The charity said an “insecurity of funding” had led to the decision.
Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) has announced it has taken the “very difficult decision” to close its East Lothian Sexual Abuse Service (ELSAS) waiting list to new referrals.
The charity said it has been forced to make this decision due to an insecurity of funding for this service.
Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre is a charity that has been supporting survivors of sexual violence for 45 years.
They provide free and confidential support to survivors aged 12 and over, of all genders in Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian.
In a statement, the charity said: “We need sustained funding to meet the huge demand for all our services and we are doing everything we can to seek additional funding, and work to reduce our waiting lists and waiting times.”
Those already on a waiting list for ELSAS will remain on the list, and anyone with concerns or questions about their referral are encouraged to email elsas@ercc.scot.
The centre’s advocacy service is still temporarily closed to new referrals, and anyone who has experienced a rape or sexual assault within the last 14 daysshould let the centre know as both ELSAS and the advocacy service are both still open to survivors of recent incidents.
All our other services remain open to new referrals.
The news comes after ERCC warned they are facing devastating cuts to its services if funding is not extended by the Scottish Government.
In 2021, the Scottish Government granted emergency funds to tackle waiting lists at most centres across Rape Crisis centres in Scotland. Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre received £760,000 for two years.
This funding is due to expire in March 2024, which means that in under three months, Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre could lose funding for over 10 specialist jobs supporting survivors.
By the end of November 2023, Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre had 133 survivors on their waiting lists for support. The charity said this will inevitably increase and they will have to close their services to new referrals if this funding is not continued.
ERCC said a lack of sustainable funding means that these skilled workers are too often left without long term job security and the centre cannot guarantee service provision.
Mridul Wadhwa, chief executive officer, Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre said “There is huge demand for all of our support and advocacy services. This year we had to take the difficult decision to close most of our services to new referrals because we do not have the resources to meet the need for our support, and survivors were having to wait over a year for our vital support.
“We have only just re-opened most of our services to new referrals. Without the renewal of the Scottish Government’s waiting list funding we will lose £380,000 next year, which will result in losing over 10 specialist jobs in our support service. This will be devastating for survivors wanting to access our service or waiting for support. It will affect all our specialist support and advocacy services for survivors aged 12 and over in Edinburgh, East Lothian, and Midlothian.
“We are calling on the Scottish Government to hear our plea to protect specialist jobs and support services for survivors. Rape Crisis services are essential services and offer lifesaving support. This funding is critical to Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. We need long-term sustainable funding so that staff and survivors can be assured that we can continue to deliver all of our support services for years to come.”
