that normalise and perpetuate rape culture and sexual violence