Children and young people who have reported being sexually abused are set to continue to receive vital specialist support thanks to extra funding.
The charity Fresh Start New Beginnings (FSNB) has been awarded more than £50,000 to help fund child support workers and specialist services for the next year.
It is hoped a minimum of 40 children and young people will benefit from the funding by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, which has already supported the charity for the past year.
Patsy Johnson-Cisse, managing director for FSNB, said: “We are delighted to receive further funding and support from Norfolk police and crime commissioner (PCC).
“In January alone the charity had over 25 new referrals. This equates to a whole class of children being referred in one month alone.
“The need for early intervention to support children now is evidenced on a daily basis.”
Norfolk’s PCC Giles Orpen-Smellie said supporting victims is one of the key priorities in the new police, crime and community safety plan for the county due to be launched later this month.
“The work the charity does for children, young people and their families in Norfolk is crucial,” he said.
“When a young person has had the courage to take that first vital step and talk about what has happened to them it is key, they have access to the right specialist support at the right time to help them feel safe and secure.”
The latest funding follows a major £280,000 boost to FSNB from the National Lottery Community Fund over the course of three years to provide therapeutic services to local children and young people.
The charity currently supports about 200 children across Norfolk and Suffolk per year – with an average of 50 on the waiting list for its services, which have been shown to reduce the harmful impacts of trauma and help achieve a happier future.
In total it has been awarded £52,208 through the Norfolk PCC budget for 2022/23 to fund additional child support workers.
• Further information on the charity can be found at fsnb.org.uk
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