£1,000 grant to Fresh Start, New Beginnings

Fresh Start New Beginnings (FSNB) provides children and young people, who are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation with help, advice, guidance and therapeutic intervention to aid their recovery. Doctors, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, School Nurses, Police and Social Care Services refer children to this organisation for support. They work with children and young people up to the age of 18 years. FSNB takes each victim from disclosure through their therapeutic treatment, with support also offered to the whole family. Where this is not appropriate, the family will be signposted to another organisation for support.

The organisation is run by four full-time and 14 part-time members of staff.

In October 2018, our staff voted to donate £1,000 from our Acorn Fund to the charity, to part-fund the cost of working with a child who has reported being sexually abused and who is currently waiting for help.

FSNB provides children with their own bespoke treatment plan, created following a full assessment of the psychological, emotional and mental health needs. Child victims receive a number of 1:1 sessions with their dedicated specialist worker, as well as being offered a place on one of their ten week peer group programmes, if they are deemed suitable.

Our grant is being used to cover the cost of one worker, working with a children, from Suffolk, who is on the waiting list. It allows for ten 1:1 sessions with the child victim.