What is the Truth Project about?
The Truth Project was created for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse to share their experiences. It’s part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), which was set up because of serious concerns that some organisations had failed and were continuing to fail to protect children from sexual abuse.
It was designed with the support of the Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel (VSCP), which works to ensure that the perspectives of victims and survivors are reflected in the Inquiry’s work.
We want to hear from you
The Truth Project wants to understand how organisations have failed children. For example, someone in authority may have known what was happening to you and did nothing or did the wrong thing.
Examples of organisations might be:
children's homes or schools
children's sports or activity clubs
youth detention centres
churches, religious organisations or charities
media organisations
the armed forces
social services, the police, hospitals
government run services
any similar organisations
Your wellbeing
Previous participants have told us that sharing their experience with the Truth Project can be rewarding, but may also be emotionally demanding.
We offer emotional support as part of the Truth Project. This is mostly over the phone and ends two weeks after you have shared your experience.
Read about our support service in detail.
Is it the right time for you?
You might want to think about whether now is the best time for you to take part in the Truth Project.
Previous participants have said that preparing well and feeling that the timing is right has helped them get the most from the Truth Project. It’s also helped them address any distressing feelings that might arise from talking about their experience of child sexual abuse.
You may want to think about what you have coming up over the next couple of months before deciding to take part.
We’ll do all we can to support practical arrangements like travel.
How will it impact you?
Taking part in the Truth Project may have an impact on your life, whether or not you’ve told someone about what happened to you before. The impact might not be immediate - it could affect you in weeks or months.
It may be helpful to talk about your decision with someone you trust. If you opt into our support service, your support worker can help you think about the impact that attending a Truth Project session may have. They can also support your wellbeing when you take part and in the days and months afterwards.
You can change your mind
You can change your mind about participating in the Truth Project and you can leave the process at any time.
You tell them who what where so they can build a bigger picture www.truthproject.org.uk/whats-involved