To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) any assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of specialist sexual violence support provision in East Londonderry; and (ii) whether any gaps have been identified.

My Department has a current contract with Nexus NI who provide a regional service which offers counselling for adult victims and survivors of sexual abuse.

This service which is available in the East Londonderry area provides a period of counselling for victims and survivors of sexual abuse. Following an initial assessment each individual will be offered up to 12 counselling sessions, based on presenting need. Counselling services in the region are delivered from two locations in Coleraine and one location in Derry/Londonderry.

Referrals to the service will be from a range of agents, including GPs, Health and Social Care Trusts, and individuals who self-refer.

This provision is currently specifically focused on supporting individuals who have been victims of sexual abuse and are at a stage of their journey where therapeutic interventions are most likely to have the best outcome.

In addition to face-to-face counselling, Nexus NI also offer telephone counselling and virtual counselling via Microsoft Teams. At the point of referral, clients can select their preferred method of delivery and service location. This choice is not always linked to home address; for example, individuals may choose to attend a service location closer to their workplace.

From 1 April 2025 to date, a total of 425 individuals (adults and children combined) have been supported through counselling services in the East Londonderry area. Outcomes continue to be positive, with most clients who engage in counselling reporting improvements in wellbeing and overall functioning.

At present, the waiting list in the East Londonderry area comprises:

31 adults awaiting counselling

No children or young people currently on the waiting list

Regionally the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services work therapeutically with children and young people who have experienced mental health issues secondary to having experienced child sexual abuse. My Department currently procures specific therapeutic support for children and young people who are potentially vulnerable to Child Sexual Exploitation through Barnardo’s who operate regionally. My Department also supports the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) through the Department of Health’s Core Grant. Although this Grant does not specifically procure a Therapeutic Service, it does support the NSPCC to deliver their services which includes Therapeutic Support.

The Moving On and Recovery Service is based in the Western Health and Social Care Trust area which covers the East Londonderry constituency.

Adult counselling services are primarily funded by my Department through the Nexus contract (up to June 2027). A procurement exercise is underway to commission this service thereafter.

There is currently no confirmed funding beyond March 2026 to sustain the adult crisis de-escalation service delivered by Nexus NI, which is currently being funded by the Department of Justice.

Counselling provision for children and young people is reliant on external funding and the Nexus NI service is currently at the end of its funding year through the National Lottery. Interim funding has been secured through the DSA Strategy, until the end of March 2026. An application has been made to a grant making Trust for continuation funding.

The Cross Departmental Barnahus Working Group, jointly led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health, have undertaken benchmarking work which has highlighted therapeutic services for children and young people who experienced sexual abuse as one of the most significant gaps in current practice compared to the Barnahus standards across the region. An options paper is being produced for the Ministers for Health and Justice to consider how a Barnahus model could be implemented.