Sexually abused children suffering mental health problems through lack of therapy

A huge shortfall in therapy is leaving thousands of sexually abused children struggling to recover from their ordeal, a new NSPCC report reveals.

Each year at least 55,000 sex abuse victims face behavioural and mental health problems because of a post-code lottery in therapeutic services.

There is only one support programme for every 25,000 children living in the UK and many areas provide no therapeutic provision for sexually abused children at all.

The 508 services identified in the report are so over-stretched that many are being forced to close their books. And those children and teenagers who get treatment often have to wait between three months and a year for this to begin.

The report* reveals that teenagers are especially likely to miss out on therapy because they are less able to access services for adults and may be considered too old to get support on a child protection plan. 

Eleven percent of young adults report experiences of physical sexual abuse during their childhoods (1). The report's authors say the number of treatment spaces would have to grow fourfold to cope with the estimated numbers of sexually abused children and young people seeking support at any one time (2). 

Debbie Allnock, who led the research and is based at the NSPCC's Fresh Start in London, 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.

"Long waiting lists mean that if a young person is sexually abused they often don't get the therapeutic help they need unless they also have a child protection plan.  It takes bravery for a young person to tell someone about their sexual abuse and ask for help. But their suffering may only get noticed when they show significant signs of distress, anguish or damaging behaviours. They may then have a long wait for the support they desperately need."

Sexually abused children often need many months of therapy to help them overcome the impact of their abuse - 'quick fix' solutions are rarely enough. Yet the report, funded by the Private Equity Foundation, found that therapeutic programmes often risk being cut short due to lack of resources.

Debbie Allnock continued: "It is vital that effective specialist support is readily available when children want it, for as long as they want it. This helps reduce their psychological injury and enables them to lead more fulfilled lives. The severe lack of services across the UK is a serious problem that needs huge investment."

This pioneering research has identified for the first time the scale of the problem across the UK. But to ensure there is an accurate local picture the NSPCC is urging all Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to track the number of sexually abused children who receive therapy.

This will help the government identify gaps in services and provide help for sexually abused children who might otherwise slip through the net.

Ends

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Notes to Editor

- Regional statistics available on request.

- Maps available on request indicating the gaps in sexual abuse services for children.

* The report is entitled: Sexual abuse and therapeutic services for children and young people - the gap between provision and need. The report is authored by Debra Allnock, Lisa bunting, Avril Price, Natalie Morgan-Kelin, Jane Ellis, Lorraine Radford and Anne Stafford.

(1) Cawson et al 2000.

(2) 11% of young adults report experiencing physical sexual abuse in childhood. There are 13.1 million children in the UK. Assuming 11% will experience physical sexual abuse then there will be 1,441,000 sexually abused young people living in the UK. Not all will want or need a therapeutic service or will want a service at the same time. If we conservatively estimate that 5% of these children will want a service each year then the need for services will be for 72,050 spaces each year. The mapping research found 508 services offering 16,256 therapeutic places (average of 32 spaces each per year).  The annual shortfall between need and demand is therefore need for 72,050 spaces minus provision of 16,256, which is 55,794. We have 'rounded down' the figure to provide an estimated shortfall of 55,000 therapeutic spaces in the UK each year.

The NSPCC is the UK's leading children charity specialising in child protection and the prevention of cruelty to children. The NSPCC's purpose is to end cruelty to children FULL STOP. The NSPCC runs  projects and services across the United Kingdom and Channel Islands, including ChildLine, the UK's free, confidential 24-hour helpline for children and young people. The NSPCC helps over 10,000 children and their families every year.

Fresh Start is a project delivered by the NSPCC and the initiative of Richard Caring driven through his charitable trust, The Children's Charity for the Good of all Children. Fresh Start is the country's flagship project tackling sexual abuse and is the first and only of its kind to bring together a range of disciplines and resources to deal with child sex abuse and abusers.

The Private Equity Foundation (PEF) funded the survey and is a leading venture philanthropy fund which works with carefully selected charities to empower young people to reach their full potential. Its investments address the NEET (young people not in education, employment or training) issue and include not just donations but also pro bono expertise from the private equity community.
 
By sharing its members' business skills, PEF can maximise the social return on its donors' investments and help charities achieve a step change in their impact to ensure even more young people benefit. Since its creation in 2006, PEF has created a portfolio of 14 charities and secured the backing of over 70 private equity firms and their advisers, including banks, law firms, accountancy firms, consultants and search firms.  Further information is available at www.privateequityfoundation.org