Victims of Child Abuse Waiting More Than A Year For Help
The NSPCC is warning that victims of child abuse on Merseyside could be waiting over a year just to get the right help.
More than half of professionals working with abused children say tight criteria to access local NHS mental health services means these children are increasingly struggling to access vital help – a UK-wide survey by the NSPCC has revealed at the start of a major campaign to improve support for survivors. Nine in ten professionals surveyed in the North West feel services to help abused children overcome their trauma are inadequate.
All too often children who have been abused have to develop chronic mental health problems, be suicidal or self-harm before therapeutic services become available to them, according to the survey and other findings. 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 has today launched a long-term campaign, IT’s Time, 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. The campaign wants initially to rally at least 100,000 members of the public to its cause.
Supporters are being asked to exert pressure on MPs and Ministers, in order to get funding prioritised for this vulnerable and forgotten group.
The survey of more than 1,000 professionals (137 of whom are based in the North West) – including psychologists, GPs, teachers and social workers – found longer waiting lists, reductions in spending and higher thresholds for therapy were making it harder for affected children to access vital therapeutic services.
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. Others said the referral thresholds are set too high, meaning children are not considered ‘bad enough’. One North West-based health professional said: “CAMHS offer no support to children under school age. You almost have to wait until the problem gets bad enough.”
These observations are echoed by children themselves. A group of young people, aged 11-20, and with experience of the issues, were key to the development of the new campaign. One said: “We’re more than just a number. After abuse your mind can become like a prison; you always see the same walls and the same things prevent you from moving on. Support is like the key, but it’s on a chain of 1,000 keys. Not all of them work, but when you get the right help it sets you free.
The damning comments come as according to 98% of those surveyed in the North West there are not enough Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for children who have been abused and around the same number (99%) say provision of other therapeutic services is insufficient in the region.
Abused and neglected children are often referred by GPs and local authorities to CAMHS. Not all abused children will have a diagnosable mental health problem but many will still need therapeutic support to help them deal with their trauma and reduce the chance of chronic mental health conditions developing in the future. If children don’t receive the right kind of help and support following a disclosure of abuse, the damage can last a lifetime and include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or suicidal thoughts in adulthood.
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.”
The findings from the survey come after the NSPCC discovered last year that 1 in 5 children in England who were referred to local CAMHS were rejected for treatment.
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.”