Portsmouth abuse and rape counselling service to close
PARCS has been supporting people in the city for 40 years
Councillors have expressed concerns over an “existential crisis” facing voluntary and charitable organisations following the announcement that the Portsmouth Abuse and Rape Counselling Service (PARCS) will close next year after 40 years of operation.
During a Portsmouth City Council wellbeing board, members were updated on the progress of the council’s violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy.
Caroline Hopper, the council’s corporate projects manager, noted the closure of PARCS, expected on March 31st 2025.
She described it as a “sad day” to announce the closure of PARCS, calling the organisation a leader in championing change around VAWG.
She praised its work on the “shrink the elephant” campaign, which raised awareness of sexual abuse and challenged cultural norms, as well as its efforts in training 30 venues across the city to respond to sexual violence.
During the meeting, she highlighted the discontinuation of the “safer streets fund”, which had supported councils and police in preventing VAWG and anti-social behaviour.
She noted the lack of government announcements about future funding, apart from general commitments to tackling VAWG.
As a result, the council’s VAWG strategy will focus on existing resources, as “we cannot rely on pockets of money being dropped down on us.”
Keir Starmer has pledged to halve VAWG within a decade, stating earlier this year that he envisions “a society where violence against women is stamped out everywhere.”
Councillor Suzy Horton, cabinet member for children, families, and education, emphasised the need to address attitudes among school pupils regarding how they treat girls and one another.
Councillor Graham Heaney added that concerning behaviours often emerge in secondary school, that could influenced by social media.
Ms Hopper shared insights from workshops conducted with children, including some as young as nine, who raised concerns about sexism, racism, and bullying.
She highlighted examples such as boys telling girls they cannot play football, discouraging girls from liking colours other than pink or purple, and boys being told they cannot dance in primary school.
While acknowledging the efforts of Portsmouth schools, she stressed the need to do more to challenge these behaviours.
Councillor Steve Pitt, the council leader, warned of the funding pressures threatening voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs):
“PARCS have identified some of the cliff-edge funding falling away in March 2025 as part of the reason why they just can’t carry on,” he said.
“This is an existential crisis because the council is also under pressure—if the VCSE collapses, we’re going to have some really big issues we’ll need to deal with.”