The Ministry of Justice has provided funding to vital online and helpline services for victims and witnesses of crime, including NAPAC. This generous funding means NAPAC can increase the support we offer to survivors of childhood abuse during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gabrielle Shaw, NAPAC’s CEO, said: “This additional funding is incredibly helpful at such a difficult time for survivors who may be struggling during the lockdown because of the trauma they suffered in childhood.”
Many survivors of childhood abuse are finding the lockdown especially challenging for a number of reasons:
– Anxiety, depression, feelings of panic or dissociation or other health impacts of trauma may become worse if you live alone
– Social distancing has cut people off from their support networks of friends or family or healthy coping routines such as activities and sport
– Being trapped at home may remind people of being trapped in an unsafe environment as a child and traumatic memories may surface
– People may not able to access their usual face-to-face support with a therapist or counsellor or support group
– People who live in busy homes with family members may find it harder to access support such as NAPAC’s telephone support line or online sessions with counsellors or therapists due to lack of privacy
– For those survivors still living with abusive family members, it may be impossible to access support of any kind during the lockdown
– Many of the people who are most vulnerable during this lockdown such as homeless people, prisoners, people with mental health or learning difficulties and people on low incomes are disproportionally likely to be survivors of childhood trauma
– The vast majority of survivors of abuse were controlled by people who claimed to care for them, so the lockdown will trigger inherent mistrust and make it much harder for survivors to comply with the order
– Frontline workers who are survivors who are compelled to work in conditions where they feel unsafe, this may also feel triggering. and they may be more likely to suffer vicarious trauma and / or PTSD
We are here for you
Support line 0808 801 0331 Opening hours: 10am – 4pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 2pm – 9pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Support email support@napac.org.uk
If you are suffering from flashbacks, you can listen to our grounding tips in audio or read them online Coping with flashbacks
Read our coronavirus page for advice on coping during the lockdown How to feel safer