CHILDLINE: We are here for children whenever they need to speak to someone

It’s vital children are able to know how to speak to a safe adult when something might be wrong. Picture posed by models.

But not every child is aware that what’s happening to them is wrong. Even then, they may not know how to seek support if they’re upset.

It’s vital that children are able to recognise the signs of abuse and know how to speak to a safe adult when something might be wrong, so the NSPCC visits primary schools across the country to help share essential safeguarding messages.

The charity’s Speak out, Stay safe programme has run in primary schools throughout the UK since 2011, and between April 2022 and March 2023 reached more than 1.2 million children in 5,332 schools across the country.

That included more than 185,000 children in 831 schools across the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber.

A new version of programme has been rolled out this month, but it still includes age-appropriate language to help primary school children understand abuse and teach them where to ask for help.

On average, two children in a primary school class have experienced abuse or neglect so empowering young people with this knowledge as early as possible is vital.

By helping them to recognise situations or signs of abuse, we can enable them to share their concerns with a safe adult as soon as they are worried something might be wrong.

Speak out, Stay safe includes a range of resources like virtual assemblies, lesson plans and face-to-face workshops with NSPCC trained volunteers.

The programme is available in English, Welsh and incorporating British Sign Language, and there is also a version of Speak out, Stay safe available for children with additional needs and disabilities.

It’s about sharing the knowledge in whatever way works best for the school or class, and it’s all completely free for the school.

Childline is here for children whenever they need to speak to someone. But giving them the knowledge and confidence to realise when something is wrong and how to speak out about it is equally important.

To find out more, go to https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/services/speak-out-stay-safe