£5m over five years pledged to county-wide service for victims of sexual violence by police and crime commissioner

The new combined Frankie Worker Service and all-age Sexual Crime Therapeutic Service began at the start of this month and will continue until March 2029 with the PCC committing funding of up to £4,794,482 over the five-and-a-half year period.

The Frankie Worker Service involves one-to-one therapeutic counselling and play therapy support to children and young people aged 0-18 years who are victims of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or female genital mutilation.The all-age Sexual Crime Therapeutic Service provides a telephone helpline, therapeutic support and activities to help adults, children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse, assault, rape or violence at any time in their lives.

Per year, the PCC funding is up to £871,724, with partnership funding from Integrated Care Boards, NHS England, and Hampshire County Council providing an additional £356,803 per year, giving a total annual provision up to £1,228,527.

PCC Donna Jones, said: “Victims of sexual violence need to be supported at all times, heard at all times, and given every opportunity to rebuild their lives with robust support services that are effective and transformative.“I’m making sure that we don’t let down victims of sexual violence, by ensuring that not only is the right support in place for years to come, but that it’s consistent, flexible, personalised and accessible for every victim.”

As well as funding the Sexual Crime Therapeutic all-age provision for the two counties, the PCC had also funded three Frankie Worker Services in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth along with funding since 2017 with Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and more recently Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) when they were established in 2022.

These arrangements ended on September 30 this year paving the way for the combined single provision.

Ms Jones added: “This new contract not only brings into alignment provision across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight for a single combined Frankie Worker Service and Sexual Crime Therapeutic Service, but it now sits alongside the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) services that also go up to March 2029.

“This means there is now equal provision for victims of sexual violence across the whole of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and I will continue to represent the voices of all victims, and provide the life-changing support that they need.”

The mental health, learning disabilities & autism and children’s care director of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB Jenny Erwin said: “This is a great example of partnership working between the NHS, the ICB, police and local authority. The new Frankie Worker Service will be available to all children and young people who are victims of sexual assault across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and it is a project that we are very proud to be part of.

“Transforming children and young people’s mental health services is integral to the NHS long-term plan, and the Frankie Worker Service plays a leading role in supporting the mental health of vulnerable children and young people, improving their access, experience and outcomes.”

Between 2017 and 2023 there were 1,049 referrals into the three Frankie Worker Services. Meanwhile, from 2020 to 2023, 3,177 referrals were received into the Sexual Crime Therapeutic provision.