Support for victims of sexual abuse and violence in Sheffield

Sheffield Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre has more than 500 referrals every year and is highly regarded by Sheffield Council, which has awarded the funding.

It will receive £58,500 per year, over three years, to continue its work supporting extremely vulnerable people to recover from trauma and rebuild their lives in a positive way.

In a report, Dawn Walton, head of commissioning at the council, says: "The centre has been contracted to provide counselling since 2016 and we are extremely confident in the high level of quality of the service.

"The provider has consistently delivered in excess of the requirements. Our contract commissions them to work with 90 referrals a year and they are in fact managing in excess of 500 referrals – an increase of 65 per cent since 2016/17.

"The centre is a key element in the city around sexual violence and also bring funds into the city of close to £500,000 per year, which includes nearly £96,000 from central government's rape support fund and £204,000 from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner."

Victims can get a range of help, regardless of when the abuse took place, including stabilisation sessions, pre-court support, packages of counselling ranging from six-20 weeks, post therapy support groups, support groups for parents of children who have been sexually abused and therapeutic activities such as singing groups.

The report adds: "The impact of trauma, recent or historic, on all aspects of people’s lives is increasingly recognised.

"Sexual abuse is an extremely traumatic experience for most people, particularly if experienced as a child or young person which can have long lasting consequences for attainment, employment and health and wellbeing."

"The centre is consistently offering a high quality service - 91 per cent of client exits are planned and in response to feedback requests 100 per cent of clients reported they felt counselling had helped them ‘a lot’ or ‘in some ways’."

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