Three quarters of local authorities offer no support for children experiencing abuse
Published by PSW magazine, 9 June 2023
The NSPCC has uncovered a lack of specialist support across the UK for children who have experienced sexual and domestic abuse.
The children's charity sent freedom of information (FOI) requests to 174 local authorities across England and Wales and received 119 responses.
- Only 23 per cent said they provided dedicated support, in the form of trained advisors, for children who have experienced abuse.
- 77 per cent offered no specialist supprt
- And 50 per cent didn't have any records on how many children in their area had experienced sexual or domestic abuse, despite the information being readily available.
Erin (not her real name) whose daughter was sexually abused by a family member when she was seven, said: “There has been no support volunteered or signposted to for us by police or other services. Our situation could have been less fraught if there had been a liaison-type person that could keep us updated and informed.
"There needs to be built-in and comprehensive victim support offered to children and their families at every level in the long term to help children rebuild their lives.”
The lack of support uncovered by the NSPCC goes against the Domestic Abuse Act (2021) which creates an obligation for local authorities to provide support for children who have experienced abuse.
The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA Centre), estimates that 500,000 children experience sexual abuse in a single year and considers it crucial children get theraputic support by trained experts.
The NSPCC is calling on the government to prioritise funding for services for children as the Victims and Prisoners Bill goes through Parliament.
Clare Kelly, associate head of policy at the NSPCC said: “Children who suffer sexual or domestic abuse desperately need to have easy access to specialist support services that will give them the best chance of recovery. However, as our research reveals, that level of care is simply not available for many children across England and Wales.
“Local authorities should have a duty to deliver specialist community-based support for young victims of abuse. However, only half of local authorities are across the numbers of children living in their area who need help.
“The government needs to urgently address these major shortfalls in care for vulnerable young people. They can do this through the Victims and Prisoners Bill but, in its current state, the legislation still has a long way to go if it is to deliver a much-needed transformation of support for child victims.”
Ian Dean, director of the CSA Centre, added: “Conservative estimates indicate that one in ten children will experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of 16, and those children and their families must be able to access the support they need, when they need it.
"Child sexual abuse takes place across all parts of society, so it is vital that all areas of the country ensure that both children and adult survivors have access to a good range of high-quality services that give them the support they need to live a full and happy life in the future.
“Sadly, however, we know that the vast majority of child sexual abuse still goes unidentified and unreported, leaving far too many children to suffer alone... We urgently need a commitment from all agencies to widespread, dedicated training on child sexual abuse, to support all professionals to feel confident in response and able to provide the best possible outcomes for children.”