A charity for rape victims has warned of “catastrophic” job losses unless “critical” Scottish Government funding is extended. Rape Crisis Scotland sounded the alarm after a grant which had slashed waiting lists ended.
Labour MSP Monica Lennon said: “It’s disgraceful that RCS centres are being put at risk because the Scottish Government is failing to fund them properly.”
Ministers awarded RCS over £1.1million last year to tackle spiralling waits, which in some locations were up to a year. The grant paid for extra staff and allowed the organisation to respond to an increase in demand from victims.
RCS revealed the grant coming to an end would threaten 28 jobs. They said: “In the current climate, these losses would be catastrophic, leading to service instability, strain on infrastructure and make retaining skilled staff incredibly challenging.”
The charity claimed the initial funding had seen waits in the Highlands fall by six months, as well as reducing the delays for victims in Lanarkshire from over six months to four weeks.
RCS, which wants £1.7million to safeguard its services, said the pandemic had led to a surge in demand for their services.
Rape Crisis Grampian has seen demand almost double, with 408 survivors accessing the service in 2022 compared with 276 in the previous year. There was a 200 per cent increase in referrals to Moray Rape Crisis in 2021-22.
Lennon has demanded extra funds are announced in Thursday’s Budget: “Rape crisis support workers are being left on precarious contracts, and it’s heartbreaking to think almost 30 staff could lose their jobs.
“SNP ministers can’t keep paying lip service to survivors. They must renew the funding and address these concerns when they publish the Scottish Government’s draft Budget.”
Rape Crisis Scotland Chief Executive Sandy Brindley said:
“The support that rape crisis centres offer is truly life-saving. It is heart-breaking that a lack of resources means that some survivors are unable to access support when they need it.
“Extending the waiting list funding is critical for rape crisis services to be able to function.
“But rape crisis centres also need more sustainable long term funding. Without reliable funding, highly skilled and trained rape crisis support workers are left on precarious contracts. Unstable funding risks rape crisis services losing highly trained staff.
“We understand there are many pressures on public funding right now. But funding must be delivered for essential services, which rape crisis services are, to be able to offer people across Scotland crucial support.
“Survivors must feel able to contact their local rape crisis centre if they’re in need of support. We’d urge any survivor who is thinking about reaching out to do so.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Our Delivering Equally Safe fund is providing £19million per year to support 121 projects from 112 organisations across the length and breadth of Scotland that focus on early intervention, prevention, and support for victims, including the Rape Crisis Scotland helpline and Rape Crisis Centres throughout Scotland.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
