RISE IN CHILD ABUSE VICTIMS NEEDING HELP

AWELSH counselling charity is having to take drastic steps after the number of children being referred to it has nearly doubled in the space of just 12 months.

New Pathways is a registered charity that has spent 25 years providing support for people affected by rape and sexual abuse.

It helps people in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil, Carmarthen, Risca, Aberystwyth, and Newtown, as well as providing outreach services in Bridgend.

Many of the people they support are children, some as young as two.

The charity has seen a huge increase in the number of child referrals in the last year. In the period April-September last year, it received 151 children’s counselling referrals. For the same period this year, it received 292 – an increase of 93%.

Deputy chief executive officer Mike Wilkinson said that this is down to recent high-profile cases.

He said: “Over the past few years we have seen significant increases in the number of referrals we receive. One of the main factors has been the number of high profile sexual abuse cases reported in the media.

“Whilst these stories have been truly shocking, they have also highlighted the scale of the issue and have helped to reduce the stigmatisation and isolation that survivors of abuse feel.

“It is a very positive development that more people feel able to come forward and seek help, however this also presents a significant resource challenge for organisations that support survivors.

“Many of our young clients experience high levels of trauma as a result of the abuse that they have suffered,” he said.

“Without early intervention from specialist counsellors, children can quickly develop a variety of negative coping strategies as they struggle to deal with their emotions and feelings.”

Quick treatment for these children is absolutely essential for their health. However, the increased demand means some are having wait a year for it.

“We would like to offer an appointment to every child who is referred to us within a few weeks,” Mr Wilkinson said.

“However, the reality is that despite our best efforts, in some areas we have waiting lists for children’s counselling services of up to 12 months.

“This would be difficult enough for an adult to cope with, but for children, who may be at key stages in their development or in the middle of significant life events, the negative impact of waiting for services can be significant and can even have a detrimental effect on their future prospects and life choices.”

In order to help children cope while they await treatment, the charity will release a book to help children deal with the horror they have experienced.

Mr Wilkinson said: “Due to the increases in referrals we have had to be as innovative as possible to try and meet the demand for our services, and to find ways of supporting people who appointment.

“Our latest innovation is the development of an illustrated children’s storybook for our young clients and their families which explains the effects of trauma in an age appropriate way.

“The book is called ‘Helping the Hare Who Hurts’ and will use woodland animals as the characters in the story... The aim of the book is to help children to understand how they are feeling, and help them to see that it is quite normal to feel this way after something bad has happened to them.”

To fund this book, the charity has started a crowdfunding page which has already raised more than £4,000. Anyone who wants to donate can visit www.crowdfunder. co.uk/helping-the-hare-who-hurts are waiting for an