Frequently asked questions
FAQs about child protection
FAQs about the NSPCC
FAQs about ChildLine
FAQs about the NSPCC's helpline
Can't find what you're looking for above? Explore some of our other FAQs pages...
FAQs about making a donation
FAQs about payroll giving
FAQs about gifts in wills
FAQs about getting involved
FAQs about fundraising
FAQs about campaigning
FAQs about child protection
What is child abuse?
What should I do if I'm worried about a child?
Where can I find information about child abuse and safeguarding?
Where can I find NSPCC child protection leaflets?
At what age can a child be left home alone?
How do I keep a child safe when they're out alone?
At what age can a young person become a babysitter?
FAQs about the NSPCC
What does the NSPCC do?
When was the NSPCC founded?
Can I get a job at the NSPCC?
Does the NSPCC offer training or consultancy services?
Does the NSPCC work with Clothes Aid?
Can I use the NSPCC logo, images or information in my project?
Can I interview a member of your staff?
Where can I get information about the NSPCC's advertising for my project?
How can I comment or make a complaint about the NSPCC?
FAQs about ChildLine
What does ChildLine do?
How do children contact ChildLine?
How does ChildLine help children?
FAQs about NSPCC's helpline
When should I call the NSPCC's helpline?
What happens when I call the NSPCC's helpline?
Can I remain anonymous if I call the NSPCC's helpline?
What if I’ve got it wrong?
What sort of information may I be asked for?
What if I don’t have all the information?
Will they know it’s me who has called?
Will you keep records about me?
Can I see the records you have about me?
Can I find out who has called about me?
What happens to information from malicious calls to the NSPCC?
How can I make a comment or complain?
What is child abuse?
Child abuse is the term used when an adult harms a young person under the age of 18. Find out more about child abuse.
What should I do if I'm worried about a child?
If you're worried about a child you should contact the NSPCC to discuss your concerns with one of our qualified counsellors. You can talk to an counsellor any time, day or night, on any day of the week. The service is free and you don't have to say who you are.
There are many ways of contacting the NSPCC's helpline service: telephone 0808 800 5000, text 88858, email help@nspcc.org.uk, report your concerns online, or write to the NSPCC at:
Weston House
42 Curtain Road
London
EC2A 3NH
You can also sign with BSL, or speak to us in other languages.
If you think a child is in immediate danger you should contact the police by calling 999. Alternatively, you can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.
Where can I find information about child abuse and child protection?
You can find information on this website. There is general advice on what child abuse is and on the warning signs that may indicate it. There is also guidance for parents, resources for communities, and resources for organisations and professionals.
If you require more detailed information, you can find research, statistics, fact sheets, and reading lists on our website specifically for professionals. If you can't find the information you're looking for there, you can contact one of our information professionals directly.
Where can I find NSPCC child protection leaflets?
Many of our child protection leaflets are available to be downloaded for free from our website. See our list of leaflets, and information about how to order.
At what age can a child be left home alone?
The law does not set a minimum age at which children can be left alone. However, it is an offence to leave a child alone when doing so puts him or her at risk.
Children under the age of 12 should not be left alone for more than a very short time; remember to put all obvious dangers out of reach, such as medicines, matches, and sharp objects. For older children, make sure they know what to do in an emergency and who to contact. We recommend that children under the age of 16 are not left alone overnight.
Find out more or read our Home Alone leaflet.
How do I keep a child safe when they're out alone?
It's not easy to set an exact age when it’s safe for children to be out alone. Our Out Alone leaflet contains advice from professionals, as well as some practical tips from parents, to help you prepare your child for being out on their own.
At what age can a young person become a baby-sitter?
There is no legal age at which a young person can baby-sit, but we recommend that the baby-sitter is over 16. Our Home Alone leaflet contains advice on choosing a baby-sitter, what questions to ask prospective sitters, and how to find registered childminders.
What does the NSPCC do?
The NSPCC aims to end cruelty to children in the UK. We follow a combined approach: providing direct services to children, and using the experience gained from this work to inform policy, influencing and campaigning. In all our activities we are guided by four principles: to focus on areas in which we can make the biggest difference; to prioritise the children who are most at risk; to learn what works best for them; and to create leverage for change.
Therefore, our services focus on groups of children most at risk: children who are neglected, at high risk of physical abuse, who experience sexual abuse, who are under the age of one, disabled, who are from certain minority ethnic communities, and children who are looked after. When we have an idea about how to further reduce harm to children we test it out to make sure it works. If it does, we do everything we can to make sure that the new idea is taken up to help other children.
Find out more about what we do.
When was the NSPCC founded?
The London Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was founded in 1884 by the Reverend Benjamin Waugh. It changed its name to the National Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children in 1889. Queen Victoria became the Royal Patron of the NSPCC in the same year. Read more about the history of the NSPCC.
Can I get a job at the NSPCC?
You can search for jobs at the NSPCC, find out what you can expect from us, what we are looking for, find out about our recruitment process, and ‘meet’ some of our staff on our careers page.
Does the NSPCC offer training or consultancy services?
Yes, the NSPCC offers a range of training and consultancy services to organisations and individuals working with children. Call 0844 892 1026, complete our online enquiry form, or email contactus@nspcc.org.uk.
If you’re wondering whether your child or children's group is safe, you can also get safeguarding information related to activities outside of the home from our Safe Network.
Does the NSPCC work with Clothes Aid?
The NSPCC does have a fundraising partnership with Clothes Aid to enable our supporters to recycle their old clothes and raise money for the NSPCC. Find out more about our partnership with Clothes Aid, or contact Clothes Aid directly.
Can I use the NSPCC logo, images or information in my project?
Students have our permission to use the NSPCC logo appropriately on their projects, as long as it is for a non-commercial purpose. We cannot give permission for the reproduction of any of the images on our website. They are subject to copyright and we only have permission to use them in specific circumstances. Students can use any of the information from the website, as long as they state where it comes from.
Can I interview a member of your staff?
The NSPCC can only provide interviews to professional members of the media. If you are a journalist, please contact our media office. If you are a student studying journalism, we cannot provide interviewees for you.
Where can I get information about the NSPCC's advertising for my project?
The NSPCC receives a high volume of enquiries about our advertising. Due to our limited resources, we cannot provide information about the responses we have received to individual campaigns. This includes statistics on fundraising and calls to our helpline.
- Who makes your adverts?
The NSPCC works with a range of agencies for different communication needs, all designed to help us end cruelty to children in the UK as effectively as we can. You can find out more about our adverts in the media centre on this website.
- Why do you produce adverts that are shocking or upsetting?
We understand that the shocking nature of some of our advertising can be hard for some. However, abuse of children is, in itself, shocking. That people continue to abuse children in a modern society is shocking. We aim to reflect those distressing realities – partly because we don’t want people to deny that child abuse happens, partly to inform people of the scale and extent of child abuse.
- Children in your adverts often look upset. How do I know they were not mistreated?
As an organisation whose purpose it is to protect children, the NSPCC considers their safety and wellbeing to be paramount at all times. Children are never caused distress or upset during the making of our advertising. Every child who takes part in an NSPCC film is looked after by a parent or guardian to ensure that they are not harmed in any way. A member of NSPCC staff and a nurse are also present.
How can I comment or make a complaint about the NSPCC?
If you wish to comment or make a complaint about the NSPCC, you can do so to any NSPCC member of staff, volunteer, or local office. Alternatively, please email help@nspcc.org.uk, call 0808 800 5000, or write to the NSPCC at:
Weston House
42 Curtain Road
London
EC2A 3NH
Complaints leaflet for adults
(PDF, 265 Kb)
Complaints leaflet for children and young people
(PDF, 785 Kb)
NSPCC complaints policy
(WORD, 318 Kb)
NSPCC complaints procedure
(WORD, 240 Kb)
To help us respond to your comment or complaint effectively, please tell us which of our services it relates to. Also, please include your full name, contact details and let us know how you would like us to contact you.
What does ChildLine do?
ChildLine is a service for children and young people up the age of 18. It became part of the NSPCC in 2006.
ChildLine was created in 1986 by Esther Rantzen, and since then it has counselled over 2 million children. Young people can contact ChildLine about any problem, big or small.
In recent times, the most common problems that children have contacted ChildLine about are:
- Family relationship issues (14 per cent of calls)
- Bullying (14 per cent)
- Physical abuse (10 per cent)
- Sexual abuse (8 per cent)
- Facts of life (6 per cent)
For more information, please visit the ChildLine website.
How do children contact ChildLine?
There are several ways that children, and young people up to the age of 18, can contact ChildLine: by telephoning 0800 1111, by email, via online chat, or by asking Sam.
How does ChildLine help children?
Since it was launched in 1986, ChildLine has saved children's lives, found refuges for children in danger on the streets, and given hope to thousands of children who believed no one else cared for them. ChildLine has now counselled well over two million children and young people.
ChildLine also campaigns on behalf of children by relaying what they tell us to policy-makers, who can help change children's lives for the better.
When should I call the NSPCC's helpline service?
Our helpline service is for adults. You should contact us if you think a child needs protection. It could be to report child abuse, to ask a question about child abuse, or an enquiry about how to safeguard a child’s welfare, like how to keep a child safe online.
What happens when I call the NSPCC's helpline service?
- A call handler will answer, ask about the nature of your concern, and explain our policy about remaining anonymous.
- Next, you will be put through to an counsellor who will ask you to talk about your concerns.
- The counsellor will assess the information, advise you, and decide upon a course of action with you.
- If they need to refer the case to the police or children’s services, they will ask you for some identifying details.
- If the counsellor decides a referral is not necessary, they will give you some advice about how you can help the child, if you want to.
- You will always be in control of what you want to say.
Can I remain anonymous if I call the NSPCC's helpline service?
Yes. Remember that your anonymity isn’t just about your name. It’s also about your relationship to a child. For example, if you don’t tell us your name, but do mention that you are a grandparent, you will have identified yourself to us. If you do this, we may have to pass details onto the police or children’s services. We never pass details onto the family concerned.
What if I’ve got it wrong?
Identifying children who are at risk is very, very hard. It’s natural to worry that you might be mistaken, but it's important that you trust your instincts and call us. Once you have discussed your concerns with one of our professionals, it’s no longer your responsibility – it’s ours. You can trust us to make the right decision on your behalf.
What sort of information may I be asked for?
If we need to refer the case to the police or children’s services, we will ask you for details to help identify the child. These could include the child’s name, address, school, doctor or date of birth. You don’t need to know this information, but please tell us as much as you know – a child’s safety may depend on it.
What if I don’t have all the information?
You should still call us. Any information you have could help. You may simply have seen the child on the bus, but there may be information about this that can help. For example, what number bus was it? Where did the child board? All of these details may be useful in helping us to identify a child.
Will they know it’s me who has called?
As long as you take steps to remain anonymous, we won’t be able to identify you to the police or children’s services. And we will never say who has called if we happen to talk directly to the child or the family concerned. However, we can’t guarantee someone won’t guess that it was you.
Will you keep records about me?
Yes, we keep records of all our calls in case we need to use them at a later date to protect a child. We record what is said about a child's situation, as well as any identifying details given.
Can I see the records you have about me?
Under the Data Protection Act, you have the right to see personal information that the NSPCC holds about you, subject to certain exemptions. A person with parental responsibility can also request access to their child’s personal information, although this request may not be granted, especially where the child is old enough to make up their own mind as to who should see their personal information. You are not entitled to see information about anyone else. To see your records, write to:
Data Protection Officer
Weston House
42 Curtain Road
London EC2A 3NH
You should give details such as names and addresses and explain what information you are looking for.
If you believe that the NSPCC is holding information about you that is incorrect you can ask us to review it. Again, write to our Data Protection Officer at the above address. If our information is wrong, we will correct it.
Can I find out who has called about me?
We can’t tell you the identity of anyone who has called about you, or any information that leads to their identity. It is also extremely rare for the courts to ask them to reveal their identity.
What happens to information from malicious calls to the NSPCC?
Sometimes, information that the NSPCC receives may be malicious. We work closely with other agencies to make sure such calls are identified, and that repeat reports do not occur. If you feel you have been the subject of a malicious call, please let us know.
If you have any comments about, or suggestions for, our website please let us know.
Bookmark this page:
Worried about a child?
You can talk with an NSPCC counsellor for free, 24 hours a day. Call 0808 800 5000
