Not enough support for sexually abused children
Children who have suffered from sexual abuse are not getting enough access to therapy services due to a shortage, reports the Times.
For every 25,000 children there is only one support programme available, and many places do not have any kind of support at all, meaning children face a postcode lottery, according to a report by the children’s charity the NSPCC.
Those who did have access to the services often had to wait between three months and a year to start their treatment, and that services should be increased to four times the current number.
Debbie Allnock, who led the research, said: “Sexual abuse can have devastating consequences for a child but it remains a low priority within mainstream mental health services and among local authorities. Yet experiences of sexual abuse are common among people with severe long-term behavioural, criminal and addiction problems.”