No Child Protection Cuts Says NSPCC

The NSPCC is urging leaders of the three main political parties to pledge during tonight's (Thursday) 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. The campaign is also calling on all parliamentary candidates to sign-up for; making the internet safer, funding children's helplines, providing therapeutic services for abused children and strengthening the role of Children's Commissioner.

Diana Sutton, head of the public affairs and campaigns unit at the NSPCC, said: "We want all MPs and particularly the party leaders to stand up for children. We need to hear them say how essential child protection services and reforms are going to be safeguarded from potentially savage public expenditure cuts.

"It's quite extraordinary that after the tragic deaths of Baby Peter and Khyra Ishaq we are still struggling to make child protection a main talking point with politicians. We can't understand why it hasn't been a big election issue when such awful events have horrified the public."

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