The NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) is a UK charity working and campaigning to protect children from abuse. The organisation works to protect all children from all forms of exploitation and violence, as well as challenging inequalities, giving children a voice and encouraging them to reach their potential. The NSPCC achieves this in several ways, such as lobbying governments on child welfare issues and raising awareness among the general public through a series of campaigns.
Ajab Samrai has orchestrated several powerful advertising campaigns highlighting social issues, which include child abuse for the NSPCC. The NSPCC operates in several key areas, including providing the ChildLine helpline for children, a second helpline for anyone reporting concerns about the treatment of children, online counselling, local service centres for families, and training centres for organisations working with young people.
Preventing Abuse
Preventing child abuse is one of the key areas of focus of the NSPCC. The charity helps to find ways to keep children safe and to provide a platform for reporting abuse, spotting the signs of neglect and abuse and working with partner organisations, families and individuals to keep children safe. In the infographic attachment you can find out more about child abuse statistics in the UK.
Children may be too scared to tell someone when they are being abused, or they may not even realise that is what is happening to them. They might feel like there is nobody who will listen, or who will believe them. The NSPCC offers advice on spotting the signs of abuse, which may differ among age groups and from child to child. It could be something as simple as a child acting significantly younger or older than appropriate for their age – abuse doesn’t always leave physical injuries.
The NSPCC also works in partnership with the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, an organisation established to help adults deal with the effects of being abused in childhood. More information about NAPAC can be found in the PDF attachment to this post.
Supporting New Parents
Research by the NSPCC highlighted the fact that many new parents do not get the support they need, depending on a postcode lottery. The report, which looked at the need for more help for families affected by mental health issues following the birth of a child, informed government policy changes. Off the back of this report and follow-up work, the health minister announced plans to introduce enough training facilities for there to be a midwife specialising in mental health in every one of England’s birthing centres by 2017.
Keeping Children Safe Online
The NSPCC works in partnership with O2 to help keep children safe online, implementing a series of online safety workshops aimed at educating parents and offering free safeguarding advice and information. While the internet can be a valuable tool for helping children learn, connect and explore the world, there is always the possibility that without the right measures in place, they will view content that is inappropriate for their age. By educating parents, the NSPCC is helping to ensure that children will have the correct safeguarding measures in place whenever they venture online.
Making Courts More Child-Friendly
The NSPCC actively campaigns to make courts more child-friendly, following research showing that children who have been abused can often find the legal justice process more frightening than the abuse they have suffered. Following an NSPCC petition, new measures have been implemented to allow vulnerable young people to pre-record evidence ahead of trial.
This is just some of what the NSPCC does to champion the cause of children in the UK. Find out how you can help support this vital work by watching the embedded short video.