23/09/2026
You may have seen Monday's announcement that the government is planning to introduce specialist r**e and serious sexual offence courts across England and Wales.
At Sue Lambert Trust, we welcome this news.
For many years, survivors, charities and campaigners have been calling for change to a criminal justice system that can leave people facing long delays, uncertainty and, at times, additional trauma while seeking justice.
The planned changes, including dedicated courtrooms, more trauma-informed approaches, greater use of pre-recorded evidence and measures to make attending court feel safer, are an important step towards a system that better understands the needs of survivors.
But we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that trauma does not start or end with a court case.
For some survivors, the process of reporting r**e or sexual abuse, and going through the criminal justice system, can itself be deeply challenging and re-traumatising.
That’s why specialist organisations like Sue Lambert Trust are so important.
We provide wrap-around support for survivors before, during and after a court case, as well as support those who choose not to report at all.
Everyone’s experience is different; some people report immediately, some report years later, and some may never report.
Whatever someone decides, they deserve to be listened to, believed and supported, and specialist counselling and ther**eutic care should be available whenever a survivor is ready.
We hope these reforms will help create meaningful change and make the justice process more responsive to the needs of survivors. But alongside changes to the system, we must ensure survivors have access to the specialist support they need throughout their journey towards healing.
We’ve shared our full response to the announcement in our latest blog, including what the changes could mean for survivors and why wrap-around support remains so important.
You can read our full statement via the Linktree in our bio.
