How Safe Are Our Children? 2020

How safe are our children? 2020 safe are our children? How How safe are our children? 2020 An overview of data on abuse of adolescents An overview of data on abuse adolescents Adolescents 2 How safe are our children? 2020 – an overview of data on abuse of adolescents This report would not have been possible without the input of many individuals. Authors Holly Bentley, Andrew Fellowes, Stephanie Glenister, Niamh Mussen, Hannah Ruschen, Bethany Slater, Michelle Turnbull, Tom Vine, Paddy Wilson and Sarah Witcombe-Hayes; with contributions from Stuart Allardyce, Dr Graeme Fairchild, Professor Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis, Dr Jenny Lloyd, Sian Meader, Dr Emily Setty and Sally Thomas. Acknowledgements This report would not have been possible without the input of many individuals. There are too many to thank everyone individually, but included in this list are government statisticians and numerous NSPCC staff. We would particularly like to extend our thanks to Charlotte Leach and Caroline Youell from the Office for National Statistics for their invaluable feedback. Special thanks also go to Chloe Biggs, Pat Branigan, Susan Cooke, James Coventry, Rachel Day, Anna Edmundson, Gareth Hill, George Linfield, Jennifer Lokko, Pam Miller, Kathryn Moores, Maria Tuck, Alana Ryan, Anna Brown and Judith Fisher. 3 How safe are our children? 2020 – an overview of data on abuse of adolescents Foreword In the past six months, no one has been left Foreword 1 unaffected by the pandemic, by lockdown or by the uncertainties we are living through. For adolescents, already navigating perhaps the most challenging periodForeword of their lives, the impact is likely to be significant and, in some cases, lasting. The digital world is an amazing one for young people. Its boundless potential means our children can learn Cut off from friends and extended and needs of children and young online service platforms and the failure family,and createand missing in the ways support we neverpeople would at their have heart, dreamed and be effective to invest sufficiently in technology that of schools a decade and teachers, ago. all It with also limited helps in preventingprotect abuse and and support helping young could disrupt abuse, means that social access to open space; these, amongst people recover. networks are easy to exploit. otherchildren. things, have Our made Childline normal teen service life allows young people to If the pandemic has given us one almost unrecognisable. A duty of care approach to online safety instant message chat with counsellorspositive, it’s the knowledge via website that we canor is now more urgent than ever. It will Manyapp willaround be feeling the less inclock. control And ourwork safeguarding together and achieve elearning real change ensure that, in future, children will not ofcourses their futures mean with the more economy people forthan children. ever Our can staff andaccess volunteers the have to face the risks they are dealing shaken, while closed schools and have gone to great lengths to help with right now. An Online Harms Bill cancelled exams left progression to us ensure that as many children training they need to help keep children safe. delivered by the end of 2021 will show the next phase in their lives uncertain. as possible can engage directly and the Prime Minister’s commitment And while the Black Lives Matters confidentially with Childline. Face-to- to making the UK the safest place movement gave young people a voice face services began to be delivered Yet this online world remains Child protection and its challenges forfrom young sexual people and criminal to discover exploitation the tounacceptably confidently dangerousspeak out aboutfor young hatred onlineshould so never young be peopleclouded can in suchget support to radicalisation. These require brave online world. andpeople discrimination, and, unless wethings know change, from calls the whensecrecy they and need future it most. regulation And staff must new ways of working from schools, tofuture Childline does how not lookracism promising. is making The some acrossinclude the transpar children’sency sector reports have from Justpolice, as health,children and and local adolescents authorities should teenagersweb giants feel have targeted been clear and thatscared they of adaptedthese firms and increased– they must their open efforts their notto offer be expected a coordinated to cope approach with the online violentwon’t properly attacks prioritisein the UK basicin 2020. child todoors keep and children show safe.us the progress they worldthat sees without and protection,supports vulnerable they must not Weprotection know the until risk they of abuse are forced and to Asare the making. number of calls to helplines bechildren left to before cope with they the are effects caught of up the in do so. If we are to keep children safe situations with awful consequences neglect has been compounded by the withWe are concerns seeking about a convincing domestic abuse coronavirus restrictions alone. online we need big, sweeping changes for them and those around them. And pandemic. It has put children out of increased,demonstration charities of a cameduty of together care to to to the whole internet landscape. Childrenfor young and victims adolescents caught upcan in recover the reach of the adults who can keep them askyoung the users, government so the internetto recognise can the fromjustice the system, negative there things remains they havea great safe, for long periods of time. Contacts impactgenuinely that be living a place with that this benefits violence has Our Wild West Web campaign has experienced,deal to do. Despite with the warm right words support. and to the NSPCC helpline with concerns onus all.children. And nothing They listened will concentrate and changed set out a clear vision of how to make Asgood pupils intentions, return to far education, too many we young need about children suffering abuse and theminds definition better t inhan the e ffectiveDomestic san Abusection s the future safer for young people and topeople be prepared still experience to make a sure court schools, system neglect have increased. Worries about Bill.for theWe technow needgiants to who see faila commitment to take we are demanding the government’s teachers,insensitive children’s to their livessocial and care, desire and for emotionalforthcoming abuse online have harms doubled. bill stops toreasonable providing s statutoryteps to p rservicesotect our in the community to help children and otherrecovery. safeguarding The NSPCC partners will be arereturning ready Childrenthese firms continue from todisregarding turn to Childline children. These companies make vast families recover, if this change is to to supportthis challenge every youngin the autumn.person who has forchildren’s support safety. about We their need mental a tough, health. sums of money every year and the have a meaningful impact. suffered during lockdown. Theindependent, uncertainty regulator of local whichlockdowns will force and penalties need to be proportionate. Clearly, there is much to be done spikescompanies in the to virus make are their just sitesadded meet strain LockdownNamed directors also created need toa perfect be liable storm for Weby all pulled of us together to keep childrenand got behindsafe, the tominimum their emotional child safety wellbeing. standards. fortheir online action groomers.s and inactions. In other NHSand the and NSPCC essential will support always servicesfight for industries like financial services this duringevery childhood. the pandemic, Yet no and matter now we the need ItFor is yearsin this socialcontext media that companiesthe NSPCC We don’t know the true scale of online is now accepted practice in terms of tochallenges, do the same we mustfor the never key services forget that releasehaven’t ourgiven annual much How of a safe thought are our about abuse during the pandemic, but expecting and enforcing responsible andchild workers abuse canwho be will prevented, be crucial and we children?whether theirreport. sites While are the safe report for children, wecorporate know young beha viour.people have been must never rest in the fight to protect to supporting children during the next focussesbut they happily on adolescence, sign them it up could anyway. not spending longer on platforms with children. If the government follows This year, we have concentrated our phase of this crisis. comeReactions at a moreof regret important and promises time in all to fewer human moderators. We also know through effectively and gets their annual report on online safety. But we children’sdo better lives.have followed in the wake that offenders viewed the pandemic as Anonline ambitious harms recoverybill right, and2019 rebuilding can be a cannot afford to lose sight of the of successive tragedies. Children an opportunity to target vulnerable and year in which the UK leads the world in It sets out how many adolescents other risks that affect young people. plan is needed, so that no child who deserve safety by design. The best lonely children. its efforts to enhance child protection face heightened risks of some forms Resources in child protection have has suffered is left without support, way to tackle abuse is to stop it from for children. I wait with bated breath to of harm – including sexual abuse, Thebeen risks chipped children awa facey at, withwhen local enjoying and childhoods are not derailed by happening in the first place. see if it will happen. online grooming and physical abuse theservices benefits stretched of the to online breaking world, poin t. the pandemic. offencesRight now, – internetwhile being companies less likely are to a toIn toocommunicate, many place socialises we’ve s eenand, the beblack the box subject that ofnobody a child on protection the outside increasingly,erosion of early to receivesupport education, as statutory are planworld or is on allowed a child to protection open. Many register. don’t unacceptableservices struggle and to preventable. meet their le gal Acrosspublish the any UK, details governments about the must scale show and Theobligations storm has to tbeenhose fueledin crisis by.

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