Month: August 2025

Earlier this summer, LimeCulture published the findings of our comprehensive ISVA Workforce Survey. The results were stark but not surprising to those working in the field – ISVAs across the UK are under immense pressure, with many describing their roles as ‘unsustainable’ without urgent action.

🔗 Read the report here

From emotional exhaustion and vicarious trauma to high caseloads and limited resources, the toll on ISVAs – the frontline professionals supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence – is significant. These are individuals who show up every day for others. But who is showing up for them? That’s where LimeCulture is stepping in.

Why this matters:

• 75% of ISVAs regularly experience work-related stress
• 1 in 3 ISVAs are considering leaving the profession in the next year. 
• 1 in 3 ISVAs do not have access to external clinical supervision.

The message is clear: the ISVA workforce is at breaking point. But more can be done so that it doesn’t have to stay this way

What We’re Doing

At LimeCulture, we’ve always been deeply committed to supporting the ISVA workforce – delivering high-quality training to strengthen professional skills, developing practical tools and resources to make their jobs easier, and setting standards that raise the quality of services across the sector.

But the survey findings have made one thing painfully clear: ISVA wellbeing has to be the priority.

That’s why we’ve acted quickly, putting in place new plans to protect and sustain the ISVA workforce. Our approach has two key parts:

Firstly, we are launching a series of Self Care Workshops for ISVAs and other frontline professionals.

Our 2.5 hour Self Care Workshop has been specifically designed for busy frontline professionals, offering time and space to reflect, recharge, and restore the balance of self-care.

Through a combination of guided exercises, evidence-based strategies, and practical tools, participants will leave better equipped to sustain their own wellbeing so they can continue making a meaningful and healthy contribution to those they support.

If you’re an ISVA or frontline worker, or if you lead services that employ them, keep an eye out for LimeCulture’s new Self Care Workshop series and make sure you are included in this important new initiative. Workshops will be available to book from this week, with more workshops released over the coming months to ensure that we can meet the demand and no ISVA is left out.

Secondly, recognising the critical role that supervision plays in protecting the wellbeing of ISVAs—supporting their mental health, helping them to managing stress and ensuring they are in the best place to appropriately, effectively and safely support their clients – LimeCulture is launching a new project to strengthen ISVA-specific clinical supervision across the UK. Our goal is to co-create clear, practical guidance and training for supervision—developed with and for ISVAs.

Despite the recently published Statutory Guidance for ISVAs stating that ‘it is important that ISVAs also receive regular, separate clinical supervision’, our survey found that 1/3 of ISVAs do not have access to external clinical supervision at all.  Inconsistent quality, limited funding, and a lack of clarity around what good supervision for ISVA’s should look like are all adding additional pressure to those ISVAs who are being left without the necessary support to carry out their demanding roles.

We Want to Hear From You

Over the next few months, we will be hosting a series of focus groups and interviews with ISVAs to explore their views, experiences and suggestions about:

• What does great supervision look like?
• What’s missing from current supervision?
• What do ISVAs need to truly thrive in their roles?

Whether the supervision experience of ISVAs has been positive, patchy, or non-existent, the full range of insight from ISVAs is what truly matters. This project will only succeed if it reflects the real, lived experience of ISVAs across the country.

How you can take part:
If you would be interested in taking part in this project, and are keen to share your experiences, views and/or suggestions, please register your interest here, or email us at research@limeculture.co.uk.

We will get in touch with you to arrange a suitable time for you to contribute.

Coming Next

Alongside supporting the wellbeing of ISVAs, the survey revealed a common challenge amongst ISVAs:  knowing where to draw the line with emotional support—how to support survivors without crossing into trauma therapy.

We’re really proud to be taking these steps for ISVAs. And LimeCulture are calling on commissioners, service leads and sector partners to join us in prioritising frontline wellbeing—not later, but now. We need to take care of those who support others.

 

#ISVAs #FrontlineSupport #TraumaInformedCare #SelfCareMatters #WorkforceWellbeing #LimeCulture #ClinicalSupervision #SexualViolenceServices #VicariousTrauma

The Office for Students Condition E6 comes into force today, 1 August, and marks a landmark moment for higher education in England.

For the first time, expectations around how universities respond to harassment and sexual misconduct are no longer simply guidance or best practice — they are enforceable. This change brings a much-needed shift in how institutions are held accountable for creating safe and respectful environments for students and staff alike.

The continuing, pervasive nature of harassment and sexual violence — both in wider society and on our university campuses — remains a blight we cannot ignore. For too long, responses across the sector have been inconsistent. Condition E6 seeks to change that by ensuring all universities meet clear, enforceable standards.

Yes, for some universities, Condition E6 may feel like yet another regulatory requirement, arriving at a time when many institutions are already managing significant pressures — from resource constraints to the volatile dynamics of the sector. But rather than viewing Condition E6 as a burden, we see it as an opportunity.

Drawing on our extensive experience supporting the higher education sector, here LimeCulture, we believe E6 offers something vital: a renewed, purposeful focus on developing safer cultures that are respectful, accountable and high-achieving. These are not ‘nice-to-haves’; they are the foundation for academic excellence, creativity and innovation.

At LimeCulture, we’ve been hugely proud to support universities in building that foundation. We were the architects of the Sexual Violence Liaison Officer (SVLO) Model, which provides organisations with specialist internal support provision, we’ve also developed a range of tailored training programmes, including our newly launched eLearning packages for staff and students to help institutions embed effective and meaningful responses to sexual violence and harassment. Our work spans strategy, policy, training and support services — all designed to help universities not only comply with E6, but to lead the way in transforming campus cultures.

Today is a significant step forward — not just because of a new condition in the regulatory handbook, but because it signals a sector-wide commitment to safety, respect, and accountability. Let’s not miss this opportunity.
Now is the time for leadership. Now is the time for culture change.