Your story, Your words – Natasha Cobb Operational Manger for Iris Suffolk

1. Who are you and what do you do? 

My name is Natasha Cobb, I am the Operations Manager for Iris. I started working for Iris in August 2024 after the collapse of Suffolk Rape Crisis. I have supported with the development and progression of this new Suffolk GP Federation Service and I Love it!

2. How did you get into this field of work?

I originally completed a degree in Early Childhood Studies, with the hope of being a teacher, however as I progressed in my studies I was hearing more and more that it was becoming more paperwork and less freedom to teach in a way I wanted so I started to explore Social Work. It transpired that I would have to complete a separate Social Worker qualification so I applied to be a family support practitioner. I applied 11 times as each time I was told I didn’t have enough experience of working with families, even though I had plenty of experience of working with children. Eventually I was given the opportunity and worked as a Family Support Practitioner for 11 years. Although I loved the job, there were many restructures throughout the years and more and more restrictions on the role. I loved running the Freedom programme and supporting survivors of Domestic Abuse, but had to choose either a health-based role or more child in need/protection role, which meant I would lose the variety of the role that I loved. I saw a post come up- for Suffolk Rape Crisis and applied for it. I began working there in 2020 just as covid hit! I had found my true calling and loved every part of my job. I eventually worked my way up to Outreach service manager until unfortunately the charity closed in 2024. I was approached for a new pilot service that was starting and asked if I would be interested. I was so happy as I could not see myself doing any other line of work so of course I said yes!

3. What is Iris Suffolk and why is this service much needed?

Iris is a community Sexual Assault Service for anyone who has experienced any form of sexual violence at any point in their lives. Statistically 1 in 4 women, 1 in 8 men and 1 in 16 children will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime and we know that this is actually much higher.

4. What does Iris Suffolk offer and who is it for?

Iris offers practical and emotional support anyone who has experienced any form of sexual violence at any point in their lives. We support all ages/all genders. We don’t offer counselling or therapy, what we offer is holistic support, and therapeutic interventions that address how trauma affects all areas of a person’s life. This can be anything from physical and mental health, to confidence and self-esteem, how it affects relationships, work, education, even managing finances and housing issues! We believe that everyone is an individual and that no two people will experience things the same. This is why our support is individualised and needs led. We don’t expect our clients to fit in boxes and jump through hoops to access support. We are community based so we come to see people at home or somewhere in the community where they feel comfortable. We will work with you to develop a support plan that meets your needs and review this every three months. We will work with someone for as long as they need support and have goals to work towards. We also deliver courses for victims and survivors and training for professionals.

5. What are your biggest challenges working in this field?

The biggest challenge is the stigma around sexual violence. Its an uncomfortable topic for many people and something that people will often avoid talking about. In order for there to be more awareness and understanding, we have to have these difficult conversations. As Gisele Pelicot said ‘shame needs to switch sides’. It is NEVER the victim/survivor’s fault. No matter what happened they are not to blame and the blame always lies 100% with the perpetrator. We stand in solidarity with all victims/survivors

6. What are the common misconceptions when it comes to abuse?

There are so any myths around sexual violence. Some of the most common misconceptions are that sexual violence is perpetrated by strangers. While this does happen, it is much more likely to be someone known to the victim/survivor. The other myth we hear a lot is that if someone doesn’t say no its not Rape. There is no such thing as no consensual sex, something we raise awareness of a lot is what consent actually means!

7. What wins have you had as an organisation? 

We have been nominated for two awards since we launched in October and have secured funding until September 2026. We have reached and exceeded our initial target of supporting 200 people in the first year and we have received wonderful feedback from both clients and professionals about the service which is all that we could ask for

8. How can people get involved or support Iris Suffolk? 

People can support Iris by promoting the service and becoming an ally. Educating themselves and supporting and advocating for victims and survivors. If you see something, call it out. As we develop and progress we want to want to expand our holistic offer so are always looking for opportunities to engage with people who want to support our cause.

9. How can people get in touch with you?

For general enquiries people can email sgpfed.suffolkiris@nhs.net

For referrals we accept self referrals and professional referrals. This can be done either via our 24/7 referral line 01473928121 or via an online referral form at www.irisrefer.co.uk

Once a referral is received it is triaged and the client is contacted within 3 working days. Once a telephone assessment is completed a client will be allocated an Sexual Assault Advocate (SAA) who will make contact within 5 working days.

10. Is there anything you would like to add?

Our service is confidential and no information is shared with anyone outside of Iris without the client’s consent. We will never force someone to report to the police, however if you decide to do this, we will make sure you get the support you need. We never ask anyone to talk about the details of what they have been through, the only information we require is an assault date (year) if they know it. This is just to make sure that if the incident is within a forensic window, we recommend they speak to the Sexual Assault Referral Centre for any forensic capture should they wish to report to the police at the time or at a later date. More information can be found here: The Ferns – Sexual Assault Referral Centre