Rape support services in Derbyshire land Government funding for the first time

Rape support centres in Derbyshire have been awarded Government funding- for the first time.
Photo for illustrative purposes from Pixabay.Photo for illustrative purposes from Pixabay.
Photo for illustrative purposes from Pixabay.

It comes after the Ministers rolled out plans to help more victims across the region- increasing funding available for rape support services by 10 per cent to help meet growing demand.

Sexual Abuse and Incest Line and SV2 have been awarded a total of £300,965 over three years to provide specialist support to victims of rape and sexual violence in Derbyshire.

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Dena Trossell from Sexual Abuse and Incest Line (SAIL), which has a hub based in Chesterfield, said: “At SAIL we support victims of all genders who are or have been victims of rape, incest and sexual violence.

“This funding is essential to organisations like ours and will allow us to provide specialist support for victims across Derbyshire, helping them to recover and rebuild their lives.”

Sally Goodwin, chief executive at SV2 which provides support services to victims of sexual violence, abuse and exploitation across Derbyshire, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from the Ministry of Justice.

“The commitment to three years funding will enable SV2 to establish and maintain a hub in the rural north west of the county from which we can more effectively deliver therapy and Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) services to adults and children in the area.

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“This support is vital to many who are often unable to access services to help them to cope and recover from their experience.”

Overall 96 rape support services across England and Wales will benefit from the funding boost, totalling £24m over three years.

This will mean more rape support centres will be awarded grants than ever before and – for the first time – ensure there are government funded services in all 42 of the country’s Police and Crime Commissioning (PCC) areas.

Nationally, more than 150,000 offences were recorded last year, and the additional funding will go towards the vital advice, support and counselling these services offer to help victims cope with and, as far as possible, recover.

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Funding has also been extended to include those who suffered from abuse under the age of 13, in recognition that many victims of child sexual abuse may struggle to access timely support.

Victims Minister Edward Argar, said: “Victims of rape and sexual violence show immense courage in coming forward – and they must have confidence that the right support will be there when it is needed.

“Today we are providing funding across more regions than ever, supporting more centres than ever, increasing the overall amount of funding and moving to a three-year funding cycle. We are determined to continue to improve access to these vital services for victims to help them rebuild their lives after these devastating crimes.”

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