Embrace Child Victims of Crime, a national charity based in Peterborough, has supported record numbers of children and families – more than in any other year in its 30-year history.
From April 2022 to April 2023 the charity supported 5,435 children, young people, and families to recover from the trauma caused by crime.
This is an increase of 1,697 children young people and their families – 45 per cent more than the previous year.
Embrace Child Victims of Crime has also provided 6,237 services to those families – an increase of almost 50 per cent on the previous year.
The charity is based in Copse Court, Peterborough.
It supports families all over the UK but are commissioned by the Police and Crime Commissioner in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire to be the main provider of young victim services in Cambridgeshire.
Chief executive of Embrace Child Victims of Crime Anne Campbell said: “It means as we begin our celebrations for our 30th anniversary we are reporting unprecedented growth and our most productive year ever.
“Despite the very difficult financial climate, which has left many charities fighting for survival or sadly closing, and despite receiving no direct funding from the Government, Embrace has continued to thrive and grow, and we are helping more families than ever before.
“This year we have provided more emotional support, parental support, advice and counselling and more cost-of-living support including clothing and food vouchers, school uniform, mobile phones, and tablet devices than in any previous year.
“We know many families we support are living on the breadline. Before we can help families heal the trauma, they are experiencing in more and more cases we need to help them meet their most basic needs of making sure they can provide food for their families, clothes and keep a roof over their heads.”
The chief executive added: ““We know what we provide is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the huge demand out there.
“Every day we speak to families who’ve often been struggling for months to get the help they so desperately need. When they speak to us, they are so grateful that we are there to listen and to provide the support to meet their individual needs.”
“In the past year alone, we have provided 2,218 packages of practical support to families which includes food and clothing vouchers, mobile phones and tablet devices to access our services, books and toys.”
Anne Campbell added: “Almost four out of 10 young people we have supported in the past year have been affected by domestic abuse and two out of 10 were affected by sexual abuse or sexual assault.
“We have also supported families affected by homicide, harassment, assault, neglect and abuse, and child sexual exploitation and cybercrime.
“According to our feedback surveys from families who had worked with our KIDVA (child independent domestic violence adviser) service, every child who had been supported found the sessions useful, 99 per cent said it had improved their confidence and they would recommend it to a friend and 98 per cent said they felt safer.”
About Embrace Child Victims of Crime
Embrace Child Victims of Crime works with children who have suffered trauma because of crime.
They may be grieving the loss of their mum, dad, brother, sister, or other family member killed through crime. Some have experienced sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, violence or exploitation or have been living in a home torn apart by domestic abuse.
These children have had to deal with often unimaginable horrors in their young lives and agencies such as the police, social services or support charities refer them to Embrace to get the help and support they need.
To find out more about the support Embrace offers visit www.embracecvoc.org.uk.
You can also call their helpline on 0345 60 999 60 from Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm.
