Galway Bay fm newsroom – A city-based treatment service for young victims of sexual assault – the only of its kind in Ireland – is set to close after failing to secure adequate funding.
The Child and Adolescent Sexual Assault Treatment Service requires funding of 200 thousand euro a year – a figure the HSE is allegedly unwilling to provide.
The Child and Adolescent Sexual Assault Treatment Service, located near Galway Racecourse, was established in 2011 to assist victims of sexual abuse under 14 years of age.
It’s the only facility of it’s kind in the country – but now the HSE looks set to pull the plug on the 24 hour unit over a disagreement on funding.
The Casats unit requires 212 thousand euro a year to maintain the service, but the funding being made available by the HSE is just 100 thousand – not even half of the amount needed to keep the service operational.
Unit founder Dr Joanne Nelson says one of the main points of contention is the HSE’s refusal to fund the examination and support of children referred to the unit without active Garda involvement.
According to the Irish Times, the treatment service is now advising referring agencies that the unit can no longer accept those referrals.