Police and Crime Commissioner, Michael Lane, has welcomed additional funding from NHS England that will enable more young victims of child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation, and female genital mutilation (FGM) in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to access support from the Frankie Worker counselling service.
Frankie Workers support some of the most vulnerable victims of sexual crime by offering specialist counselling at an early stage to prevent trauma developing into poor mental health.
NHS England funding
NHS England agreed to provide additional funding to increase the capacity of the Frankie Worker Service in Hampshire and Isle of Wight after being impressed by the service during a visit to find out the impact the service is having one year on.
The partnership behind Frankie Workers includes the Police and Crime Commissioner, the CCGs in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, NHS England, Isle of Wight Council, Hampshire County Council’s Willow Team, YPI Counselling and Barnardo’s.
Specialised care for more young people
Michael Lane said:
“I am delighted that NHS England has chosen to increase its support for the Frankie Worker Service in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. This extra funding will enable additional Frankie Workers to be recruited, which means that more young people will be able to access the specialised care and support they need to help them to process and cope better with the trauma they have experienced.
“The Frankie Worker service is a great example of how working in partnership can achieve something that makes a real difference to people lives; something that could not be delivered by one agency alone.”
Building up confidence and self-esteem
The difference made by the Frankie Worker Service to Paul was noticed by his class teacher.
“At the beginning of term Paul was quiet and withdrawn and not engaging with his peers, now he is chatting and engaging with peers and giggling again. His work has also shown improvement. Paul now confidently takes part in school activities.
“There is no way he would have had the confidence and self-esteem to do that at the start of term”
News from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Michael Lane. Ed
