Northern Ireland’s only free specialist counselling service for victims of sexual violence, Nexus, will receive funding for an additional year from the Department of Health after its contract with the department was due to end on 31 March. The move comes after the Minister of Health, Robin Swann, confirmed to the assembly that there was no alternative free specialist service lined up. Nexus provides counselling to about 200 individuals a month and was awarded a three-year contract in 2019 with extension options.
While the extension of the service was welcomed, Swann flagged “significant performance and operational issues” relating to efficiency and lower than expected numbers of sessions rather than the quality of care given. He went on to say that performance would be monitored throughout the extension. Nexus’s CEO, Joanne Barnes, said the charity was pleased that the continuation of the service would mean that victims and survivors would have the support they needed. Barnes said a long-term plan needed to be developed, including considering the number of sessions that would be available to clients.
SDLP East Derry MLA Cara Hunter submitted an urgent oral question regarding the service to Mr Swann after it was announced the Department for Health had ended its contract with Nexus without a replacement service in place. She emphasised the need for “a long-term approach to supporting victims of abuse that ensures people can access counselling services for free when they need them”. Sinn Féin MLA Linda Dillon welcomed the contract extension, saying it was important that Nexus’s specialist services remained available to support victims, and called for longer-term support to be put in place.
Concerns have been raised regarding future employment of staff providing the Nexus service. The Unite union has written to Swann to request an urgent meeting due to fears among workers that they may lose their jobs
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