Someone Cares. We care. Telephone: 0191 258 4825

A History of Someone Cares - Someone Cares

Someone Cares was started in 1989, by two women who were looking to set up an organisation to help those affected by sexual abuse.  Initially they had some support from Social Services, especially from the then head of Social Services in Newcastle, Brian Roycroft, who helped us personally.   

In 1991 the organisation was given a base, by Lionel Joyce, in St. Nicholas Hospital and has remained there since, working quite closely at times with the statutory services and the voluntary sector, but independent as well. 

Someone Cares was given it’s name by the clients who contacted us, as they would often say “ It is good to know Someone Cares”.   

Over the years we have listened to the clients and they have told us that the one thing that has made a difference to them was having someone to talk to about their issues.  

We now provide one to one counselling to those affected by abuse as we have learned from our work and clients that abuse is one of the most difficult issues to deal with, as each person is affected by abuse in their own individual way, this makes individual counselling one of the most effective ways of helping people come to terms with their issues. 

We provide training for student counsellors, carers, other professionals, etc. 

We also provide placements for students counsellors as well as qualified counsellors, who donate their skills free of charge. 

We also provide information and answer phone calls about issues arising from abuse issues. 

Someone Cares remains unique in many ways, but chiefly in the way we respond to the issues involving abuse, for example we work with males and females, we will work with family members of the victims of abuse and the innocent family members of the abusers family.  We do not however work with known abusers. 

We work across the North East and have access to venues in Newcastle, Gateshead, Washington, North Tyneside, Gosforth, West End Newcastle, East End Newcastle, Northumberland, Stanley, etc. 

We have helped hundreds of clients to lead a more effective life, and over 40 former volunteers have gone on to take up paid work in the caring professions the past 5 years.  

Throughout the years we have tried to provide a service that recognises that abuse is a difficult area of care, one which cannot be hurried as the issues involved are so complex and usually very difficult for the client to work with.  Often we are working with clients who have fell right through the care system or with people who have little faith in the statutory services.   

We are now providing another form of support for the clients as we have now opened a second base within the community in the Meadows in North Shields and we are also providing a community service in Benwell Newcastle. 

The service has managed to survive on very little funds throughout the years, members keeping it going by donating their time, skills and money to keep the service active.  Lately however, we have benefited from significant support from the following funders: