CIS'TERS - SURVIVING RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE IN CHILDHOOD

Registered charity 1184857 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as CISTERS

CISters is a survivor led specialist service for females aged 18 or over who, as female children, were sexually abused/exploited by a member of their immediate and/or extended family. We offer female survivors the opportunity to meet other women in a group context and within an empowerment model. Meetings vary in type/focus and include an Annual Residential Weekend Workshop. We meet in Hampshire.

Objects

1) TO PROMOTE AND PROTECT THE HEALTH OF FEMALE SURVIVORS AGED OVER 18 WHO, BORN AS FEMALE, DURING CHILDHOOD WERE RAPED, SEXUALLY ABUSED OR SEXUALLY EXPLOITED IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT LIMITED TO THOSE WHO WERE RAPED, SEXUALLY ABUSED OR SEXUALLY EXPLOITED BY A MEMBER OF THEIR IMMEDIATE OR EXTENDED FAMILY; EMPOWERING SUCH SURVIVORS IN THEIR OWN PERSONAL HEALING THROUGH THE MUTUAL AFFIRMATION, ACCEPTANCE, RESPECT AND SUPPORT OF OTHER SURVIVORS AND, SUBJECT TO FUNDING, TO ASSIST IN THE PROVISION OR DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICES FOR OTHER PERSONS AFFECTED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY RAPE, SEXUAL ABUSE OR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AS THE TRUSTEES SHALL THINK FIT.2) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC, IN PARTICULAR THOSE PROVIDING SERVICES, OF THE IMPACT ON CHILD VICTIMS/ADULT SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD RAPE/SEXUAL ABUSE/EXPLOITATION AND THE ASSOCIATED COPING STRATEGIES USED BY SOME VICTIMS; AND TO PROMOTE AN IMPROVED SERVICE RESPONSE TO THE UNMET NEEDS OF SUCH CHILD VICTIMS/ADULT SURVIVORS, AND OTHERS AFFECTED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY EXPERIENCES OF SEXUAL CRIMES.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · Disability · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Eastleigh, South East, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that income was £31,108 against expenditure of £56,283, resulting in a decrease in reserves from £66,587 to £41,413. The trustees acknowledge that income remains financially unstable and that future sustainable funding is an issue demanding constant attention. Despite these challenges, the trustees report that the charity had sufficient financial resources for the year and is continuing its operations.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (03/02/2021) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• Louise Charlotte Birdchair
• Catherine Handley
• Gillian Lynn Finch
• Jude McBride
• Theresa Stephens

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS.

• SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS income £39k
• LEICESTER RAPE CRISIS LIMITED income £295k
• GLOUCESTERSHIRE RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE CENTRE income £836k
• WE ARE SURVIVORS income £2.4m
• AXIS COUNSELLING income £1.7m
• RASAC - RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE CENTRE income £982k

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.