TV dramas set the scene for new sexual advice service
Thankfully, most people will only be aware of the work they do if they watched TV dramas like Broadchurch and Three Girls. But now, Gloucestershire has its own Independent Sexual Advisors Service (ISVA). For the first time in the county, the service is providing support to all genders and all age victims of sexual abuse. The contract to run it for the next seven years has been awarded to Gloucestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse (GRASAC). GRASAC’s Louise Williams described it as an important development in the provision of care for anyone who has suffered abuse. She said: “The vast majority of people who seek our services have a mental health need and they can find it difficult to access existing services, which are really fragmented.And when it comes to sexual abuse, because of the added shame and reluctance to divulge information, it further impacts on their mental health. “If they know there is a one-stop-shop that will cater for all their needs, it will help knowing they won’t be pinged around. Their GP or mental health worker will refer them to us. It should be a lot quicker; with a reduction in their mental health needs and a reduction in the impact on other services.”
The Ministry of Justice initiated limited finance for centres like GRASAC four and a half year ago but when Police and Crime Commissioners were introduced, funding was devolved to them. Louise Williams says more and more victims are coming forward because sexual violence and abuse is in the news more and has become a subject for TV dramas, Broadchurch and Three Girls the most recent prime examples. GRASAC is the only sexual violence specialist in the county and was chosen after a competitive process managed by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), the Constabulary’s Public Protection Bureau and its domestic abuse and sexual violence coordinator. “PCC funding has been huge”, she said. "It’s enabled us to grow and meet more women and meet demand as much as we can. But we still have a waiting list of over 100 women waiting about seven months to be seen and we still receive two to five referrals a day. “We are fortunate in Gloucestershire that we have the relationship we do with the PCC, not just in terms of funding, but also at a strategic level. It means our voice is heard at the commissioning board and other meetings by people who understand what we do and have faith in what we do” l
September 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 69
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