Latest news with #NationalSocietyforthePreventionofCrueltytoChildren
Metro
7 days ago
- Metro
Young people are falling through the cracks when it comes to sexual abuse
Gaia Pope was just a teenager when she died. A 'loving and intelligent' girl, the 19-year-old enjoyed painting and drawing, and was described by friends as someone who 'hated injustice'. Gaia was also just a teenager when she was raped, groomed, and assaulted. Then 16, she became a victim of a huge injustice herself after local authorities missed more than 50 opportunities to support her. Instead, the young woman left her aunt's home in Swanage on November 7, 2017, and vanished without a trace after calling her twin sister. She had been suffering from PTSD and anxiety at the time, having just learned that her alleged rapist was released from prison. 11 days later, Gaia's body was found in a quiet area on the Dorset coastline. 'The world is less without Gaia,' her cousin Marienna Pope-Weidemann tells Metro. 'She used to come up to London with me to join the Save the NHS marches back when we had big demonstrations. 'She marched for the public services that eventually let her down so badly it killed her.' Gaia's story is not a one-off. Due to a deadly mix of underfunded services and a lack of education, thousands of young victims of sexual abuse in the UK are missing out on vital help. 'Support services for survivors have been decimated in the last 10 years during the course of the previous government,' Marienna explains. 'We talk about this issue as though it's some kind of super complicated technical saying that ordinary people can't understand, but it's not rocket science. We have a problem with funding essential public services in this country – that's what it comes down to.' Statistics around child sex abuse in the UK are staggering. Of an estimated 500,000 children abused each year, only 105,000 offences are recorded by police. Less than 2% of these young victims are seen by sexual assault referral centres in England and Wales and receive the help they need. Tony Kelly, a team manager for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children based in Liverpool, tells Metro that there needs to be more funding for sexual abuse organisations to help counsel young victims. Currently, the NSPCC is able to offer young survivors of sexual abuse up to 38 sessions – one of the highest numbers offered by a free service. 'But when you've got 500,000 children a year suffering sexual abuse, whether directly or online, and you've only got 450 centres across the UK to provide support – it really, really isn't enough,' admits Tony. 'And it's a number that's only gone up over the years.' Susan Geoghegan, a therapeutic social worker with the NSPCC in Liverpool, tells Metro that a lot of young people 'slip through the net' and never disclose their abuse. She explains: 'Even if they have, sometimes their disclosure hasn't gone anywhere because the adult that they tell might not know how to respond, or they may not believe what they've said. 'It can be so incomprehensible what a young child has said, and adults can have trouble managing that. 'I used to work in the substance misuse field. The number of people I worked with who have been addicted to drugs and alcohol and have been sexually abused… It's just something that's not dealt with.' Tony adds: 'We need to be able to have those uncomfortable conversations, whether it's within schools, in families or in the wider community, it's about recognising that child sexual abuse happens. It's the only way we can prevent it and support young people. 'There's also a large number of children who suffered sexual abuse by another child, and that's still something that we're not ok with talking about – but we need to be, because we have to deal with it.' Echoing Tony's comments, Simon Bailey, former National Police Chief for Child Protection and Chair of Embrace, tells Metro that child-on-child sexual violence has increased greatly over the last three years. In 2022, it accounted for 52% of the total number of reported child sex abuse cases. A year on, that figure increased to 55%. 'We should be asking why we are starting to see this become so prevalent. I don't think we have come to terms with the scale of the trauma children are being exposed to through sexual abuse and abuse online,' Simon explains. This is about challenging the logic of austerity. Simon believes that 'not enough' is being done to help the youngest victims of sexual violence recover and says more money needs to be invested in therapeutic services, like the NSPCC, which helps children recover from exposure to these heinous crimes. 'How do we do early preventative work to stop it happening in the first place?' he asks. The question of how to fund therapy to support the youngest victims of sexual abuse is a difficult one. The CSA (Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse) identified only 450 services across the country – the vast majority of them not for profit and most relying on funding from local authorities, government or donations. Meanwhile, government services working to address this issue are overwhelmed. Tony and Susan both worked in local authorities and say the services were exhausted, underfunded and sometimes not properly trained. Tony explains that the 'postcode lottery up and down the country when it comes to services' shows we need more investment in therapeutic services. 'We need to be able to make sure that every child who suffered abuse has access to the right service. But it can also be professionals themselves, not knowing who to turn to as well,' he says. Meanwhile, Susan points out that funding for services to help victims of child sexual violence should not be considered as 'funding', but rather an investment. The 'return' won't be seen right away, she adds, but if you don't invest money in helping young people, in 20 or 30 years time, you end up with an 'expensive addiction service'. 'You'll see the health implications, the social housing implications, crime implications… It all adds up,' Susan says. 'We have seen what investment can do. The five-year-old who couldn't leave her mum's side now can't wait to go to after-school clubs, saying 'Bye, mum!' and running off to join the other children. 'The 13-year-old who was at risk of losing their place in school and their foster placement is now joining the youth participation group, which feeds back directly to parliament. More Trending 'Then there's the 17-year-old who now has a really good relationship with their mum and her sister. At one point, they didn't – now they're making university applications,' Susan smiles. 'When the right service is provided and available, it makes a difference.' For Marienna Pope-Weidemann, to address the true scale of this crisis, we need to 'challenge the logic of austerity'. 'The most frustrating thing is this widespread failure just to call a spade a spade and acknowledge how bad things are and how much really needs to change,' she says. 'If Gaia had lived, I think she would have gone on to be a really powerful advocate for other young people like her and fight to get those services back and get them working for the community.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Boy dies after being 'left in hot car by child services driver shopping for tobacco' MORE: Boy guilty of 'pointless' murder after stabbing victim, 18, through the heart MORE: More than 5,000,000 victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking in the UK
Daily Record
22-07-2025
- 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@
Spectator
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
NSPCC refuses to apologise to Braverman
Baroness Casey's landmark review into Britain's grooming gangs published some truly horrific findings on Monday. The damning audit revealed that disproportionate numbers of Asian men were responsible for child sexual exploitation gangs and, shockingly, that the authorities failed to crack down on them for fear of being racist. It has prompted outrage from those who had been vilified for suggesting particular groups of people were more likely to be perpetrators than others – and Mr S is curious about whether the organisations who were quick to cry racism will now retract their criticism. It seems the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is not quite there yet. In May 2023, the organisation signed a joint letter – alongside 64 other groups – in which they huffed and puffed about comments made by Suella Braverman and Rishi Sunak on grooming gangs, rebutting ex-Home Secretary Braverman's claim that perpetrators of group-based offending were 'almost all British-Pakistani'. (IPSO deemed this to be misleading, but did not uphold the complaint after it accepted the Mail on Sunday's clarification, published some days later. The press regulator added: 'The Committee was not asked to, and did not, make a finding on the general issue of whether these offences are disproportionately committed by British-Pakistani men.') The letter blasted the 'misinformation, racism and division' spread by the politicians and claimed that 'partial, inaccurate or divisive claims' about child sexual abuse undermined crime prevention. The organisations fumed: We are extremely concerned that recent public communications about child sexual abuse from Government Ministers have been based on misleading information and risk creating division, rather than keeping children safe. But recent events have altered the accepted facts somewhat. The complex picture by the Casey report suggests that, where ethnicity data was logged (in around a third of the cases of group-based child sexual exploitation) there was an overrepresentation of Asian and Pakistani men. Take Manchester, for example: according to the report, over a three-year period 52 per cent of suspects involved in multi-victim, multi-offender child sexual exploitation cases were Asian compared to 38 per cent who were white. And, as Mr S has written before, Pakistani men are up to five times as likely to be responsible for child sex grooming offences than the general population, according to figures from the Hydrant Programme, which investigates child sex abuse. Around one in 73 Muslim men over 16 have been prosecuted for 'group-localised child sexual exploitation' in Rotherham, research by academics from the universities of Reading and Chichester has revealed. None of this is enough to make the NSPCC row back, however. Instead the organisation pointed Mr S towards its statement made on Monday in response to Baroness Casey's review, which said: Any child can be a victim of child sexual exploitation and adults who commit these horrific crimes come from different backgrounds and communities. Perpetrators target the most vulnerable and accessible children in society and if we narrow our focus, we risk missing those hiding in plain sight, whatever their ethnicity. When Steerpike pressed the society, it said it had no plans to put forward a retraction or apology. How very interesting. Perhaps some of the letter's other signatories may choose to distance themselves from that rather dated memo instead. Talk about aging badly, eh?
Leader Live
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Grooming gangs inquiry ‘must not delay action' against child abuse, says NSPCC
The Prime Minister said on Saturday that he had read 'every single word' of an independent report into child sexual exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey and would accept her recommendation for the investigation. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said it is 'pleased' with the decision – but added that a full national probe 'must not delay' urgent Government action. 'We are pleased to see the Prime Minister engaging with the recommendations set out in the Casey Review and will also read it line by line when it is published,' NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood said. 'But a national inquiry into abuse by organised networks must not delay urgent action on child sexual abuse that is long overdue. 'Survivors have already waited more than two years for the important recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) to be implemented,' Mr Sherwood added. The IICSA, chaired by Professor Alexis Jay, found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales. The seven-year probe made 20 recommendations in the final report published in 2022, as it described child sexual abuse as an 'epidemic' across the two nations. Earlier this year, the Government dismissed calls for a public inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal, saying its focus was on putting in place the outstanding recommendations already made in the IICSA. Mr Sherwood said the Government now has the opportunity to make tackling child sexual abuse 'a non-negotiable priority'. 'Child sexual abuse and exploitation by groups of offenders is deeply insidious and devastates lives,' he said. 'Now is the moment for this Government to take concerted action by making child safeguarding a non-negotiable priority. 'This means joined up work to prevent child sexual abuse across all public, private, and voluntary sector agencies and mandatory training so all those working with children can identify the signs of abuse, step in and stop offenders in their tracks. 'Most of all it means supporting victims and survivors by investing in life-changing therapeutic and recovery services and ensuring the justice system can cope with the current backlog of child sexual abuse cases in court.' Following the Prime Minister's announcement on Saturday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the move as a 'welcome U-turn', while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called on him to apologise for 'six wasted months'. 'Just like he dismissed concerns about the winter fuel payment and then had to U-turn, just like he needed the Supreme Court to tell him what a woman is, he had to be led by the nose to make the correct decision here,' she said. 'I've been repeatedly calling for a full national inquiry since January. It's about time he recognised he made a mistake and apologised for six wasted months.' Speaking to reporters on Saturday while on his visit to Canada, Sir Keir said: 'I have never said we should not look again at any issue. I have wanted to be assured that on the question of any inquiry. That's why I asked Louise Casey who I hugely respect to do an audit. 'Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry over and above what was going on. 'She has looked at the material she has looked at and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen. 'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation. 'That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.'
North Wales Chronicle
15-06-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Grooming gangs inquiry ‘must not delay action' against child abuse, says NSPCC
The Prime Minister said on Saturday that he had read 'every single word' of an independent report into child sexual exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey and would accept her recommendation for the investigation. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said it is 'pleased' with the decision – but added that a full national probe 'must not delay' urgent Government action. 'We are pleased to see the Prime Minister engaging with the recommendations set out in the Casey Review and will also read it line by line when it is published,' NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood said. 'But a national inquiry into abuse by organised networks must not delay urgent action on child sexual abuse that is long overdue. 'Survivors have already waited more than two years for the important recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) to be implemented,' Mr Sherwood added. The IICSA, chaired by Professor Alexis Jay, found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales. The seven-year probe made 20 recommendations in the final report published in 2022, as it described child sexual abuse as an 'epidemic' across the two nations. Earlier this year, the Government dismissed calls for a public inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal, saying its focus was on putting in place the outstanding recommendations already made in the IICSA. Mr Sherwood said the Government now has the opportunity to make tackling child sexual abuse 'a non-negotiable priority'. 'Child sexual abuse and exploitation by groups of offenders is deeply insidious and devastates lives,' he said. 'Now is the moment for this Government to take concerted action by making child safeguarding a non-negotiable priority. 'This means joined up work to prevent child sexual abuse across all public, private, and voluntary sector agencies and mandatory training so all those working with children can identify the signs of abuse, step in and stop offenders in their tracks. 'Most of all it means supporting victims and survivors by investing in life-changing therapeutic and recovery services and ensuring the justice system can cope with the current backlog of child sexual abuse cases in court.' Following the Prime Minister's announcement on Saturday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the move as a 'welcome U-turn', while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called on him to apologise for 'six wasted months'. 'Just like he dismissed concerns about the winter fuel payment and then had to U-turn, just like he needed the Supreme Court to tell him what a woman is, he had to be led by the nose to make the correct decision here,' she said. 'I've been repeatedly calling for a full national inquiry since January. It's about time he recognised he made a mistake and apologised for six wasted months.' Speaking to reporters on Saturday while on his visit to Canada, Sir Keir said: 'I have never said we should not look again at any issue. I have wanted to be assured that on the question of any inquiry. That's why I asked Louise Casey who I hugely respect to do an audit. 'Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry over and above what was going on. 'She has looked at the material she has looked at and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen. 'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation. 'That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.'
