Intensive Abuse Unit

What the unit actually does, session by session

Capabilities here are not a menu of promises. They are the working parts of a case: how a first conversation is structured, what gets written down, who is contacted, and what happens when a court date moves or a shelter place falls through. Most of our work runs across the Western Cape and Gauteng, with referrals into legal aid clinics and public health services where the survivor already has a file open.

Intensive Abuse Unit capabilities

Structured intake conversations

The first session follows a fixed sequence so nothing important is missed: current safety, children in the house, income, and whether police or a clinic has already been involved. It usually takes ninety minutes.

Safety planning that gets revised

We map safe contacts, transport, and childcare, then revisit the plan after a protection order is granted or bail conditions change. A plan written once and filed away is not much use.

Court preparation support

This covers what the courtroom layout looks like, who will ask what, and how to request an intermediary. We prepare for the statement, the postponement, and the waiting room in between.

Ongoing one-on-one counselling

Weekly or fortnightly sessions with the same counsellor, in English, isiXhosa, or Afrikaans. Interpreters are briefed beforehand, and written summaries stay inside the file.

Referrals into shelters and clinics

We hold current contact routes for shelters, legal aid clinics, and public health facilities, and we follow up when a placement is delayed rather than handing over a number and closing the case.

Referral pack for practitioners

Social workers, clinic staff, and attorneys can request the pack, which sets out what to send, what to leave out, and how the intake call is scheduled. No graphic detail or identifying case notes are needed.

Practitioners who want the referral pack can reach the unit through contact.html, and background on how the practice is set up sits on the company page.

Clarifications and Terms of Practice

A few points come up often enough in intake calls and referral emails that they are worth stating plainly. These notes set out what our services are, what they are not, and how we handle the limits of what we can do.

Counselling is not legal representation

We prepare survivors for court appearances, explain what a protection order process usually involves, and help organise documents. We do not appear in court, draft affidavits, or give legal advice. Where a matter needs an attorney, we refer to legal aid clinics in the Western Cape and Gauteng and stay in contact with the client while that referral is active.

We are not an emergency response service

Intake calls are booked in advance and sessions run by appointment. If someone is in immediate danger, the right step is the police or a local shelter, not our contact form. We say this at the start of every intake conversation so that no one waits on a reply that was never going to arrive in time.

Confidentiality has a defined edge

Case files carry no names in shared systems, no identifying details in correspondence, and no graphic descriptions of incidents. What is discussed in a session stays with the counsellor, with two exceptions we explain before the first session: an immediate risk to a child, and a court order requiring disclosure. Referrers are told the same thing in writing.

Language support depends on booking

Written materials appear in English with isiXhosa and Afrikaans summaries where we have them. Spoken sessions in isiXhosa or Afrikaans need an interpreter booked ahead, and that affects scheduling. We would rather move a session by a few days than run it in a language the client has to fight through.

Referrals are not open-ended

A referral from a social worker, clinic, or attorney starts with an intake call. If the client does not answer or does not respond to a follow-up, we close the referral and tell the referrer, rather than holding a place open indefinitely. Clients can also approach us directly through the contact form without a referral.

What the unit actually does, session by session

Capabilities here are not a menu of promises. They are the working parts of a case: the first structured conversation, the safety plan written in plain language, the preparation before a protection order hearing, and the long stretch of counselling that follows once the immediate danger has been addressed.

Structured intake conversations

The first session runs to a set of questions rather than an open hour. We map who is in the household, which services are already involved, what has been reported to SAPS, and what the survivor wants to happen next. Nothing is written down that could identify a person if the file were seen by someone else.

Safety planning

A plan is built around real logistics: where to sleep on a given night, who can be called at 2am, how children get to school without a route that passes the other party, and what goes into a bag kept somewhere else. It is reviewed after the first court appearance, because bail conditions change the picture.

Court preparation support

We walk through what a protection order hearing involves, who will be in the room, and how a statement is taken. Survivors who know the sequence tend to hold their account together better under questioning. We do not draft statements or stand in for an attorney.

Ongoing one-on-one counselling

Sessions continue weekly or fortnightly for as long as they are useful, with the same counsellor where possible. Interpreters are booked in advance for isiXhosa and Afrikaans, and briefed before the session so the hour is not spent on logistics.

Referrals into shelters, legal aid, and clinics

We hold current contact routes for shelters, legal aid clinics, and public health services across the Western Cape and Gauteng. Referrals are made with the survivor's consent and followed up, because a phone number on a page is not the same as a bed or an appointment.

Support for family and referrers

Parents, siblings, and the social workers who refer clients often need their own briefing on what to expect and what not to ask. The referral pack sets out what to send, what to leave out, and how the intake call is scheduled.

Book a confidential intake call How the practice is run

How a case moves through the unit

Most people reach us in the middle of something, not at the start. The sequence below is what actually happens between the first message and a settled arrangement, whether the request comes from a survivor, a family member, or a social worker filing a referral.

  1. Step 1

    First contact and screening

    A call, an email, or a referral note from a clinic or legal aid attorney. We ask only what is needed to understand the situation and to check whether someone is in immediate danger. No names are written down at this stage if the person prefers not to give them.

  2. Step 2

    Structured intake conversation

    A longer session, usually 60 to 90 minutes, held in English with an isiXhosa or Afrikaans interpreter if that is easier. We map housing, income, children's schooling, and health needs, because a plan that ignores transport or childcare tends to fall apart within a week.

  3. Step 3

    Safety planning

    We work through safe places to stay, who to call at which hour, and what to keep ready if someone has to leave quickly. The plan is written in plain language, reviewed after any court appearance, and adjusted when bail conditions or a protection order change the situation.

  4. Step 4

    Referrals into the wider network

    Depending on what the intake turns up, we connect people to shelters, legal aid clinics, and public health services across the Western Cape and Gauteng. Referrals are made with consent and kept to the minimum detail the receiving service needs.

  5. Step 5

    Court preparation support

    For those who choose to lay a charge, we walk through what the day will look like, who will be in the room, and how to ask for a break. This is preparation, not legal representation, and it runs alongside the attorney handling the case.

  6. Step 6

    Ongoing one-on-one counselling

    Sessions continue for as long as they are useful, at a pace set by the person attending. Some stop after a few weeks once housing is stable; others stay for a year. Either is fine, and stepping away does not close the door.

Practitioners can request the referral pack and a summary of what to include in a note through the contact page. Background on the unit's remit and how it works with referring services sits on the company page.

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