An average of sixty sex offences against children were recorded every day by police in England and Wales last year the NSPCC reveals today.

The statistics which were obtained under a Freedom of Information request from all 43 forces in England and Wales, show under-18s were victims of sex crimes, including rape, gross indecency and incest, on 21,618 occasions during 2008-091.

One in seven of the children (3035) were younger than ten and 1,000 were five and under. In more than three out of four cases the offences were committed against 10 to 17-year-olds (17,091)2.

The statistics show girls were six times more likely than boys to be the victims of a sex crime. And the number of incidents where the offender knew the victim was four times higher than those involving strangers.3

The Home Office gathers data from police forces for its annual crime report, which shows there was a total of 51,4884 for all sexual offences in 2008-09, including both adults and children and only splits the figure to show those over or under 13.
Combining these statistics blurs the picture and even though detailed age breakdowns of victims are collected by police they are not passed to the Home Office.
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This is the second year5 the NSPCC has collected this data and is again calling on the UK Government to publish these details and to clearly link them with the number of convictions and other penalties resulting from the recorded offences. This information could then feed into a national sex abuse prevention strategy as well as helping the development of local services to treat child victims.

NSPCC director of strategy and development Phillip Noyes said: “These figures show just how many children are still being sexually abused every day. It’s a shocking picture – even more so because these are only offences reported to the police. We believe the true extent of the problem is far worse.

“Some of these children are so young they can’t tell anyone what is happening. So it’s vital that adults look out for them and call the NSPCC helpline or contact police and social services if they are concerned.

“Even when they are older some children don’t speak out about the sexual abuse they have suffered because they’re scared they won’t be believed. But help is always available for them through ChildLine.” (0800 1111)

Media office on 020 7825 2533. Out of hours mobile 07976 206 625.

Notes to editors:

1.     The NSPCC asked each police force in England and Wales via a Freedom of Information request. All forces responded. The questions were: 1. How many children (under18) were victims of sex offences committed in your police force area during the year April 2008 – March 2009. 2. Can you supply a gender and exact age breakdown for these victims? 3. What is the relationship of the alleged offender to the victim, if known?

2.     Not all police forces gave a specific age or gender breakdown. Some only gave age ranges.

3.     Nearly two-thirds of the forces (26) provided details about offender relationships.

4.     Source: Home Office Statistical Bulletin, Crime in England and Wales 08/09.

The total number of recorded offences for 2007-08 was 20,758 but one force did not provide any statistics.

Tags: Child Abuse, child protection, Child Safety, ChildLine, nsppc

Cases of child cruely and neglect reached record levels, new police figures reveal

Sunday December 20,2009

By Lucy Johnston

CASES of child cruelty and neglect have reached record levels, new police figures reveal.

The statistics, drawn from the Home Office crime data base show that cases of child abuse are at their highest since records began.

Between 2008 and 2009 police handled 6,184 – a three-fold increase compared to 2000 and 2001. The figures have been compiled as part of a joint Sunday Express and NSPCC crusade to demand that child neglect becomes a political priority in the run-up to the next general election. Last week the Sunday Express revealed one neglected child is dying every week. We also showed how the same “failures and deficiencies” behind the deaths are being repeated year after year despite a string of high-profile abuse cases, including baby Peter.

Diana Sutton, head of campaigns and public affairs for the NSPCC, said: “The jump in crimes against children should sound a warning bell for politicians. They must make the same commitment to tackling these crimes as they do others.”

For more information on NSPCC visit http://www.charities-direct.co.uk/

Tags: Charities, Child Abuse, child protection, Child Safety, Diana Sutton, NSPCC

On 18 November around 150 children from primary and secondary schools in Kirklees, West Yorkshire attended an anti-bullying conference at Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield. The focus of the day was cyber-bullying.

The conference was the idea of young people who take part in the Kirklees Young People’s Forum. They designed the logo for the event and some of the workshops.

The children attended a variety of workshops presented by ChildLine, West Yorkshire Police, Barnardo’s Missing Project and the NSPCC Shield Project and were engaged in a range of activities including drama, making badges and an anti-bullying pledge, creating a collage and a graffitti wall.

The NSPCC Shield Project, which works with children and young people who display sexually harmful behaviour, ran workshops to address bullying by text with the primary school age children and sexting for the secondary school age children.

Workshops were also presented by children from a local primary school and two secondary school students.

What the children had to say about the event

“I liked it a lot. I found it very helpful. Bullying is not a very nice thing.”

“I feel I have learned some important things and I have learned confidence and good manners.”

“It doesn’t matter what race you are, what colour you are or where you’re from – we are all equal. It’s important to share the message about cyber-bullying – it shouldn’t happen to anyone.”

The children will be taking the messages back to their schools – each school will be making its own pledges and repeating some of the other activities.

For more info on NSPCC http://www.charities-direct.co.uk/charities/nspcc.htm

Tags: Barnardo's Missing Project, Bullying, Child Abuse, child protection, ChildLine, Cyber Bullying, NSPCC, NSPCC Shield Project, West Yorkshire Police

The Daily Mail begins a three-week Christmas campaign today to raise awareness of and money for the NSPCC. In the first of a series of stories and case studies, Esther Rantzen movingly describes a night answering the phone at ChildLine. Read the article on the Daily Mail website.

Articles will run in the Female section of the paper and online each Thursday until Christmas Eve. Keep your eye on the Mail over the next three weeks, and spread the word to your family, friends and contacts.

For More Info on the NSPCC http://www.charities-direct.co.uk/charities/nspcc.htm

Tags: campaign, Child Abuse, child protection, ChildLine, Daily Mail, Esther Rantzen, Mail campaign, NSPCC

A new course to give doctors more skills in managing suspected cases of child abuse has been launched by the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health (RCPCH), the NSPCC and the Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG).

Child Protection in Practice provides specialty trainees with the competencies required for their on-going child protection practice. It will be rolled out to doctors training in paediatrics.

Every paediatrician has to take a recognised child protection course as part of their training. It is hoped that eventually everyone studying paediatrics will undertake the RCPCH, NSPCC and ALSG training course too.

Child Protection in Practice has been designed by the RCPCH, NSPCC and the ALSG. It is an e-learning course and each of the modules is taught using a variety of interactive techniques. There are also facilitated online discussion forums for some topics so that trainees can benefit by sharing experiences not only with peers but with senior colleagues.

This new course builds on the Child Protection Recognition and Response course launched in 2006 and will strengthen the nationwide training standard for all doctors and specialists who work closely with children and young people.

Dr Alistair Thomson, Vice-President, Education, Royal College Paediatrics and Child Health:

“Children in whom abuse is suspected are routinely brought to paediatricians for assessment. The RCPCH aims to educate paediatricians in training to recognise and respond appropriately to possible cases of child abuse. This course will equip paediatricians to diagnose – or exclude – abuse and then work with other team members in the best interests of the child.”

Enid Hendry, NSPCC Director of Training and Consultancy said:

“Great reliance is placed on the skills and judgement of paediatricians to ensure the right decisions are made when child abuse or neglect is suspected. This authoritative new training programme will help them play their critical role with increased confidence and knowledge and help ensure children get better protection.”

For information on the NSPCC http://www.charities-direct.co.uk/

Tags: ALSG, Child Abuse, Child Health, child protection, Child Protection in Practice, Child Protection Recognition and Response, Dr Alistair Thomson, NSPCC, nsppc, RCPCH, Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health

A new NSPCC report today (Mon 27 July) shows ChildLine counselled a record 58,311 boys last year, more than double the number five years ago.

The report – What Boys Talk About to ChildLine – found bullying was the top problem, with 12,568 boys calling about it in 2007/08. The report also reveals that 6,403 boys rang about physical abuse and 4,780 about sexual abuse with 1,803 saying they had been raped.
Other key findings show:

Those calling ChildLine about feeling lonely, sad and isolated has increased five-fold from 334 five years ago to 1,817.
Over 6000 rang about serious emotional stress within the family.
The number calling about sexuality has increased more than three fold from five years ago to 3,510.
There were 5,362 calls concerning the facts of life (1) – also three times the figure five years ago.
Those boys who called ChildLine about sexual or physical abuse most commonly named a parent as the perpetrator (2) .

ChildLine gets more calls from girls but the trend is beginning to change with one in three now coming from boys compared with just 20 per cent five years ago. This improvement is to be welcomed but more needs to be done.

One 14- year -old boy who called said: “My dad hits me with a belt as punishment. This happens once or twice a month and leaves marks for days.”

And a 17- year- old told ChildLine: “I was sexually abused by a relative when I was a child. I have very vivid memories of being raped. I still feel angry that it ever happened.”

Another boy aged 15 explained to counsellors: “Boys at school strangle, punch and kick me, I feel lonely and angry with the teachers who seem to do nothing and I feel suicidal. I’ve never told anyone before.”

Head of ChildLine Sue Minto said: “Desperate boys call ChildLine because they feel they have no one to turn to. It’s heartbreaking to hear their stories of rape and violent beatings, often by their parents. They sometimes suffer in silence for months before they tell anyone. By the time they call us they can be suicidal

“There’s still the stigma that boys don’t cry but it may be there’s no longer so much pressure to be macho. Our counsellors are trained to help boys express their emotions – we want to encourage more of them to speak out about their abuse.”

ChildLine counsellor Alex Gray said: “Sometimes, you have to work hard to get boys to talk about what’s really troubling them. But once they do they’re surprised that someone’s there listening to them.”

Sue Minto added: “Not all the boys tell us whether they have spoken out about their problems before. But for nearly half of those who did it was the first time they were speaking out. We strongly urge boys who are struggling with their problems to call us on 0800 1111.

“Since ChildLine joined with the NSPCC in 2006 the helpline has been expanded and answers more calls from children and young people than ever before. Even so ChildLine is still unable to answer one in three calls but boys and girls need us more than ever and we urgently need public support to help save young lives and to be there for more children.”

In response, the NSPCC is urgently calling on the public to donate to its Child’s Voice Appeal. The charity needs to raise an extra £50 million over the next three years, in addition to £30 million already pledged by the UK Government so ChildLine can try to answer every call for help.

Tags: Charities, Child Abuse, child protection, Child Safety, ChildLine, Gifts, Gifts For Others (And Yourself!)

A huge shortfall in therapy is leaving thousands of sexually abused children struggling to recover from their ordeal, a new NSPCC report reveals.

Each year at least 55,000 sex abuse victims face behavioural and mental health problems because of a post-code lottery in therapeutic services.

There is only one support programme for every 25,000 children living in the UK and many areas provide no therapeutic provision for sexually abused children at all.

The 508 services identified in the report are so over-stretched that many are being forced to close their books. And those children and teenagers who get treatment often have to wait between three months and a year for this to begin.

The report* reveals that teenagers are especially likely to miss out on therapy because they are less able to access services for adults and may be considered too old to get support on a child protection plan.

Eleven percent of young adults report experiences of physical sexual abuse during their childhoods (1). The report’s authors say the number of treatment spaces would have to grow fourfold to cope with the estimated numbers of sexually abused children and young people seeking support at any one time (2).

Debbie Allnock, who led the research and is based at the NSPCC’s Fresh Start in London, said: “Sexual abuse can have devastating consequences for a child but it remains a low priority within mainstream mental health services and among local authorities. Yet experiences of sexual abuse are common among people with severe long-term behavioural, criminal and addiction problems.

“Long waiting lists mean that if a young person is sexually abused they often don’t get the therapeutic help they need unless they also have a child protection plan. It takes bravery for a young person to tell someone about their sexual abuse and ask for help. But their suffering may only get noticed when they show significant signs of distress, anguish or damaging behaviours. They may then have a long wait for the support they desperately need.”

Sexually abused children often need many months of therapy to help them overcome the impact of their abuse – ‘quick fix’ solutions are rarely enough. Yet the report, funded by the Private Equity Foundation, found that therapeutic programmes often risk being cut short due to lack of resources.

Debbie Allnock continued: “It is vital that effective specialist support is readily available when children want it, for as long as they want it. This helps reduce their psychological injury and enables them to lead more fulfilled lives. The severe lack of services across the UK is a serious problem that needs huge investment.”

This pioneering research has identified for the first time the scale of the problem across the UK. But to ensure there is an accurate local picture the NSPCC is urging all Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to track the number of sexually abused children who receive therapy.

This will help the government identify gaps in services and provide help for sexually abused children who might otherwise slip through the net.

Tags: Child Abuse, child protection, Child Safety, ChildLine, Children, Mental Heath

NSPCC supporter Sian Salter will stand on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth this Friday (31 July) to promote the Child’s Voice Appeal for the NSPCC Helpline and ChildLine service.

Sian – a nutritional therapist and mother of two from London – will take her stand on the Fourth Plinth from 1–2pm on Friday. She will be dressed in the Child’s Voice Appeal image of butterfly ‘ears’, as part of Antony Gormley’s One & Other exhibition.

Sian says: “The second anniversary of Baby Peter’s death is on Monday. I was shocked at his brutal torture and death at the hands of callous carers like everyone else. But tragically, he is not the only one. In my own life I have come across cases of child abuse that have saddened me deeply. People should phone the NSPCC when they have concerns about a child.

“I want to use this opportunity to do something to help stop child cruelty. This is why I am supporting the NSPCC Child’s Voice Appeal.”

Every hour, on average, ChildLine counsels 80 calls from children. To mark this, Sian is asking NSPCC Facebook fans to post her 80 short messages of support on the wall below.

Sian says: “Going onto the plinth is a daunting prospect. But it is nothing compared to the courage a child needs to pick up the phone to ChildLine.

“I will carry a banner onto the Plinth telling everyone: The hardest thing for an abused child is to speak out. Help give them a voice. I’ll spend my hour sticking 80 butterflies onto the banner for each child who ChildLine listens to in that time.

“All the brave children who phone ChildLine have no-one else to talk to. If 80 people post their messages of support here, it would be like each child has a friend cheering them on. That would mean such a lot.”

The NSPCC launched its three year Child’s Voice Appeal last year to raise £50 million to maintain and grow its helplines, text and online counselling services. This is needed in addition to £27 million that the Government has pledged. Visit www.childsvoiceappeal.org.uk for more information or to make a donation.

Sian is the third person to go onto the Plinth in aid of the NSPCC Helplines. The NSPCC may distribute messages of support left for her here through other channels.

One & Other is commissioned by the Mayor of London in partnership with Sky Arts. Watch all the action live from the plinth every Friday at 7pm on Sky Arts 1/HD and online at www.oneandother.co.uk.

Adults concerned about a child can call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000. Any child with a worry or a problem can call ChildLine on 0800 1111.

Tags: Charities, Child Abuse, child protection, Child Safety, ChildLine, Gifts, Gifts For Others (And Yourself!)

The internet is changing fast – and not always for the better – because for children the dangers it presents are just as real as the opportunities to learn and make friendships.

And unless we take the chance we have now to make the internet safer, we will fall even further behind the criminals who are taking advantage of the industry’s slowness to act.

As you read this there are millions of illegal images of child abuse in circulation online. Children are visiting social networking sites that have no effective control over their content. And with more and more public WiFi zones plus web-enabled mobile phones, access to dangerous content has never been easier.

But together we can make the net safer – please sign our Safety.Net petition now.

The new UK Council for Child Internet Safety is deciding how to make the internet and mobile phones safer for children – and we have the chance to influence it by petitioning the Prime Minister directly on six key issues.

Stop the use of software for private sharing of child abuse images

Block children’s mobile phone access to adult content

Ensure social networking sites protect young users by proactively reviewing and removing offensive/illegal content

Pre-install child safety software on all computer and mobile web devices

Make therapeutic services available for children who have been abused and had pictures and films of the abuse appear on the internet

Provide specialist training for professionals who deal with online offenders The NSPCC has influenced policy in the past with your help and we can, and must, do so again today.

Please sign the Safety.Net petition now and make the net a safer place for children.

Thank you.

Christine Wood
Relationship Manager

Tags: Charities, Child Abuse, child protection, Child Safety, Home Electricals and Computers, Internet Crime, Internet Security, NSPCC

The number of suicidal children counselled by ChildLine has tripled in the last five years to an average of nearly 60 a week the NSPCC reveals today (23 March 2009).

One in 14 is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical care.

Last year, nearly 3,000 children phoned ChildLine1 because they were feeling suicidal. Some said they had attempted suicide, while others made attempts while on the phone to a counsellor.

Head of ChildLine, Sue Minto says: “It is heartbreaking to listen to children talk of wanting to consider suicide. For a suicidal child, ChildLine can literally be a lifeline. Our counsellors are trained to deal with suicide calls so they can assess the danger and how best to help.”

Since ChildLine joined with the NSPCC in 2006, the helpline has been expanded and answers more calls from children and young people than ever before. Even so, ChildLine is still unable to answer one in three calls.

In response, the NSPCC is urgently calling on the public to donate to its Child’s Voice Appeal.(4) The charity needs to raise an extra £50 million over the next three years, in addition to £30 million already pledged by the UK Government, so that ChildLine can try to answer every call for help.

Sue Minto says: “Children need ChildLine more than ever. We desperately need public support to help save young lives and be there for more children.”

Read more:

Tags: Charities, Child Abuse, child protection, Child Safety, ChildLine, Gifts, Gifts For Others (And Yourself!), NSPCC