Two £7.2million ‘Child Houses’ set to open in London will help 400 young sex abuse victims each year
Based on similar facilities in Iceland, the children will be able to receive medical care, counselling and give evidence under one roof
CHILD victims of sex abuse will be able to receive medical care, counselling and work with the police all from one building under a new £7.2million government scheme.
The Home Office will today announce the pilot of two ‘Child Houses’ in London.
The Whitehall funded initiative, run alongside the Mayor of London and NHS England will help an estimated 400 vulnerable kids every year.
The houses set to open next year are based on similar facilities used in Iceland which act as a single location for victims of sexual abuse to receive help.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said last night: “Child sexual abuse is a horrendous crime that this Government is taking action to tackle, both by protecting children from abuse and ensuring that offenders are swiftly brought to justice.”
She added: “Child Houses, by improving evidence gathering while putting the needs of the victim front and centre, demonstrate exactly the kind of innovative thinking that we are encouraging.”
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, said: “Child Houses in other countries have been enormously successful in increasing conviction rates and reducing the trauma victims can experience as a result of going through the criminal justice system.”
An NSPCC spokesman said: “We have long called for the need for children to be at the heart of services that help them recover.
“We have been strong advocates of Child Houses as a way to achieve this and are working with government to make them happen.”
Last night the Home Office also announced a reduction in police cells being used to hold people suffering from mental health issues.
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Figures released yesterday by the National Police Chiefs Council show the number of times police cells in used as a place of safety fell by 53.7 percent to 2,100 last year.
This included a 73.3 percent reduction in police cells use for under 18s in mental health crisis, down from 161 to 43.