Acts Fast are delighted to share with us that they have just been awarded the National Lottery Community Fund to keep supporting lives who have been impacted by child sexual abuse. It might not be an easy topic of conversation, but supporting families effected by child sexual abuse is often chronically under invested and often widely misunderstood in society. As many as 1 in 4 adults have themselves experienced some form of sexual abuse before their 18thbirthday (oneinfour.org.uk) so there is increasingly a great need for Acts Fast specialist form of support.
The charity has been awarded nearly £312,000 to continue their expanding role in supporting some of the forgotten members of our society who have experienced this major traumatic life event.
When a family member discovers that a child in their care has been victim to child sexual abuse, the “bomb” goes off in their world. A life where they thought their child was safe is now suddenly home to one of the most shockingly devastating events their child could go through. There are often feelings of guilt, shame and failing their child.
Acts Fast is passionate about supporting the hurting and often forgotten victims of child sexual abuse; more often this is the supporting and protective parent. When they receive specialist emotional and practical support, they are then in a much stronger position to be stable and emotionally available to suitably support their child. This sort of care not only supports the parent and child, but the whole family, ensuring that they are able to rebuild their lives and have the right tools available to be able to thrive and move forwards. The National Lottery Community Fund has been key in helping keep Acts Fast on that compassionate quest.
As the organisation develops its future long term and on-going support, they have big goals and big ambitions to help those who need their specialist understanding and care. Acts Fast were delighted to receive the news of the funding award because now they can start to plan for the future of the organisations work and also develop stronger strategic partnerships with other professionals in their field.
Acts Fast now know that they are in a financially sustainableposition for the next four years, something which has historically been a significant additional challenge to their work. This is an exciting and encouraging position for them to be in as they look to the future knowing they have that financial security.
Mandy Gulliver CEO said of the funding announcement “This means so much to the families we care for by providing genuinely life affirming support, freedom from shame and advice to victims who need that care at such a critical time. We would like to unreservedly thank the National Lottery Community Fund for their support and recognition of our work. As the National Lottery recognises how fundamental it is to support the protective parent and their family, we help ensure together with their child they can rebuild from the shock waves the disclosure would have brought.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude for making this possible and believing in our vision. We look forward to the next few years with a passion for knowing that we can make a big difference in the lives of those who need our support and care.
Thank you, National Lottery, and to all the players that make charities like us able to continue their vital work!”
Dr Andrew Mayers, Chair of Acts Fast and Principal Academic at Bournemouth University said
“We are truly grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for supporting our vital work. The biggest challenge for any charity is securing enough funding to remain sustainable. With this phenomenal sum, we can develop the long-term future for the charity to ensure that we can support families for many years to come. The experience of childhood sexual abuse can have a devastating impact on that person’s mental health throughout their lives. By supporting the family to help the child navigate that experience, we can reduce that impact. I am deeply proud of the work Mandy and her team do, but now I am even more confident that they can continue to provide that support”.
