PATCH/Helderberg Child Abuse Centre: PROJECT

Daily, there are on average, two children sexually abused in the Helderberg area. The majority of the children reported to PATCH are young girls, the youngest being only 6 months old. A total of 370 cases were reported to PATCH last year. Receiving therapy after an incidence of child sexual abuse is of the utmost importance and PATCH staff members have seen the positive impact it has had on the children they come into contact with and therefore wish to continue for years and years to come.

In response to the tragic yet preventable problem of Child Sexual Abuse, PATCH implemented an accessible and FREE Therapy Project available in the Helderberg to all children under the age of 18 years. Therapy is free of charge to all racial, religious and status groups, each child will attend an hour of therapy once a week for a minimum period of a year. The key factor in the success of the project is that the therapeutic service will be given by our suitably qualified Social Workers who are supplied with the necessary equipment and facilities needed to enable them to carry out their work.
PATCH planned on receiving an average of 580 reports of child sexual abuse with only 300 children who would continue to receive therapy once their case of abuse had been assessed and PATCH assisted 370 children (between the ages of 0 - 18 years of age) through therapy during 2011.

PATCH is an existing project and has been in operation since 1992, therefore this project has been a continuous one for the past 20 years. In the past ten years, PATCH has seen a dramatic increase in the number of child clients receiving therapy in the Helderberg. This is seen in a positive light as the more children who disclose their case of sexual abuse can receive the therapy needed to deal with their trauma as well as assist in the conviction of their perpetrator(s). More than 400 children receive free therapy from our registered social workers, almost 200 children are supported during medical examinations to collect evidence and over 6 000 children are reached by our prevention efforts every year. We are proud of our services and we do believe that we are making a difference in the lives of sexually abused children.