About Our Services
CARE Advocates are highly trained and certified professionals committed to responding to trauma with the highest quality service. We are a survivor-centered office. Together, you and your advocate will develop an individualized plan for moving forward.
Our services are free!
In your first appointment, you can expect to receive an explanation of confidentiality and your rights, discuss how CARE can best support you, and be given the opportunity to disclose your experience at your own pace. Learn more about advocacy.
We offer advocacy to any current UCSB student, staff, faculty member alumni, and non-enrolled students. If you do not identify as any of those affiliations but could benefit from resources and referrals, please reach out to us at our email (care@sa.ucsb.edu) for non-urgent matters or our 24/7 advocacy line at 805-893-4613 for immediate assistance.
Communication with a CARE Advocate is legally protected and kept private. What you tell your advocate cannot be shared with anyone without your explicit written permission.
Discussions with a CARE advocate are always confidential and are privileged in cases of sexual assault and domestic violence. Under California law, “privileged” means that a relationship exists between the advocate and the client that protects communications from being shared with anyone outside of CARE. This privileged protection includes the ability for CARE to challenge a subpoena to share your information or file. The client is the only person who can waive this “privilege.” Information shared with an advocate may be discussed among the CARE advocacy team and, at times, in consultation with the Interpersonal Violence Specialist at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), to ensure continuity of services and most effective response.
The information you share will not be disclosed to anyone outside of this consultation team without your explicit permission, with these exceptions:
- Per CANRA - (Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act): Child (17 years or younger), elder, or dependent adult abuse is suspected or disclosed
- There is reason to believe there may be an imminent risk of harm to you or others
No. CARE does not have appointment limits and understands that healing is not linear. We will work with a survivor at their own pace on their unique path -- if services are not currently needed, a survivor may choose to come back to CARE at any time if needs arise.
No. CARE's approach to advocacy is centered on the unique needs of each survivor. You can choose to make an appointment with a confidential advocate and they can give you space to explore options. Together, you and your advocate would develop an individualized plan for moving forward.
Yes! Confidential support is available to any student, staff, or faculty member at UCSB regardless of when or where they experienced interpersonal violence. We can talk with you about resources that will support you during your time here at UCSB.
We understand that you may have specific needs regarding appointment location, and we're happy to work with you to arrange an appointment in a confidential, safe location. If you prefer to meet elsewhere, please let us know when you make an appointment.
Yes! We strive to accommodate preferences based on your needs. Please be aware that these requests are dependent on an advocate's availability and may result in you working with another advocate.
Yes! Regardless of whether you decide to file a report, CARE has many resources available to you. An appointment with a confidential CARE Advocate can give you space to explore options. Together, you and your advocate will develop an individualized plan for moving forward.
Yes! You may bring a support person with you to your appointment. Your advocate will first want to speak with you privately so that you both can establish a safe and confidential space together for your advocacy needs. Then, your support person can be invited into the appointment if you wish.
Please reach out to us at our advocacy line at 805-893-4613 to consult with a confidential advocate about your needs. We strive to meet everyone's needs, but a group appointment does not provide the ideal space for addressing individual needs.
We welcome staff and faculty, and we are here for you.
We acknowledge that our office may be perceived as for only students, and that staff and faculty may face barriers to accessing services. We want to address your needs so that we may be a resource for you.
For example, you may have concerns regarding appointment location. We will work with you to arrange an appointment in an alternate, confidential location. If you prefer to meet elsewhere, please let us know when you make an appointment.
We recognize that many survivors have experienced a lack of accessibility or trauma in educational settings, governmental systems, law enforcement, and the legal system. These experiences can cause survivors and their loved ones to feel distrustful of the institutions that are supposed to assist survivors in their healing journey. CARE ensures all survivors of our confidentiality and support. We believe you and we are here for you. Learn more about how we help different communities here.
COVID-19
Yes! We are still providing all of our normal services, but all of our staff members are working remotely, so services may look a little different.
We provide advocacy services and consultation for prevention programs over the phone and through Zoom. Please reach out to us at our email (care@sa.ucsb.edu) for non-urgent matters or our 24/7 advocacy line at 805-893-4613 for immediate assistance. To schedule an appointment with a confidential advocate, please visit our "Make an Appointment" page. For prevention and education information, please contact us at our email or visit our "Schedule a Presentation" page.
Our administrative assistant will send you two forms through DocuSign. One is an intake form that lets us know a little more about you and your demographics, and the other is our teleservices consent form that gives us permission to meet with you virtually. In the meeting, the advocate will go over confidentiality and our CARE services, and then learn more about what assistance you might be needing. You and your advocate will develop a plan to move forward. Please understand that with virtual appointments, there may be technical difficulties. If these technical difficulties do come up, we will work to resolve them as soon as possible.
Please call our 24/7 CARE advocacy line at (805) 893-4613 to be connected with one of our confidential advocates. If you have an emergency or feel that you may be in immediate danger, please call 911.
You can contact your advocate directly when you have questions about services provided to you or any accommodation you might need. Your advocate may recommend scheduling an appointment to discuss your needs and questions if you haven’t met in a while. While working remotely, you can email your advocates directly, or you can call them if they have provided you with a direct line.
Our advocates are in quiet, closed spaces when meeting with you to keep the meeting as confidential as possible. If possible, we want to make sure you’re also in a quiet and safe place so you can share information freely. Please see the frequently asked question "What is confidentiality?" for more information regarding CARE's confidentiality.
Yes you can. When you meet with an advocate, they will discuss the reporting process. Your advocate will be able to schedule virtual appointments with the police or with the Title IX office.
Yes! Please visit our "Get Involved" page to learn more.
To schedule a presentation, please visit our "Schedule a Presentation" page. Here you will find the current presentations that we offer as well as the request form. If you have any questions, send us an email at care@ucsb.edu.
If you're concerned about your friend, roommate, or significant other
If they are in immediate danger or need immediate medical attention, call 911.
If there is no immediate danger, let them know about our resources. It's possible that they may decide that now is not the right time to seek services. You can help them access us in the future by affirming the 24/7 availability of our advocacy line, or offering to call together or accompany them to an appointment. Respect their decision whether to seek assistance, even if it is different than what you would choose.
When someone discloses an experience of interpersonal violence to you, they are showing that they trust you. Even if you don't know them that well, they still trust you with very personal and sensitive information about their lives.
Our services are for support people, too. Learn more about how we help people who are supporting a survivor.
University of California faculty and staff have a responsibility to report information they learn about instances of interpersonal violence to the Title IX office
If you're a staff or faculty person, and are concerned about a student
Listen with empathy and believe. Let them know that they are not to blame. You can say something simple and supportive like "Thank you for telling me." Explain that you are not a confidential resource and that your role at UCSB makes you responsible to share information about potential policy violations related to interpersonal violence.
Explain that "Based on what you shared with me, it's our policy that I call a confidential CARE Advocate who can best describe how they can support you and what to expect after I make my report." Call the 24/7 CARE advocacy line at 805-893-4613.
Uphold University reporting obligations.
"Any University employee who is not a Confidential Resource and who receives, in the course of employment, information that a student (undergraduate, graduate, or professional) has suffered sexual violence, sexual harassment, or other prohibited behavior must promptly notify the Title IX Officer or designee."
This reporting obligation includes student employees.
Report at Title IX's website or (805) 893-2701.
Under the Clery Act, anyone who has "significant responsibility for student and campus activities" is a Campus Security Authority and must submit a Crime and Incident Report. Faculty and clerical staff are not considered CSAs.
Indirect disclosures in overheard conversations, group discussions, and public awareness events do not require reporting to TIX or Clery, through the survivor has the right to initiate a report.
Direct disclosures require that you call CARE, connect the student to resources, and uphold your reporting obligations to TIX and Clery. Please view the previous question for guidance.
You can contact UCSB's Title IX office for guidance and advice about how to fulfill your responsible employee obligations.