NSPCC launches It’s Time campaign as UK survey reveals services for abused children are inadequate

UK’s leading children’s charity launches national campaign to improve support

Over 60% of Welsh professionals surveyed say criteria is too stringent for abused children to access NHS support

Almost two thirds of surveyed professionals – working with abused children in Wales – say tight criteria to access local NHS mental health services means these children are increasingly struggling to access vital help.

That’s according to a UK-wide survey by the NSPCC, as the charity begins a major campaign to improve support for victims.

Nine in ten Welsh professionals surveyed feel services to help victims of abuse overcome their trauma are inadequate, and more than three quarters of UK professionals say it has got more difficult in the last five years to access therapy.

The NSPCC has today launched a long-term campaign, It’s Time, to raise awareness of the barriers abused children face getting help to rebuild their lives – and call for more therapeutic services to meet their specific needs.  The campaign hopes to initially rally at least 100,000 members of the public to its cause. Supporters in Wales will be asked to raise this issue with Assembly candidates in the run-up to the election on May 5^th.

The survey of more than 1,000 professionals – including 159 from Wales – found longer waiting lists, reductions in spending and higher thresholds for therapy were making it harder for affected children to access vital therapeutic services.

63% of the professionals surveyed in Wales reported average waiting times for CAMHS services of over 5 months. Some of those surveyed said help for children who had been abused was not seen as a priority. One Welsh professional described accessing therapy for children as ‘extremely difficult’ and another said: “Thresholds for services have been made higher. CAMHS is almost impossible to access unless the child is actively suicidal.”

The comments come as according to 97% of those surveyed in Wales there are not enough Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for children who have been abused and around the same number (98%) say provision of other therapeutic services is insufficient in their area.

Abused and neglected children can be referred by GPs and local authorities to CAMHS. Not all abused children will have a diagnosable mental health problem but many will still need therapeutic support to help them deal with their trauma and reduce the chance of chronic mental health conditions developing in the future. If children don’t receive the right kind of help and support following a disclosure of abuse, the damage can last a lifetime and include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or suicidal thoughts in adulthood.

50.3% of the 159 Welsh respondents said in the last six months waiting times had been a barrier to support from local CAMHS. 53% blamed therapy thresholds for causing problems getting help for the children they worked with and nearly a third described cuts in available services.

“CAMHS in my area does not accept children for post abuse support. This is not seen as a priority” said one paediatrician in Wales.  A therapist said: “Demand for counselling services have grown, however service budgets have been cut.”

The NSPCC is now calling for the extra Welsh Government funding which has been directed to CAMHS in Wales to prioritise the needs of children and young people who have been abused and neglected.*

Des Mannion, National Head of Service for Wales, said:

“It’s hugely worrying to hear professionals report staggeringly long delays for support. It’s a national disgrace that children who have suffered abuse should be forced to wait that long and it’s time to ensure that all are getting the help they need at the right time to recover.

“Without support to overcome their trauma, children and young people can be faced with serious and corrosive emotional and psychological consequences.  That’s why we will be placing therapeutic support at the heart of our manifesto for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

“Today, we’re calling for the Welsh Government to prioritise support for children who have been abused and neglected within the current CAMHS service improvement programme. Getting help to these children earlier is vital and can prevent longer term damage to the lives of those who have survived the horror of abuse.

“We welcome the work done on prevention as part of the implementation of new social care legislation in Wales. This must ensure that every child who has suffered abuse can access help when they need it.”