Suffolk study makes recommendations to aid sexual abuse survivors
Researchers at the University of Suffolk were tasked with identifying gaps in support
A new study has found that survivors of sexual violence would be better supported with a single point of referral.
Researchers at the University of Suffolk were tasked with identifying gaps in support and and improving victims’ experiences in accessing help.
The research found delays in the criminal justice system and challenges signposting victims to support services were among the key barriers locally.
The report, makes a series of recommendations and among those are proposals for a “one front door” approach, where all referrals go into one place and are triaged into the relevant services for support whilst still retaining direct access for self-referrals to existing services if preferred by victim-survivors.
The research said this approach would help in “reducing waiting times and inappropriate referrals and preventing victim-survivors seeking support from having to re-tell their stories unnecessarily”.
The research found several issues in relation to victim-survivors struggling to access assistance, including:
• Signposting to support often being unclear, which deterred victims-survivors from seeking help;
• A lack of signposting and awareness of options for those affected but who were not directly targeted as a victim, such as family members of victim-survivors;
• Delays in referrals and victim-survivors gaining access to support;
• Difficulties accessing help in rural areas because of the urban location of services;
• Specialist, therapeutic support not always being available.
In addition, researchers found that delays in the criminal justice process hampered the confidence of victims, affecting attrition and subsequent conviction rates.
The report also highlighted that a lack of regular, guaranteed funding meant support services were not always able to meet demand, which was also exacerbated by the closure of Suffolk Rape Crisis last summer putting further demand on existing services.
The research did however identify a number of strengths in Suffolk, including specialist support in the voluntary sector, good relationships between funders and providers, the variety and quality of services available, and the importance of victim-survivors being believed. In addition, the involvement of independent sexual violence advisors (ISVAs) was singled out by many victim-survivors as significant to their support.
Recommendations from the report
• Co-ordinated action by funders and service providers to advocate for greater certainty of future funding;
• Clearly defined terminology to be used across policy and practice, and in communications with those accessing services;
• Commitment from commissioners to multi-agency working and enhanced collaboration to ensure specialised support;
• Demand should be managed through a single ‘front-door’ to enable a greater provision of services while retaining direct access to existing services;
• Bolstered prevention and early-intervention measures to reduce problems with delayed disclosures;
• A commitment from commissioners to a trauma-informed approach to sexual violence provision;
• A more robust and consistent approach to accurate data collection to support specific needs of those from minoritised groups and those who identify as male;
• A commitment from commissioners to develop an evidence base of best practice.
Professor Miranda Horvath Director of the Institute of Social Justice and Crime, said: “Access to support for victim-survivors of sexual violence is a national problem, and we can see from the data in Suffolk that gaps in provision and barriers for accessing help can have a huge impact on victim-survivors".
Professor Valerie Gladwell, Director of the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, said: “The lived experience of victim-survivors, practitioners and commissioners is a hugely important strand of this study, and tells us that long delays in the criminal justice system and challenges signposting to support really matters in the wellbeing outcomes of victim-survivors.”
Dr Linda Cooper, Deputy Director of the Institute for Social Justice and Crime said: “This research provides a clear series of recommendations for commissioners and funders to provide a more integrated and financially-secure landscape that places the victim-survivors at the centre, and delivers effective and timely support when they need it.”
One practitioner who responded to the call for evidence described the wait for victims between reporting the crime and a trial as “agonising,” while a victim-survivor said the thought of going to court was “deeply unpleasant”.
The research was commissioned by Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB), Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership, and NHS England.