Funding cut is devastating, says abuse charity

A charity supporting survivors of sexual abuse said a £160,000 cut to its funding would have a "devastating impact".

The Sue Lambert Trust in Norwich said the reduction by Norfolk's police and crime commissioner (PCC) would limit how many people it could help.

Amanda, who survived being raped by her father and later became a trustee for the charity, said the support it had given her was "the only reason why I'm still here".

Independent PCC Sarah Taylor said a new contract the trust had agreed with the NHS would cover the cut funding.

The majority of her budget went towards organisations supporting survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence, Taylor added.

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With its roots dating back to the 1980s, the trust provides support and counselling to male and female survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.

Amanda sought their help when she was in her 30s.

She had been sexually abused by her father for four years from the age of 11 and her mental health was suffering deeply.

"I was a broken woman," said Amanda, who spoke to the BBC after waiving her legal right to anonymity.

A year of counselling followed and, eventually, Amanda "no longer felt shame".

"I felt empowered... And she (a counsellor) showed me more than my past abuse, that I actually am a person in my own right."

The charity were the "only reason why I'm still here", she continued.

"Before, I was so scared to even tell anyone what happened because I felt like it was my fault. But I now know it wasn't. And I don't think I could have done that without their help."

Her father was later jailed for 20 years and while the trauma remains with her, Amanda works with the charity as a trustee now.

The trust's chief executive Clive Evans said it had recently faced "unprecedented demand" for its services, with about 85 people referring themselves per month and 450 on its waiting list.

But he was shocked when he was told the PCC would reduce annual funding from £210,000 to £50,000 over the next two years.

The charity has agreed a new contract with the local NHS which will bring in £225,000 a year, but Evans said that only replaced an old grant which ended two years ago.

He said the charity had drawn on its financial reserves which were now "depleted".

"It's a real devastating impact," he warned.

"For the people who bravely coming forward, we're going to have to limit our ability to just support 10 people more a month. So that leaves another 75 people without support."

Taylor said the funding from local NHS commissioners should ensure that the current level of support continued at the Sue Lambert Trust, "if not more".

Last month, when it emerged she had reduced funding for a domestic abuse support service, she said her own budget had been cut back by the government

She repeated her call for more money from ministers and said "a system wide approach is vital" for these charities.

The Ministry of Justice said it had launched "the largest crackdown in British history" on violence against women and girls.

"We will be investing £550m in victim support services over the next three years, the biggest investment in victim support services to date," a spokeswoman said.

Amanda said she was concerned about the potential impact on other services, such as the NHS.

"[It's] going to far outweigh what they're not giving us. Therefore, it seems a bit silly or foolish to take that money away when it's actually going to cost more in other ways."

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