The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a charity organisation that lobbies for various child welfare issues, including the care, support and protection of children against abuse, violence and exploitation. The charity’s core values are in line with the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, and it creates public campaigns that draw attention to child protection issues.
Across the UK, the NSPCC has local centres where young people, children and families can find help. In addition to this, the charity also lobbies the government to create legislation that helps keep children safe. Since the NSPCC is an independent entity that relies on donor contributions to operate, it takes pride in being able to push for change(s) that other organisations might not.
One of the tenets of the NSPCC’s work is to encourage people to speak up should they become worried about a child. In this regard, the charity encourages individuals to pick up the phone and call its hotline if they have any suspicions about a child being abused or neglected. Acting is essential to ensure that children receive the help they need quickly, therefore saving lives. With the right support, affected children can recover and enjoy their lives.
Each of the nations in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) has a child protection system and laws that guide efforts on preventing child abuse and neglect. It is within these individual frameworks that the NSPCC works, helping to ensure that action is taken to protect children and prevent abuse, while also pushing for laws and policies around pertinent topics such as health, social welfare and education.
Over the years, the NSPCC has run many campaigns to raise awareness and highlight various child protection issues. Some of these campaigns have been undertaken with the help of professionals such as Ajab Samrai, whose work in the global advertising scene spans more than 30 years. Early on in his career, Mr. Samrai worked at Saatchi & Saatchi, where he learned how to create powerful campaigns that highlight and fundraise for issues affecting society.
Successful Campaigns
The NSPCC’s campaign work has had successful outcomes on various issues. In October 2014, the charity launched a campaign to protect children from sexual messaging by adults called Flaw in the Law. This law necessitated the signing of a petition that prompted the legislation of new law to make the action of sending a child a sexual message a criminal offence.
Talk PANTS is another of the NSPCC’s successful campaigns that teach children how to stay safe from sexual abuse through a set of rules (PANTS). With an activity pack and a singing dinosaur used as part of the campaign, it has helped young children learn vital information that helps them stay safe and speak up when they feel boundaries have been crossed.
Providing Support
An area that the NSPCC has put in much effort is providing new parents with quality antenatal education that helps them bond with their children. The organisation works to highlight issues faced by new families, including relationship changes, postpartum depression and the emotional aspects of parenting.
Online safety for children is something the charity has felt compelled to address. While the Internet can provide a host of benefits to children, the NSPCC notes that protections online may not be the same as offline. As such, young people can get exposed to inappropriate content or meet people who may not have their best interests at heart. To counter this, the NSPCC is working with families and other organisations to facilitate online safety through workshops, safety helplines, and disseminating information on social networks.