Business Women Scotland Issue 45 | Seite 17

BWS nominated charity for 2017 Speak Out, Stay Safe HELPING A GENERATION OF CHILDREN STAY SAFE We all want to help to keep children safe. A key part of the NSPCC’s work is on preventing child abuse and one way we’re doing this is through our Schools Service. We work with primary schools across the country to deliver Speak out Stay safe, a programme which is giving a generation of children the knowledge and understanding they need to stay safe from abuse and neglect. During the workshops, children in Primary 6 and 7 explore the definitions of abuse in greater depth. They take part in engaging exercises, including looking at different scenarios and deciding whether they are OK or not OK. The programme links directly to the curriculum, helping schools meet their statutory requirements. Teachers are present throughout the assembly so everyone’s familiar with the topics covered after the visit. In the last year, we visited over 800 primary schools in Scotland (including the UK’s most northerly school in Shetland) and reached more than 92,000 children. Our aim is to visit every primary school in the UK and during 2017/2018 we plan to speak to 1.5 million children in 8000 schools. Anita Green, Schools Service Volunteer in East Lothian said: “As a trained volunteer, it’s amazing to feel the impact that our schools service can have, we teach every child in every primary school to recognise abuse, to know what is ok and what is not ok and most importantly to help those that need it to find a voice, either through a trusted adult or ChildLine. Just imagine a generation of Scottish children who have the knowledge, the language and the permission to speak out and stay safe, it’s the most powerful tool we have in preventing child abuse.” Assemblies and Workshops Speak out Stay safe is delivered by trained NSPCC staff and volunteers using a combination of child-friendly assemblies and interactive workshops, with the help our mascot Buddy. The Speak out Stay safe assembly helps children understand about different types of abuse so that they can get help if or when they need it. Watch our Speak out. Stay safe. video www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPHC_piw32Q The assembly also helps children to identify a trusted adult they can speak to if they are worried about themselves or a friend. They also learn about Childline, and how the service can support them. Assemblies are for children aged 5-11, with a 1 hour classroom workshop for children in P6 and P7. Help to keep your child safe It can sometimes be difficult to talk to your child about topics like abuse, but we’re here to help. From talking PANTS to protect your child from sexual abuse, to advice about staying safe online, resources and information are available at https://www.nspcc.org.uk/ 17