New specialist centres to help victims of sexual assault are proposed in Swansea as part of a new-look service across south, mid and west Wales.
The sexual assault referral centres - one for adults and one for children up to the age of 16 - are likely to be in the city's SA1 , although no venue has been disclosed.
The developments come after Swansea Bay University Health Board chiefs approved the recommendations of a long-running review of sexual assault services.
The new model for south, mid and west Wales will comprise centres for children in Cardiff and Swansea, where victims can be assessed, supported and referred to other services.
There will be adult centres in Cardiff, Swansea and Aberystwyth with smaller, linked ones in Merthyr Tydfil, Risca, Newton and Carmarthen, providing support, therapy and sexual health screening.
Health boards and police forces will contribute equally to the cost of the new service, which experts hope will meet the needs of victims better than currently.
There have been difficulties recruiting paediatricians in Swansea, meaning some children under the age of 14 having to travel to Cardiff to be assessed.
It is hoped that a new facility meeting forensic standards in SA1 will help address this recruitment issue.
The review, carried out by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: "The proposed service model recognises the importance of having an experienced workforce to ensure the quality received by children is of the highest standard.
"It is important a child is seen by the most appropriate individual as the trauma of being seen by the wrong person may be as bad as the assault."
In 2017-18, there were 2,094 adult and child sexual assault cases in south, mid and west Wales, with 817 of these historic cases.
The new-look service recommends that 16 and 17-year-old victims are seen at the Cardiff, Swansea and Aberystwyth centres.
The adult and children's centres are expected to be up and running in 2020-21, with the smaller adult hubs operational the following year.
The report before Swansea Bay University Health Board warned of possible delays due to financial pressures experienced by participating bodies.
The health board, which covers Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, said it had funding earmarked for the SA1 facility, but the report added: "The total cost of model may significantly exceed the original costs identified as a result of more detailed modelling work and agreed phasing."
