insideKENT Magazine Issue 49 - April 2016 | Page 137

CHARITY

SPEAK OUT STAY SAFE WITH

nspcc

Over 40,000 children across the South East of England
have learnt to stay safe from abuse thanks to leading
children’s charity, the NSPCC. They have been learning
about abuse in all its forms, how to stay safe, and who
to go to for help should they ever need it.

With help from Buddy the ChildLine mascot
making visits to local schools, the Speak Out,
Stay Safe campaign delivers essential
safeguarding messages in a lively, interactive and
memorable way. By the end of Buddy’s visit,
children have had fun, feel empowered, and can
speak out and stay safe.
Sarah Walker, area coordinator for the programme
in Kent and Medway, explained: “We know that
at least two children in every primary school
classroom will have experienced some form of
abuse or neglect – a truly shocking statistic.”
Amanda Rocca, area coordinator for the
programme in Sussex, added: “But just imagine
if we could give these children the knowledge to
prevent, the confidence to speak about, and the
courage to seek help if they need it. By visiting
every school every two years we could prevent
children from experiencing abuse, one generation
at a time.”
The service launched in 2011 after research
showed that the majority of children who contact
ChildLine are over 11 years of age. Many said
that the abuse had begun years before they
picked up the phone. The programme is aiming
to reach a generation of children to inform them
about abuse, potentially before it starts. And in

April 2016, the NSPCC’s Speak Out Stay Safe
campaign will see the biggest national launch of
its kind, as the programme will roll out nationwide
to reach children as young as 5 in an effort to
protect larger numbers of youngsters from abuse
and neglect.
The ultimate aim is to educate a generation of
children about abuse, including bullying, sexual
abuse, neglect, and domestic abuse. It is
important – it’s essential – that children understand
what abuse is, and that they recognise it so that
they really can speak out and stay safe.
The programme itself is delivered by trained
volunteers through a special school assembly
and an interactive workshop. All sessions are
very carefully tailored to suit the age of the children
so that the message can be delivered without
frightening the very youngest, and without
‘speaking down’ to older children who might be
turned off if the message was given to them in
the wrong way.
Speak Out Stay Safe is setting itself an ambitious
target – to bring the programme to every primary
school in the country every two years, reaching
1.8 million children. But it is such an important
message that there is no option other than to
simply go for it. Each child must be protected.

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How is the service delivered?
Speak Out Stay Safe is delivered by specially
trained NSPCC staff and volunteers. It consists
of assembly presentations for both infants and
juniors followed by a one-hour classroom
workshop for children in years 5 and 6. All
sessions are delivered with the help of Buddy,
the ChildLine mascot. By the end of the
workshops, all children will be able to:
• understand abuse in all its forms and recognise
the signs of abuse
• know how to protect themselves from all forms
of abuse
• know how to get help, and the sources of help
available to them, including ChildLine
So far, the service has been to more than 470
schools in Kent and Sussex, but the charity wants
more schools to sign up. This is completely free
of charge, and could make all the difference when
it comes to an abused child. Schools also have
the option of supporting this essential work by
taking part in fun sponsored events, and are
provided with engaging and entertaining ways
to take part. Children really enjoy supporting
Buddy to visit even more schools!