Iris Quar argues that cuts to community services get pushed through at our peril
Seldom a day goes by without a headline that some organisation or charity is facing the choice of making cutbacks to services due to lack of funding.
Needless to say, these are all worthy causes, many of which have thrived for years. However I believe we miss a trick at our peril, if we do not address the wider societal issues that arise when these vital lifeline services are forced to go to the wall.
Last week the focus was on the plight of Glasgow’s Rape Crisis Centre, which has been delivering support over the last 40 years through its dedicated helpline and drop-in centre at Bell Street.
It addresses an issue that sadly just won’t go away. So where do the women that need that vital service turn to in instead? Our already overwhelmed NHS services have neither the capacity nor the specific skill set needed to fill the gap.
Their plight echoes that of Abused Men in Scotland (AMIS). The charity provides Scotland’s only dedicated helpline and one-to-one support services to men who are the victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence.
While the overall scale of the abuse against women is proportionally much greater, that does not negate the need for support to be available to men who find themselves in the same predicament; some 20 per cent according to Police Scotland statistics.
These, and many other support services up and down the country, play a key role in fulfilling the ever changing needs of a modern society.
Charities and other organisations working with victims who are often trapped at the margins of society facing violence and assault, including abuse, self-harm, offending behaviour and mental health issues, deliver much more than support to those facing these difficulties.
There is a much wider issue here around protecting our communities’ wider health needs. Our common thread is that we want to support people and help them move on and enjoy their lives to the full.
By actively supporting individuals in their given time of need, we are heading off the unthinkable consequences of sitting back and doing nothing.
From an holistic public health point of view we are mitigating future offending behaviour, self-harm, abuse, suicidal thoughts and isolation, by delivering programmes of support across Scotland.
These also have wide-reaching benefits, not least in promoting family cohesion and instilling a sense of caring in our society, for those who may not be as fortunate as others.
It is this empathy and care approach that makes us different. Cost is, and always will be, an issue vis-à-vis delivery of services. But you can’t put a price on a group of individuals who just want to make a change in victim’s lives because they can.
As a nation we boast many inventions and innovative practices to enhance our society and it is heritage we are staunchly proud of.
As we move forward, we must embrace this caring attribute where and when we can, to ensure we can continue to support our future generations in their hour of need.
Iris Quar is services manager at Abused Men In Scotland
