Latest news with #NSPCC
Daily Record
10 hours ago
- Daily Record
NSPCC on keeping children safe in summer holiday clubs amid possible 'concerns'
Adults may have concerns about a child in their care over the summer break The summer holiday is the ideal time to head abroad and spend some much-deserved family time in the sun. Hotels and resorts in popular holiday destinations are fantastic at accommodating young children these days. Regardless of their age, there is sure to be an activity on site for them, from sport to singing. Kids clubs are also a popular choice for parents looking to have some one-on-one time with their partner and to let their children socialise. However, those working in holiday clubs might find themselves growing concerned about a child's wellbeing, or just wanting to ensure that the children under their supervision are being looked after to the best of their ability. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Joe Cartwright is a consultant who works with sports organisations, but before that he spent years working on the NSPCC helpline supporting parents, carers, professionals and adults in the community who reached out for support. Part of his role was making sure kids clubs knew they were never alone if they ever have a worry about a child. This extended to parents, too, who might find themselves with a concern when in the company of other children. Here he outlines how to keep children safe in summer holiday clubs. "Running a summer holiday club is incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with its share of worries," Joe said. "This could be new children joining who may have a more complex life at home, increased screen time and vulnerability to harmful situations, signs of neglect or isolation, community safety or pressure on emotional wellbeing. "If anyone ever finds themselves uncertain or concerned about a child's wellbeing, our helpline is here for them. It's a confidential and supportive space where anyone can discuss concerns and receive expert guidance. "You should feel comfortable discussing any concerns without fear of judgment. Whether you're a club leader, volunteer, parent or staff member, they're here to support you. "Our helpline is a free service, and we signpost to specialist services as needed. We also have specialist and dedicated helplines for non-recent abuse in football, cycling and gymnastics clubs, for staff who currently work in education, for whistleblowing, non-recent abuse and female genital mutilation." "Once you contact the helpline, a practitioner will talk through the situation but also explore wider concerns which may not have been presented," Joe explained. "A valuable tool they use is the assessment triangle used regularly by social workers. This framework helps to evaluate three critical areas: parenting capacity, the family environment, and the child's developmental needs. "By considering these aspects, the helpline staff can build a comprehensive picture of each child's situation and tailor their approach to the specific needs of each child, ensuring they offer you the right support." "The NSPCC Helpline maintains an impartial, child-first approach, allowing for anonymous calls or emails if needed," Joe went on. "While it's helpful to share your name, they make you understand the next steps and the importance of contact details if a referral is needed. "If there is an immediate danger to a child, please contact emergency services. For non-immediate concerns, our helpline is the right place to seek advice and support. "Don't sit on your worries - reach out to our helpline and let them help you in keeping children safe during the summer holidays," Joe urged. You can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
NSPCC issues advice on when to let kids play outside during summer holidays
Your child might want to head into town or go to the park but it's hard knowing whether to let them or not Raising children can be incredibly challenging, especially when the summer holidays hit and youngsters naturally start craving more freedom. The summer break is a time when kids step away from their normal routine. With that, they will be eager to venture out and socialise with classmates in town centres or local parks throughout the six-week holiday. However, feeling anxious about allowing your child to roam unsupervised is entirely natural, and determining whether your youngster is prepared to navigate public areas independently can prove difficult. So, how can you determine if it's appropriate to grant your child this freedom? The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has provided special guidance addressing this precise parenting question. Online, the NSPCC states: "As your child gets older, it's likely that they'll want to explore going out without you. When they ask, it can be helpful to find out a few basic facts to help you make the right decision for both of you." The specialists advise that youngsters under 12 should not be left without supervision, and that infants or toddlers must never be left unattended under any circumstances. Where they wish to go, what they plan to do, who they'll be with, and how far they're travelling are all crucial questions to ask before your child ventures out without you. The parenting experts also emphasised the importance of asking kids what time they expect to return. Before being allowed to go out alone, your child should know basic information such as their full name, address, and the phone numbers of at least two trusted adults, including their home numbers if available. Your child should also know how to reach you in an emergency and how to cross the road safely. Rachel Wallace, the NSPCC's local campaigns manager for the Midlands, told Worcester News: "It is important to think carefully and make sure you and your child are prepared, while also remembering the positives around supporting your child with developing skills for independence. "At the NSPCC, we have lots of information to help you make the decision that is right for your family. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "Infants and young children below three years of age should never be left alone, and children of primary school age would normally need supervision." Ultimately, it's important that both you and your child feel comfortable with them going out unsupervised. "Every child is different," Wallace continued. "At the NSPCC, we recommend building up a child's independence at their own pace and having regular open conversations to make sure they feel safe." If you're still uncertain whether your child is ready to go out alone, the NSPCC provides a useful quiz on its website. For more advice about whether to let your child play outside alone, visit or contact the NSPCC Helpline for free advice by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Home Office influencer resigns over Palestine Action proscription
Since the Covid pandemic, Government departments have increasingly used paid and unpaid social media influencers to promote areas of policy to audiences that might not be reached by traditional media. The Telegraph understands that all of Thorp's work with the Home Office was done on a voluntary basis. In 2020, the former Conservative government paid influencers who had appeared on Love Island, the the reality TV show, to promote the launch of the NHS's Test and Trace service. In March this year the Government Communication Service (GCS) published an influencer due diligence policy, setting out how civil servants should vet influencers before asking them to participate in campaigns. The policy said officials should 'check whether the influencer has publicly communicated on political issues recently (last 12 months), at a high volume (monthly or more) and in such a way that is likely to become a story in its own right and undermine the campaign'. Thorp has continued to criticise the Government for its policing of pro-Palestinian protesters in the UK. Recently sharing a video of an armed police officer threatening to arrest a protester holding a Palestinian flag, she wrote 'This is Yvette Cooper's Britain'. She described the incident as 'unbelievable' and asked 'where are all the free speech advocates now?' Thorp has also declined an invitation to appear at the Labour party conference in September as part of a panel on violence against women and girls organised by the NSPCC. She said in response to the request: 'I have ceased my work with the current Labour Government and will no longer be promoting any of the work they're doing to tackle violence against women and girls. 'While I obviously support domestic efforts and policies put in place to reduce violence against women and girls in the UK, their continued supply of arms licences to Israel along with their position as an ally to the IDF is wildly hypocritical.' 'She needs to stop virtue signalling' Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said Thorp should 'stop virtue signalling', adding: 'Palestine Action is a violent group who want to achieve their political aims through coercion and criminal damage. 'They have sabotaged an RAF aircraft, which our country relies on to defend us, they have smashed up property and they have even attacked a police officer with a sledgehammer. This is all totally unacceptable. 'In this country, we decide issues by debate and elections – not violence and intimidation. Palestine Action's methods should be condemned by anyone who believes in democracy and a peaceful political process. This influencer needs to stop virtue signalling on Instagram and call out Palestine Action's violent tactics.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
NSPCC Jersey seeks volunteers for abuse prevention project
A charity is looking for volunteers to take part in a project to help teach school pupils about Jersey said it had launched a search for volunteers to deliver its Speak Out Stay Safe assemblies and workshops at primary scheme aims to help pupils different forms of abuse and how to get help from adults or the NSPCC's Childline who want to volunteer do not need any previous experience of working with children as training would be provided, the charity said. Anyone interested in taking part was asked to visit the NSPCC volunteering website.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
We need to talk more about body image pressures young people face
Over the last academic year, the NSPCC's Childline service delivered nearly 3,500 counselling sessions focused mainly on disorders related to eating or body image. Data on the age of the children involved was available for just under 80 percent of those sessions, and shows that nearly two-thirds of those seeking help were aged between twelve and fifteen. Young people mentioned body image issues as part of broader discussions in nearly 1000 other sessions operated by Childline, with similar instances of children discussing restricting their food intake because of fears about the way they look. The main topics being raised by those taking part in counselling included worries about weight, binge eating, purging, over-exercising – and the difficulty of accessing support services. Examples include a fifteen year old boy who said: 'I hate my body. I wish it was more muscly, more manly. I go to the gym loads but I still feel uncomfortable in there knowing how small I look to everyone.' Or a sixteen year old girl who explained: 'Seeing other girls' bodies in PE made me feel so fat besides them. I tried to ask my mum about losing weight and she was a bit dismissive, so I knew I needed to tackle it myself. I put myself on very low calories, which is working, but I have been fainting, feeling really exhausted, and stopped focusing at school. I think I know this isn't the right way to do it, but is it that bad if no one has even noticed I'm doing it yet?' Read more: Lessons to Learn | Should we cut down the length of the summer school holidays? And there's the twelve-year-old girl who said: 'This girl at school would always call me fat. My friends are all skinny, the girls I see on TikTok are skinny. I started purging and skipping meals last year and I'm finally skinny, but mum finally noticed and gets angry when I don't eat properly. I can't go back to eating 3 meals a day again, I can't go back to being fat.' For 24-year-old Lauren (not her real name) from Glasgow, whose struggles with body image began nearly twenty years ago, it took the intervention of a friend for her to seek help, and even then it wasn't easy to find the right support: 'From as young as five, I was having body image insecurities. I would look at different parts of my body and think it wasn't good enough or try to measure the size of my stomach. 'When I got to secondary school my eating disorder habits started, and I began to manipulate my food intake. 'Restricting my food intake was a way of staying in control. I would have juice and water throughout the day in school and then go home and have my dinner so no one would notice. I was trying to be as secretive about it as possible. Read more: Lessons to Learn | What have we learned about Scottish education over the past year? 'When I was at university and the pressure started to build academically, I felt I needed to put more discipline into my routine and that included food, exercise and weight loss. I started calorie counting and restricting my food intake again. 'I ended up unconscious after a night out due to the impact on my body from not eating, alongside drinking alcohol. The next day my friend booked me a doctor's appointment, came with me and spoke on my behalf because she was so worried. 'Then I was admitted to an NHS specialised treatment programme for eating disorders. Unfortunately, I didn't find the service very helpful and eventually sought private support instead.' The NSPCC has issued some advice points for parents and guardians that include being mindful of how we speak about our bodies, focusing on health rather than appearance, taking concerns seriously, discussing unrealistic portrayals in the media, and seeking support when needed. Young people, meanwhile, are told about the importance of speaking to people about their feelings and asking for help when they are struggling, as well as trying to limit the extent to which they compare themselves to others. But that's all easier said than done, especially now. Magazine content and television culture had a devastating impact on many people's body image during past decades, but algorithmic social media is probably more powerful and more poisonous than either of them. For some reason we still don't take this problem as seriously as we should, even though we probably all know someone who has struggled with body image and eating disorders, and despite the recent increases in the number of children and young people hospitalised with eating disorders. We don't talk enough about the pressures that so many young people experience when it comes to body image, or the ways in which our culture adds to the burden, and in that silence exists a great deal of pain, suffering, and tragedy. The only way to start to fix the problem is to talk about it. For the sake of our children, that's what we should do. Young people can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or via 1-2-1 chat on Adults with concerns about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@
