Children’s charity Embrace support record numbers of young crime victims

In the past year Peterborough-based children’s charity Embrace Child Victims of Crime has supported record numbers of children and families whose lives have been destroyed by crime – more than in any other year in its 30 year history.

However the charity, which is the only one in the UK offering bespoke recovery services tailored to meet each child’s needs, is looking for corporate partners to help fund their services to meet the ever-growing demand for support.

From April 2022 to April 2023, the charity, which is the main provider of young victim services in Cambridgeshire, supported 5,435 children, young people and families to recover from the devastating 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. We have also provided 6,237 services to those families – an increase of almost 50 per cent on the previous year.

This year the charity celebrates its 30th anniversary. But despite reporting unprecedented growth and its most productive year ever, funding those services is becoming increasingly challenging because of the cost of living crisis. Chief Executive of Embrace Child Victims of Crime, Anne Campbell, said: “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.

“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.

“We receive no direct funding from Government and rely heavily on support from corporate partners and public donation. We already work with some very generous businesses who sponsor some of our projects or make donations and we are very grateful to them. However, to achieve our ambition of ensuring every child who has been harmed by crime gets the support they need, we are keen to partner with more organisations who can help us grow our recovery services for families suffering crime-related trauma. 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.

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 cyber-crime.

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.

If your business would consider making Embrace its charity of the year, or if you’d like to hear more about sponsorship or fundraising opportunities please email Head of Income Generation Emma.Fleming@embracecvoc.org.uk