NSPCC says 2m child abuse images circulated on internet
28 April 2010 - BBC
In a sample created by analysing media reports of court cases, the charity found that nearly 50,000 of the photographs were in the worst category. One in four offenders had held positions of trust, including as teachers, clergymen, medics and police. A third of those involved were reported to have used peer-to-peer file-sharing.
The children's charity said sex offenders were using the software - which eliminates the need for a server or host - to stay "under the radar" and called on the next government to help combat it. Read more…
NSPCC condemns parties' silence on child protection
28 April 2010 - Children & Young People Now
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has hit out over a lack of commitment from politicians to protecting child protection resources.
In the run-up to the general election, all three key political parties came out yesterday to reinforce their plans to support families if they get into government.
But Diana Sutton, NSPCC's head of public affairs, said the charity was "bitterly disappointed" that none of the main political parties used yesterday's exchanges to announce plans to sustain child protection resources. Read more…
NSPCC Statement on election debate on the family
27 April 2010 - NSPCC press release
NSPCC head of public affairs and campaigns Diana Sutton said: "We are bitterly disappointed that none of the main political parties have said they would sustain child protection resources in today's exchanges over the family".
Child protection funding is the forgotten Cinderella of this election campaign. The main parties have so far avoided any commitment to preserve the funding levels needed to protect children from abuse. None of the party leaders are giving this priority. Read more…
ADCS reveals extent of strain on child protection
20 April 2010 - Community Care
The full extent of the crisis facing child protection teams has been revealed by an Association of Directors of Children's Services survey published this week. The survey, which covers the period from the end of 2007 to the end of 2009, shows that while councils have seen an average 21% rise in most safeguarding social work activities, there has only been a 10% increase in staff working in this area. Read more…
No Child Protection Cuts Says NSPCC
15 April 2010 - NSPCC press release
The NSPCC is urging leaders of the three main political parties to pledge during the first televised debate not to cut essential funding for child protection resources.
The leading children's charity, which has just launched its 'I stand for Children' campaign, wants Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg to publicly commit to making child protection one of their main priorities. Read more…
CRAE asks Labour, Tories and Lib Dems to set out their children's rights policies
7 April 2010 - Children & Young People Now
Each political party has been challenged to set out their approaches to children's rights in the run up to the general election next month.
The Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) has written to Ed Balls, Michael Gove and David Laws to ask their parties' views on:
- Ministerial responsibility for children's rights
- Action on the UN recommendations on children's rights
- Whether children's rights will be considered when drafting laws and policy affecting children
- Listening to and taking account of children's views
- Training on children's rights for the children's workforce and teaching children's rights in schools
- Ministers' roles in promoting positive images of children and childhood.
NSPCC calls on candidates to back reform
24 March 2010 - Goalover.org
The NSPCC is asking candidates to back new laws to protect children. Sadly, we have recently had cause to reflect on the efficacy of the laws and institutions that protect children from harm. With the media reporting the deeply upsetting tale of a mother starving her child to death and the saddening news that social workers were with her only months prior to her death, many questions have surfaced about what can be done to prevent such tragedies in the future. Read more…
NSPCC campaign to prioritise child protection launched
9 March 2010 - Charities Aid Foundation
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has launched a campaign to engage with parliamentary candidates over the welfare of young people ahead of the general election.
Its 'I Stand For Children' campaign is encouraging politicians to make child protection a priority in order to avoid "tragic cases of abuse" and to back a proposed law that would see social workers meet at-risk youths alone. Read more…
NSPCC launches General Election campaign to protect children
8 March 2010 - NSPCC campaign press release
The NSPCC is today calling on parliamentary candidates to stand for children and throw their weight behind a new law to ensure social workers see at-risk children alone.
The law is part of a package of vital child protection reforms the Society wants introduced after the general election. The charity's 'I stand for children' campaign aims to make child protection a priority for the next Government so more tragic cases of abuse can be avoided. Read more...
NSPCC launches "I stand for children" general election campaign
8 March 2010 - Community Care
The NSPCC is calling on all parliamentary candidates to press for legislation that would ensure social workers saw at-risk children alone on home visits.
The campaign, called "I stand for children", wants candidates to agree to introduce the law after this year's general election. Read more...
NSPCC calls for law change for social worker cases
6 March 2010 - BBC
Social workers in England involved in child protection cases should be forced to see young people away from their parent or guardians, the NSPCC says.
They currently need parental or guardian permission, or a court order. Read more...
Law would save at-risk children
28 February 2010 - NSPCC
At least two children are killed or suffer serious injury every month in cases where child protection officials breach guidelines designed to protect youngsters at risk.
A Sunday Express investigation has revealed that between 2007 and 2009 up to 66 at-risk children were killed or seriously harmed, including Khyra Ishaq and Baby Peter, after childcare professionals failed to assess them according to the government recommendations. Read more…
Rise in child neglect calls to NSPCC Helpline
25 February 2010 - The Sunday Express
The appalling suffering of Khyra Ishaq, who was systematically starved to the point of death, has highlighted the issue of serious child neglect in the UK.
As the seven-year-old’s mother, Angela Gordon and stepfather Junaid Abuhamza, were found guilty of her manslaughter today the NSPCC revealed that calls to its Helpline about children suffering neglect have gone up by one-third in the last five years. More than half of these are so serious they have to be passed to police or social services. Read more...