Helpline faces closure

By Sunil Peck

A specialist telephone helpline which provides counselling and support to people with learning difficulties faces closure because of a lack of funding.

The helpline* is run by the charity Respond, which supports people with learning difficulties who are the victims and perpetrators of abuse.

It is staffed by therapists trained to offer emotional and psychological support on issues including sexual and physical abuse and bereavement.

Richard Curen, chief executive of Respond, said the impact of dwindling funds began to bite at the end of August.

He said: "We have the helpline funded for three days a week until March. We've only got one helpline worker but we used to have a manager and two workers."

He said he was "cautiously optimistic" that Respond could secure funding to keep the helpline open after March next year.

But he said that if the helpline did have to close, it would be "disastrous" for people with learning difficulties, because although there are information lines for people with learning difficulties, there are no services offering the same specialist support that Respond provides.

And he said there was also a risk that the charity itself could have to close, again due to lack of funding. He said this was partly due to the wider difficulties facing the UK economy.

Michelle Chinery, a disability activist and independent learning difficulties consultant, has used the helpline regularly over the last few months. She said that it would be a "crisis" if the helpline closed.

She said: "Respond are doing a vital job and they have done a lot to help me. The helpline needs to stay because it helps a lot of people. I don't think the government realise that."

*Tel: 0808 808 0700

15 October, 2008