Sexual assault centre to stay despite cash concern

A centre for supporting victims of sexual assault will remain open despite concerns over its funding, the government has said.

The Committee for Home Affairs has asked for £401,000 as part of wider amendment proposals to protect vulnerable people to fund the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). It was previously funded as a pilot scheme through the Government Work Plan.

In 2027, the committee would support the transition of SARC from its pilot status to a permanent service, officials said.

As an established service, it was currently unfunded in 2027 but would not be scrapped, according to President of Home Affairs Marc Leadbeater.

Deputy Leadbeater, said: "This is such a fundamental service to the people of Guernsey that we cannot just terminate the pilot at this stage."

If the funding request amendment was not approved, Leadbeater said: "We will be looking down the back of every sofa trying to find the money to ensure that SARC continues."

Should the amendment not be passed, other cuts would have to be made to fund the service, he said.

"This is the harsh reality of it, I couldn't say where we would make these cuts... We've looked everywhere."

"We haven't got the money to deliver the services that we need to deliver."

Former deputy and lead for domestic abuse and sexual violence Sue Aldwell said she was not surprised that this was put forward as an amendment.

Aldwell said the pilot was a non-negotiable.

She said: "We had to prove that we could do it and we could do it well."

"In no way can we go backwards. We absolutely can only go forwards."

She said: "Jersey are investing £5m... [Home Affairs is] just asking for a fraction of that.

"We have to keep this island, the population, safe; and it could be your daughter, it could be your sister, it could be a family member - you would want them to be safe.

"There isn't a single deputy in that assembly that could argue against not keeping this island and the young people on it safe."

The budget is set to be debated on Tuesday 3 November.

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