Services For Abused Children In Yorkshire 'Inadequate'
That's according to the NSPCC today.
Abused children in Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire are struggling to get access to local NHS mental health services.
That's according to new research by the NSPCC.
Nine in ten professionals who work with abused children in our region said that such services are inadequate and that victims are struggling to access help because of tight criteria.
The charity has now launched a major campaign to improve support for survivors.
Children who have been abused often develop chronic mental health problems, be suicidal or self-harm before therapeutic services become available to them, according to the survey.
With sexual offences against children at record levels and more than ever known about how widespread abuse is, the charity is calling for those affected to be prioritised.
The NSPCC's new IT’s Time campaign aims to raise awareness of the barriers abused children face getting help to rebuild their lives – and call for improved access to therapeutic services that meet their specific needs.
In many cases children have to wait months to get specialist support. Some of those surveyed said waiting times were too long, meaning some children and young people can wait up to 18 months just for an assessment.
One Yorkshire and Humberside based therapist said:
“The waiting list for CAMHS in my area is purely for an assessment and there is limited capacity to offer therapeutic work with the child. Families can end up with a diagnosis if they are 'lucky' but that may be all they are offered.”
A social worker based in Yorkshire and Humberside said:
“I think that services need to be offered to children to prevent them reaching crisis point and help them make sense of their experiences rather than wait for behaviour to be displayed. Zoe was sexually and physically abused as a child. Despite self-harming and suicide attempts as a result, she had to wait over two years to see a specialist. *
She said: “My carers took me to the doctors two months after I went into care and I told them that I was self-harming and that I felt like killing myself but I didn’t get a mental health assessment. They didn’t prescribe me anything or offer me counselling, they just told me that I would get through it. I felt like she didn’t care or understand.”
Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, said:
“It shames our nation that children who have suffered abuse languish for months and even years without support. It’s Time to ensure that they automatically get the help they need to recover. We know that children are often left alone to deal with the corrosive emotional and psychological consequences of appalling abuse and that all too often they face long waits for help with their trauma, or the services offered aren’t appropriate for children whose lives have been turn upside down by their experiences: this must change.
“The views of professionals in this survey speak loud and clear. The Government and those that commission services urgently need to increase what is currently available to support this most vulnerable group of children. Getting help to these children earlier is vital and can prevent longer term damage to the lives of those who have survived the horror of abuse.”