Survive response to Royal College of Psychiatrists statement regarding prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse and inadequate support for adult survivors within NHS systems
Today, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) has publicly highlighted what Survive has always known:
- Child Sexual Abuse is prevalent across England and Wales
- being a victim of Child Sexual Abuse increases the likelihood of being in contact with mental health services in adulthood
- NHS systems are currently unable to provide the holistic care that adult survivors need to heal, rebuild and thrive.
The RCP statement, released on Wednesday 26 August 2026 cites that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys have been sexually abused before the age of 18. The culmination of a 10-year research project, the RCPs position statement also noted that the NHS lacks the skills to spot the signs of someone having been victim to Child Sexual Abuse; the training to safely handle disclosures; and the ability to deliver holistic, trauma-informed care. Furthermore, it noted that the NHS often re-traumatised adult survivors of Child Sexual Abuse with inappropriate treatment plans and unhelpful diagnoses.
Says CEO of Survive, and core member of Act On IICSA (ick-sa), Mags Godderidge: “We welcome this statement from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the acknowledgement that NHS systems currently do not adequately support adult survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. The overlap between Child Sexual Abuse and poor mental health in adulthood was also highlighted by the Truth Project which ran in parallel to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). At Survive, we see this overlap every day: two-thirds of our service-users experience anxiety; over half depression and/or suicidal thoughts and behaviours; over a third misuse substances because of what happened; and around a fifth self-harm”.
The University of York published an Independent Evaluation of Survive data in May 2026 which found that Survive counselling significantly reduced psychological distress, significantly reduced trauma and significantly reduced reliance on NHS mental health services. Following their analysis of the first two years of an NHS-funded pilot, they found that 82% of survivors stopped or reduced their use of NHS mental health services after Survive counselling.
Says Ms Godderidge: “The therapeutic needs of adult survivors of Child Sexual Abuse are largely met by specialist sexual violence voluntary sector services like Survive. Yet locally (and nationally) specialist agencies like ours are fighting for survival with many of us receiving little or no funding from the NHS. Last year, the NHS accounted for just 3% of Survive’s income. We need the NHS to properly fund patient-survivor pathways into specialist services like Survive. The evidence is clear – we know what we are doing, we are cost effective and our services and interventions actually work”.
In 2024, Survive was amongst 11 organisations from across England who contributed to British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) report, ‘Bridging the Gaps’ which stressed the importance of third-sector counselling and psychotherapy services, and their need for consistent funding and transparent data on NHS referrals. The report found “that across the country there is a growing number of referrals – formal and informal – from NHS sources but without funding to meet this increase in clients.”
Earlier this year, Survive closed its waiting list after it received 14 weeks worth of referrals in just 14 days – 77% of which were adult survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. They plan to temporarily reopen their waiting list on Monday 7 September.
To read the RCP Statement, please head to the Royal College of Psychiatry website.
