One call, roughly forty minutes, no names required until you decide otherwise. A practitioner listens, works through what is urgent right now, and explains what the unit can take on directly and what gets referred onward to a shelter, a legal aid clinic, or a public health service. If the timing is wrong, you can stop the call and come back later.
Social workers and clinic staff can request the referral pack through the same form. A short note on the client's situation is enough; leave out identifying details and graphic description. More on how referrals work sits in the referral guide, and the general route back to the start is on the home page.
Confidentiality is not a policy line at the end of a page. It shapes how files are stored, who can open them, and what we are willing to write down at all. Below is how that works in daily practice.
Intake notes are kept on a restricted drive, not in shared folders or email threads. Case references replace names on working documents, and identifying detail stays in the locked file. Only the assigned counsellor and the supervising practitioner can open a case, and access is logged.
Referrers receive confirmation that a client was seen, nothing more. Court preparation notes are shared with an attorney only with written consent, and a survivor can withdraw that consent at any point. Family members are never given session content, even when they arranged the referral.
Work phones are separate from personal numbers, and callbacks are scheduled at times a survivor names as safe. We do not leave voicemail unless asked, and SMS reminders carry no case detail. Staff devices use screen locks and encrypted storage, and are wiped when a practitioner leaves the unit.
Where a service carries a fee, payment runs through the practice account and never through a counsellor's personal details. Receipts are issued under a case reference rather than a name, and no payment record is attached to a session note.
A lost device, a misdirected email, or a file opened by the wrong person is treated as an incident, not an accident to be smoothed over. The practitioner reports it the same day, the supervising lead restricts access, and the affected person is told directly and in plain language. Where a breach touches a court matter, the referring attorney is informed so they can act. We review what failed and change the procedure rather than the wording of the procedure.
To raise a concern about how your information has been handled, write to info@theintensiveabuseunit.com or call 016 246 3007.
A running record of intake calls, safety planning sessions, court preparation meetings, and referral handovers handled by the unit. Dates and labels only, no names and no case detail.
Six confidential intake calls completed across the Western Cape. Two were first-time contacts from a clinic in Mitchells Plain, the rest arrived through social workers already familiar with the referral pack.
Three safety plans revised after the first court appearance. Transport, school pickups, and after-hours contacts were the main items that needed reworking once bail conditions were set.
Two preparation sessions held ahead of protection order hearings. Both survivors asked for an isiXhosa interpreter, booked and briefed before the session so the hour was spent on the case rather than on logistics.
Four referrals placed: two into shelters in Gauteng, one to a legal aid clinic, and one to a public health service for follow-up care. Referral pack requests from practitioners doubled compared with January.
Ongoing one-on-one sessions continued for eleven clients. Two requested Afrikaans summaries of their session notes, which are now written alongside the English version and kept in the same confidential file.
A family session arranged for a parent and two adult siblings, focused on what to say to younger children at home. No identifying detail recorded, in line with the unit's confidentiality policy.
This page holds the details attached to your file at the unit. Only the practitioner assigned to your intake can open it, and nothing here is shared with a referrer, a court, or a family member without your written consent.
Account status
Active, intake completed
Counselling sessions are scheduled. Court preparation support is on hold until you confirm the next date.
No case numbers, addresses, or names of other people appear here. If you are viewing this on a shared device, close the browser when you are done. To speak to someone directly, call 016 246 3007 or email info@theintensiveabuseunit.com.