SASS provides a 24 hour crisis response and information/support service which can be accessed by telephoning 1800 MYSUPPORT (1800 697 877).
This is a state-wide number for the whole of Tasmania and your call will automatically be directed to a trained professional in the region closest to you. In Southern Tasmania this is our SASS staff, while calls from the North and North West regions are received by the relevant local organisation.
Our fully qualified staff can help with the following during business hours and after hours.
As an adult calling our crisis response line, you will be given choices as to what support you need. SASS aims to empower people who have been sexually harmed and will always respect your decisions.
We can assist you in understanding your options and offer supports along the way. It all starts with that phone call, seeking help or advice.
Business hours - 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
- crisis face to face appointments or phone appointments for services and family members, friends, support people who are seeking support for recent or historical sexual violence;
- coordinating a forensic medical examination and/or seeking support for medical checkup;
- phone consultation and debriefing to professionals assisting survivors of sexual violence;
- supporting clients to report recent or historical sexual violence; and
- assist with referrals to other services.
After hours - 5pm to 9am, plus weekends and public holidays
- crisis counselling response for survivors, friends, family and support people seeking crisis response due to recent sexual violence or re-triggering events from past historical sexual violence;
- coordinating and attending forensic medical examination and supporting clients with police statements;
- referral pathways through to daytime SASS counselling staff.
After hours calls will be answered by our after hours paging service, who will connect you through to our on call counsellor to respond.
Other services available are:
The 24 hour contact number for SASS’s crisis response service is 1800 MYSUPPORT (1800 697 877). This number is state-wide and will be answered by our after hours paging service, who connect you to our on call counsellor to respond.
- crisis counselling by phone for survivors (and family members, friends, other support people) who are distressed, anxious, or experiencing trauma symptoms as a result of recent or historical sexual violence; and
- phone consultation and debriefing to professionals assisting survivors of sexual violence.
In Tasmania, you can choose to make a statement to police at any stage whether the abuse was recent or a long time ago. If you would like SASS to support you in contacting police, or discussing your options further, please contact us.
What is a Forensic Medical Examination (FME)?
The SAMS Unit is located within the Royal Hobart Hospital in southern Tasmania. It is a hospital suite that is kept locked and is only used for examinations conducted as a result of sexual assault. It is private and confidential. The doctors and nursing staff are on call 24 hours a day.
To access this service you can ring SASS on 1800 697 877 (24 hours a day) or go directly to the hospital and they will contact SASS for you.
An FME is the process of identifying and collecting possible evidence from a body post sexual assault. Evidence can be photos of injuries, samples of hair, saliva, sperm or saliva. This is conducted by specially trained medical staff at the Sexual Assault Medical Service at the Royal Hobart Hospital in southern Tasmania.
As an adult, you can decide to have an FME with or without contacting police.
Ideally forensic examinations are performed within 72 hours of the sexual assault, but may, under some circumstances, be performed up to a week later.
A SASS worker can attend/provide support people in southern Tasmania during an FME 24 hours a day. Contact us for more information. Alternatively you can download the "What are my options?" booklet below for a more detailed explanation of these services.