The Survivors of Childhood Abuse Support (SOCAS) fund report shares insights from four and a half years of managing funding which delivers vital support to adult survivors of childhood abuse.
A total of £11.2m of Scottish Government funding was managed by Inspiring Scotland and provided to 29 charities across the country to deliver services between April 2020 and October 2024.
The SOCAS Fund supports survivors with their recovery, enabling them to enjoy the highest attainable standard of living, health, well-being, and family life. It is the only fund of its kind in Scotland and between 2020-2024 it has improved the health and wellbeing of over 20,000 survivors.
The fund provides resources specifically to support adult survivors (aged 16 plus), focusing on understanding, processing, and recovering from the effects of trauma.
This report presents insights into the work delivered with SOCAS funding, gathered from Inspiring Scotland’s experience as the fund manager, which includes fund reporting, monthly portfolio meetings, one-to-one meetings with funded charities, and an external evaluation of the work conducted in 2023.
Services are available across Scotland that survivors trust and where they feel safe and understood. Quality support enables survivors to learn how to manage and process the effects of their trauma. Lived experience is increasingly embedded in the design and delivery of services.
As the SOCAS programme entered a new phase of funding in October 2024, it is essential to acknowledge the rising demand for specialist services and the gaps in support that survivors need. Increasing awareness and accessibility to these vital services is crucial.
The report concludes with recommendations on how survivor support should develop, emphasizing the need for multi-year funding and collaborative efforts to sustain and expand services so that all survivors can access the support they need when they need it.
Download the research findings from the 2017 ‘Review of Independent Information and Support Services’. The report presents findings from an evaluation of project funded to deliver such activities under the Support in the Right Direction (SiRD) Fund.
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