On 22^nd September, 8 of us are walking 10 miles to raise funds to create new Bright Spaces for child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation.

The Bright Spaces will be located at Child House in Camden, a pioneering project which will, for the first time, enable child victims to access a complete range of expert support services, under one roof. It will offer medical, investigative and emotional support in one place, removing the need for young victims to go through the trauma of repeating their statement several times to different agencies.

This multi-agency approach will help gather better evidence and increase the speed of its delivery to court, as well as offering longer term support to victims of child sexual abuse in the criminal justice system.

Between September 2015 and August 2016, police recorded 3,597 victims of child abuse in London, aged 17 and under. Only one in four children and young people reporting sexual abuse is currently referred to local services for medical support. Those who do report abuse, face multiple interviews with social workers, the police and medical professionals in different settings, and a long wait to go to
trial. Many cases do not have sufficient evidence to reach the prosecution stage and often families are left to navigate the complex health system by themselves, in order to seek support from their GP, mental health services or local charities.

Twelve Bright Spaces will be created at Child House in the child therapy rooms, family rooms, waiting areas, and Achieving Best Evidence suite. We are fundraising to provide play resources and equipment, and books to encourage children to relax and feel safe at all points of their experience at Child’s House.

We really appreciate your support! Thank you!

Emily Harris, Emma Dean, Katie Dawson, Louise Shepherd, Deborah Ejenas, Pinder Chauhan, Denise Priest and Vicki Turner