VITAL outreach services for Wyre Forest women and children who have suffered domestic abuse look set to fold because of a funding crisis.

Money to run the women's service has already run out and the children and young people's service will close on May 16 unless it rec-eives an 11th hour windfall.

A children's outreach spokeswoman, who did not want to be identified, said: "I am deeply concerned for the children I support.

"They have had a lot taken away from them in their lives already and, again, something else is being taken away."

She explained the services were a "lifeline" for many women and children. Last year, 39 desperate women were referred for outreach, which helps them to sort out their problems before being forced to take the drastic action of fleeing to the refuge.

The children's service provides outreach support to youngsters aged five to 18 and an aftercare service for those who have lived at the refuge.

"Without these services, more women and children will be forced to flee their homes, making themselves homeless and escalating the problem," said the spokeswoman.

Current trust funding is ending and the district's women's refuge, which runs the services, has so far been unable to attract new funding.

The refuge, itself, is funded separately and is not at risk.

The women's outreach was established several years ago and was originally run with two paid workers. Funding limits forced that to be cut to one when it attracted £75,000 over three years from the Tudor Trust, but that ran out at the end of March.

The service needs £27,000 to carry on over the next 12 months but applications to over-subscribed grant-giving bodies have so far failed.

"Some of the bodies which have helped us previously don't allow you to apply straight away for a second time and we don't fit the criteria for some. Others are just too overloaded with applications," said the spokeswoman.

The children's outreach was set up just a year ago with grants totalling £13,000 and has helped 23 needy youngsters.

The spokeswoman said it was one of only a handful of such services in the country and there was nothing similar to help young children.

She had hoped to secure funding amounting to £37,000 for 2005-06 to enable a second part-time worker to be appointed, to set up a support group for the children and give them outings and offer them specialist services like therapeutic play.

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