New pilot programme set to give "vital" support to victims of child sexual abuse in Devon
There were 97 instances of sexual abuse in the county between 2019 - 2020 that were identified through assessments of children referred to social care
Last updated 11th Aug 2021
**TW: Sexual abuse and violence**
Victims of child sexual abuse in Devon are being offered new support.
The Children's Society is launching a pilot programme - 'Support Rethought' - which will offer one-to-one support to 8-18-year-olds.
The year-long pilot aims to offer help to children and young people referred to the service within six weeks of them reporting being the victim of sexual abuse.
The charity say many young people are currently left without help immediately after reporting abuse, which can be a "particularly difficult time".
Referrals are being accepted from agencies including sexual assault referral centres, children’s social care, the police, education and other third sector organisations.
Assessments of children referred to social care in England identified 97 instances of child sexual abuse in Devon and 69 cases of child sexual exploitation in 2019/20, while in Torbay there were 81 instances involving child sexual abuse and 93 cases in which child sexual exploitation was identified.
However, the charity say this is just the "tip of the iceberg" because most cases of sexual abuse and exploitation are never reported to authorities.
The CSA (Child Sexual Abuse) Centre estimates that at least 15% of girls and 5% of boys experience child sexual abuse before the age of 16.
Becky Fedia, National Programme Manager for The Children’s Society’s Support Rethought service, said:
"It takes enormous courage for any child or young person who has being sexually abused or exploited to tell someone about this horrendous ordeal.
"They may be experiencing thoughts and feelings that are hard for them to deal with and struggling to come to terms with the trauma.
"But in those difficult weeks after reporting the abuse many are left without the help they desperately need and face being placed on often long waiting lists before they get support.
"Through this new service we are looking to fill that gap in these pilot areas by helping children and young people find ways to cope and to access longer-term support if they need it.
"As part of this we want to help children and their parents or carers talk to one another about how they can best manage trauma together as this can be a vital source of support."
Becky Fedia - The Children's Society
Areas covered by Devon County Council and Torbay Council will benefit from the scheme.
Suzie, a teenager from Devon, was referred to The Children’s Society after she was sexually abused by an older male who is now in prison.
"I’d hit rock bottom and was feeling depressed, anxious and quite suicidal. I was having panic attacks and it was such a struggle to even get out of bed.
"I just wanted to feel normal again but I didn’t want any help at first. I wanted to be alone and to deal with it by myself, but my project worker at The Children’s Society made it easy.
"After a few sessions I realised I was processing everything that happened and she offered advice on coping techniques.
"By the end I was so glad I’d accepted the help, it saved my life. I do still have days when I feel low or emotional but that’s normal and I’m much better now."
As well as supporting children and young people, Support Rethought will also bring together experts from across the country to share insights about the abuse children are experiencing and to discuss improvements to the ways in which agencies work together to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation and help victims.
The service will work alongside The Children’s Society’s Checkpoint programme, which offers one-to-one help to children are risk of or who have been sexually abused or exploited.
Professionals and parents can enquire about making a referral to the service by emailing SupportRethought@childrenssociety.org.uk.