Childline: It's vital abuse victims have the confidence to speak out and know they will be listened to
Child abuse can take many forms and sadly it’s something that happens every day across the UK. Last year, there were 10,455 sexual offences against children, under the age of 16, recorded by police across the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber.
It’s feared the number could be much higher, as many crimes go unreported as the person may fear not being believed or they’re simply too scared to speak out. The NSPCC and Childline want to change this.
Abuse can have a devastating impact so it’s vital victims have the confidence to speak out and know they will be listened to.
Our colleagues in the NSPCC Schools Service visit primary schools across the North East and the whole of the country to share the Speak out, Stay safe service. Using age-appropriate language, they help children understand that abuse is never their fault, they have the right to be safe, and that our Childline counsellors are always available whenever they need support.
Like Childline, the service relies on dedicated volunteers to share its important safeguarding information and workshops, which all offer support and signpost children to our counsellors and website as a safe space to talk about whatever they are experiencing.
In the last year, across the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, they reached 184,898 children in 786 schools with Speak out, Stay safe and their Talk Relationships programme which offers support to teachers and young people in secondary schools across the region.
Like Childline, they want to be there for every child, and need help from anyone who can spare just a few hours a month to be able to do this.
Anyone who volunteers is given full training and support, and you don’t need previous experience to apply. If you can spare some time each month to help the Schools Service deliver the Speak out, Stay safe or Talk Relationships programmes, you can register your interest at https://join-us.nspcc.org.uk/volunteers/volunteers/schools/
*Primary schools can sign up to Speak out, Stay safe at https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/services/speak-out-stay-safe
*More information about Talk Relationships can be found here – https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/services/talk-relationships