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Peter Ellis
web site - Christchurch crèche case |
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A counselling service
for sexual assault victims is fully staffed after facing dire financial
straits last year. Staff received
redundancy notices in March when the Auckland Sexual Abuse Help service faced
closure because it couldn't secure funding. But the Mt Eden based
service withdrew the redundancy notices after the Government pledged funding
through the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). Clinical manager
Kathryn McPhillips says it was an intense time. "We spent nine to
10 months working with reviewers and working with ACC which decided to pay
for part of the crisis line services," says Ms McPhillips. The service has been
fully staffed since late last year. There are nine counsellors working for
the 24-hour service, some part-time. All counsellors on duty
answer calls to the crisis line. They advise and support callers, and can be
with victims during the police and medical processes after an attack. The service receives
about 5000 calls a year. Duty counsellor
Michelle Mountfort was among staff to receive a redundancy notice last year. "It was a very,
very tough time for the staff. Working for an agency doing such important
work you expect to have funding," says Ms Mountfort. The service is yet to
collate its statistics for December and January but summer is its peak
season. Counsellors supported
almost 20 victims to make police complaints during two weeks in December - a
rate which is double their weekly average. "The team has been
working really hard. It's pretty stretched." Ms Mountfort says many
assaults occur when the woman is drunk and becomes easy prey. She stresses it
is never the woman's fault - no means no. Duty counsellor Sylvia
Jennings began working for the service last month. Ms Jennings works after
hours and receives calls at her home. "It's always
traumatic because we are empathising with their experience. Part of our
training is how to deal with that." The more traumatised a
person is, the less emotion they will show. Victims, often the only
witness, do not always want to report their case to the police. "They often come
in blaming themselves. That's something we clear up from the beginning. It's
never the victim's fault no matter what the situation is," says Ms
Jennings. "It comes back to
what part of `no' don't you understand." Auckland Sexual Abuse
Help still relies on donations from organisations and community donors to
support its ongoing therapy services. |
