'One front door' aids sexual abuse survivors - study

University of Suffolk researchers have found a 'one front door' approach to support sexual violence survivors would have several benefits

Sexual violence survivors would be better supported with a single point of referral, a new university study has found.

Researchers at the University of Suffolk mapped the provision of sexual violence support in the county with the aim of identifying gaps and improving services.

The findings published on Tuesday stated survivors would benefit from a "one front door" approach to limit the number of times they share their experiences, among other reasons.

Prof Miranda Horvath, director of the Institute of Social Justice and Crime at the university, said gaps in Suffolk provisions had a "huge impact" on survivors.

Researchers found survivors faced several issues including signposting to support being unclear, which deterred them from getting help, delays in referrals and difficulties in accessing help in rural areas.

Practitioners who spoke with researchers also told of the "agonising" wait survivors faced between reporting the crime and a court trial.

One survivor also said the thought of going to court was "deeply unpleasant".

The university's research was commissioned by a number of agencies including NHS England, the police and crime commissioner and NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB

The "one front door" approach was one of eight recommendations made in the study.

It would mean referrals for help go into one place and are triaged into the relevant services for support while retaining direct access for self-referrals to existing services if preferred.

This would also help reduce waiting times, the research found.

A service already operating in this manner in the county - Iris (Individualised, Recovery & Resilience, Information & Support) - launched in October and is run by the Suffolk GP Federation.

The county also saw charity Suffolk Rape Crisis shut its doors when funding was cut a year ago.

Strengths were found with the county's provisions including the variety and quality of services available, good relationships between funders and providers in the voluntary sector and the importance of survivors being believed.

Study recommendations

The other recommendations stated in the study included:

• Coordinated action by funders and service providers to advocate for greater certainty of future funding

• Clearly defined terminology to be used across policy and practice, and in communications with those accessing services

• Commitment from commissioners to multi-agency working and enhanced collaboration to ensure specialised support

• Bolstered prevention and early-intervention measures to reduce problems with delayed disclosures

• A commitment from commissioners to a trauma-informed approach to sexual violence provision

• A more robust and consistent approach to accurate data collection to support the specific needs of those from minoritised groups and those who identify as male

• A commitment from commissioners to develop an evidence base of best practice

Prof Miranda Horvath at the University of Suffolk helped with the research

"Access to support for victim-survivors of sexual violence is a national problem, and we can see from the data in Suffolk that gaps in provision and barriers for accessing help can have a huge impact on victim-survivors," Prof Horvath said.

Lisa Nobes, director of nursing at NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, said the eight recommendations "represent an important basis on which commissioners can work together" to improve services.

Suffolk's Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore, similarly welcomed the study.

He said it was "crystal clear" there needed to be a "much more powerful commitment to collaboration" between agencies, while he believed more was also needed to educate young people on "healthy relationships".

An NHS England East of England spokesperson added: "We welcome this report, which will feed into our planning for sexual assault and abuse services."

• If you have been affected by this story, the BBC Action Line web page features a list of organisations which provide support and advice.