Specialist Therapeutic Support
The Inquiry recommends that the UK government and the Welsh Government introduce a national guarantee that child victims of sexual abuse will be offered specialist and accredited therapeutic support. There should be sufficient supply of these services so that children in all parts of England and Wales can access support in a timely way. These services should be fully funded. Responsibility for commissioning these services should be given to local authorities. There must be no eligibility criteria for children to access these specialist therapeutic services other than having been a victim of child sexual abuse.
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedWe accept that victims and survivors must be able to access effective systems for provision of therapeutic support. We will elicit views on the future of therapeutic support, including possible systemic changes to provision, through extensive engagement and consultation as part of our response to recommendation 19 on victim redress.
The Government is committed to improve the provision of therapeutic support. It has committed funding to the CSA Centre in 2025/26 to develop and deliver evidence-based training and resources for those working with victims and survivors. The Government will work on ambitious proposals for improving the therapeutic support offer, with further details to be set out following the upcoming Spending Review. In addition, the Home Office will double the funding it provides for national services supporting adult survivors of child sexual abuse in 2025/26.
Progress Timeline
Funding CSA Centre training; expanding mental health support; developing holistic provision proposals. Enhanced proposal details to follow post-Spending Review. Home Office doubling funding for national services supporting adult survivors.