Concern over abuse victim service opening hours

One in three calls to a counselling service for adults who were abused in childhood is made when it is closed, it has emerged.

Connect counselling received 7,826 calls in the past year and 5,326 were answered, a 4% increase on the 5,123 answered in 2018.

Service director Marie Percival said the 2,500 calls received out of hours this year was her “greatest concern”. The service is only open for 20 hours a week from 6-10pm, Wednesday to Sunday.

It also emerged that 74% of callers were women and 26% men. Almost half of the callers (48%) were aged between 31 and 50, with 29% over 50.

The HSE-funded service was initially established as an out-of-hours telephone-based service in 2006 for survivors of institutional abuse but was broadened out to support adults abused in childhood.

The independent and professional service also deals with calls from survivors from Northern Ireland and those who experienced abuse in Ireland and are now living in Britain.

Ms Percival said they were involved in talks with the HSE on increasing funding so the telephone-based service could open longer.

Connect is an additional service to the HSE’s National Counselling Service that provides free face-to-face counselling to people who have suffered abuse, trauma or neglect during their childhood.

“Connect is a necessary and niche service that meets the needs of people who choose anonymous telephone-based counselling as the first step towards face-to-face therapy, or as a preferred longer- term approach,” said Ms Percival.

“However, we do have a challenge with demand for additional opening hours and we would encourage more male callers to the service.”

Ms Percival said she had met several men’s groups in a bid to encourage more men to call the service.

The service is for everybody who needs it and we have male and female counsellors and psychotherapists on the line.

Ms Percival said they had arranged to be open longer over Christmas because it is when people feel the need to talk.

“Christmas is not a time of good cheer for everyone. It can be a particularly sensitive time when difficulties can resurface.”

Connect will be open every evening from Wednesday, December 18 until Sunday, January 5. People can call the service for free at 1800 477 477 and callers from Britain can call 00 800 477 477 77.