NSPCC details 2009-2016 strategy for children

The NSPCC has developed an updated strategy for its work to end cruelty to children. The strategy, building on the success of the FULL STOP Campaign launched in 1999, is one designed for growth and will take the charity forward into 2016.

Introducing the strategy, NSPCC Chief Executive Andrew Flanagan, said:

“The NSPCC and all who work and support the Society are inspired by a belief that we can make a difference for all children – by standing up for their rights, by listening to them, by helping them when they need us and by making them safe.

“Ten years on from the launch of the FULL STOP Campaign and with a changing economic and political landscape it was timely to review our future direction.

“While large in charity terms, at current levels the NSPCC only has some £120m available to spend each year against an estimated spend cross government and voluntary sectors of £6bn on services for children and families. Our level of resources even if entirely devoted to local services will never be enough to close the many gaps and weaknesses in child protection that already exist. So any strategy needs to reflect that we cannot do everything nor be everywhere. But, the strategy is one of growth not retrenchment.

“At various key stages in the NSPCC’s 125 year history we have developed and changed strategy to meet the present day challenges of protecting children. Today is one of those moments. Our new strategy seeks to build on our success to date, to improve our effectiveness but considers, that at any given time, we can only address certain aspects of abuse and that we must work with others to achieve more.

“The NSPCC re-affirms our vision as ending cruelty to children in the UK. We believe cruelty is preventable and that through having an inspirational vision we will achieve much greater success for children. However, the scope of such a vision is huge and we remain realistic that, if at all, it will take many generations to be fulfilled.

“We believe our effectiveness is enhanced by a combined approach of services, policy and campaigning. Our direct services bring immediate help to children but on their own cannot achieve an end to cruelty and policy, influencing and campaigning work is much more forceful when informed by real experience gained from working with real children who have suffered abuse.”

Andrew Flanagan said the NSPCC’s strategy is built on four principles.

Focus

Providing well defined and distinct activities where the impact for children can be maximised

Prioritise

Concentrating on specific types of abuse and on children who are at most risk to ensure intervention creates the greatest impact.

Learning

Everything the NSPCC will do will create learning. The NSPCC must capture that learning and use it to create a cycle of improvement.

Leverage

On its own the NSPCC cannot end cruelty to children.  The Society needs to work with and through others to multiply its impact many times over.

Under the strategy to 2016 the NSPCC will:

• Create and deliver services for children which are innovative, distinctive and demonstrate how to enhance child protection most effectively.
• Provide advice and support to ensure that every child is listened to and protected.
• Provide advice and support to adults and professionals concerned about a child and if necessary take action to protect the child.
• Work with organisations which work with children to ensure they effectively protect children and challenge those who do not.
• Campaign for changes to legislation, policy and practice to ensure they best protect children.
• Persuade everyone to take personal responsibility for preventing cruelty to children.
• Inform and educate the public to change attitudes and behaviours towards children.
• Use the Society’s statutory powers as necessary to protect children.

Going forward the NSPCC’s priority areas of work will be:

Neglect

This area has had little attention in recent years but it is the primary reason for 46% of children being on the child protection register and is present in 21% of cases of serious injury or death. There needs to be more understanding  about the causes of neglect and as the NSPCC investigates this area, we will focus on the highest risk and most vulnerable children.

Physical abuse in high risk families (violent adults, alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues)

Most other service providers focus on helping adults in these families and few address the consequences for children. These factors are present in 34% of serious case reviews and the NSPCC will create services to tackle both
prevention and treat the effects of such abuse.

Sexual abuse

Studies show 11% of all children suffer some form of sexual abuse but it is not well reported and therefore it is not separately identified as high risk. Given its high prevalence the NSPCC will focus on it and  will refine that focus as evidence builds and appropriate services are developed

Children under one

These children are 9 times more likely to be involved in an incidence of child death or serious injury and are almost 3 times more likely to be on the child protection register.  More needs to be done to understand why and to identify remedies that will improve the outcomes for babies and toddlers.

Children with disabilities

Research indicates that disabled children are 3 times more likely to suffer abuse and are less likely to be able to protect themselves or seek help. The NSPCC must identify ways in which disabled children can be protected and can seek help more easily.

Children from certain black and minority ethnic (BME) communities

While such children are overrepresented on the child protection register this may be due to administrative and institutionalised processes. The NSPCC wants want to work with these communities to ensure they are provided with and can access appropriate children’s services to receive the help they need. There are also at-risk groups among these children such as refugees, asylum seekers and trafficked children.

Looked after children

While it is a natural assumption that children in care should be better protected, looked after children are 20 times more likely to be involved in death or serious injury. The NSPCC should work to understand the specific issues causing this risk, the outcomes for children in care and how the care system can better protect these children.

Underlining the strategy’s basis of growth, Andrew Flanagan said the NSPCC plans to:

• Significantly increase the number of children’s supporting them.
• Create specialist teams around prioritised and targeted forms of abuse and vulnerable children. These teams will define the activities the NSPCC  undertakes, evaluating success and moulding policy.
• Reshape services to be more innovative, distinctive and designed to capture learning.
• Integrate and grow advice, information and help to children across the UK, strengthening the ChildLine service and launching a new schools service aimed at younger children.
• Enhance services to individual adults and professionals and increase the amount of help and advice provided to them
• Reach out to others working with children - expanding work in partnership and collaboration with organisations to improve the protection of children.
• The Society will significantly increase its training and consultancy activities to support this.
• Sustain the NSPCC’s unique statutory powers and use its Authorised Status as and when necessary to protect a child.
• Constantly challenge individuals who and organisations which will not do everything in their power to protect children.
• Campaign and influence to ensure the knowledge and learning from NSPCC activities makes arguments for change compelling and powerful.
• Re-shape its operations to improve the way it works, concentrating on fewer, strategically placed locations and improving the effectiveness of staff and volunteers.

Andrew Flanagan added: “This strategy delivers more impact for children, improves the quality and relevance of our services to children, creates a more effective organisation and demonstrates success more clearly.”

As a result of the new strategy the NSPCC has proposed to close a small number of its projects around the country that it believes do not fit with the organisational changes that have to be made.  Around 45 staff in 9 locations have already been notified. Discussions with staff and all those affected by the proposal are continuing including ensuring proper arrangements are put in place for those using the services.  The NSPCC will be continuing to work with children in these areas through its services serving the whole of the UK such as the adult Helpline and ChildLine.

Ends

For further information:  NSPCC Media Office – 0207 825 2720