The NSPCC’s two new Domestic Abuse Practice Advisors speak about their work in ensuring all NSPCC Helpline staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to support domestic abuse survivors.

The second episode in a two-part series about child neglect where you’ll hear from expert practitioners who have worked with children and young people experiencing neglect.

The first episode in a two-part series about child neglect where you’ll hear from expert practitioners who have worked with children and young people experiencing neglect.

The final episode in our mini-HSB series, focuses on technology-assisted harmful sexual behaviour (TA-HSB). This occurs when children and young people use the internet or technology to engage in sexual activity that may be harmful to themselves or others.

This is the second episode in our three-part series that focuses on preparing and planning therapeutic sessions for children and young people.

This is the first episode in our three-part series that focuses on the principles of direct work with children and young people displaying harmful sexual behaviour.

This episode focuses on the absence of Black girls’ experiences of child sexual abuse in research, including suggestions to help improve research and practice. It contains quotes from research participants about their experiences which might be upsetting and cause distress. If you need further support, please visit NSPCC helpline or Childline website.

A child or young person’s identity and lived experience can affect how they engage with professionals and services. We spoke to Jahnine Davis and Nick Marsh, founders of Listen Up and Ineke Houtenbos, a senior consultant at the NSPCC about intersectionality and its application within safeguarding practice.

In this episode, we discuss the complexities of domestic abuse and why it is a safeguarding and child protection issue. We talk about the main themes that emerged from our learning from case reviews briefing on domestic abuse and share what we see in practice.

Now more than ever, tablets, laptops and mobile phones are being used to interact with others, especially during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. But with this comes an increased risk of technology-assisted child sexual abuse (TA-CSA), bullying and grooming.

Volunteers play an important role in helping to engage vulnerable families in a service and can provide ongoing peer support on a one-to-one basis. We explore current research evidence on involving volunteers in delivering services to support families and examine the outcomes for parents, children and volunteers.

The past nine months has been difficult for everyone. Lockdowns, social distancing measures and local restrictions meant that adults working with children had to change the way they operate. But how have we adapted and how has COVID impacted on the NSPCC’s priorities?

This bonus episode looks at how the NSPCC is supporting, developing and improving effective services for children and families. In particular, we look at the research we undertook in order to gather insights about how our Baby Steps service has been run since the lockdown began in March. What did our research show?

Baby Steps is a perinatal educational programme aimed at parents who are welcoming a new baby and who may need additional support during pregnancy. When the first national lockdown happened in March, we wanted to ensure that parents were still supported and received the same level and care and support during their pregnancy as they would have before the pandemic. We worked with each of our external delivery sites to help health and social care practitioners adapt and run a virtual service.

Over the last few months, our Speak out Stay safe volunteers and staff have been unable to visit primary schools to help children understand what abuse is and that they have the right to be safe.

Abuse can happen in any relationship, and both males and females can be abused or be abusers. It’s important to recognise that children are never just witnesses to domestic abuse but they also experience it. For the last ten years, the NSPCC has been running a service called Domestic Abuse, Recovering Together (DART) which is ten-week group work programme to help children and families overcome the adverse effects of domestic abuse.

The tutoring sector is largely unregulated. However, like teachers, tutors are also responsible for ensuring the young people they work with are protected. Therefore, it’s vital that all tutors are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and know what appropriate practices and behaviour are so they don’t put a child or themselves at risk.

What’s been going on at Childline in the past few months? Come listen to Kirsty Donnelly and Robert Burns from Childline talk about what children and young people have been telling them – their thoughts and their worries, new challenges they’re experiencing and how they’re coping during the pandemic.

Social distancing has made it difficult for practitioners to provide the same level of regular support and direct contact to children and families. Other than occasional doorstep visits, check-ins are no longer face-to-face but observed through video and telephone calls. How are practitioners ensuring that children and families’ needs are still being met?

Schools have been at the frontline in supporting the wellbeing of vulnerable children since the lockdown began in March 2020. From remote learning and online platforms to taking on a more active pastoral role, how have schools responded to the challenges?

Some children and young people are starting to go back to school and teachers are preparing to welcome pupils back after a three-month hiatus. But what has occurred during the past few months? How have schools adjusted to the new ‘normal’ and what will change now that these pupils have begun to return?

During the perinatal period (during pregnancy and up to a year after birth), parents can be under a lot of pressure. They may also be dealing with feelings of anxiety, stress or depression. The effects of social distancing due to coronavirus may also increase mental health issues and without the right support, this can make it difficult for parents to care for and connect with their baby. First up in our coronavirus series, we are joined by a midwife, health visitors and perinatal...

Infants under two may not be able to verbally express what they see and experience to social workers and practitioners. In this month’s episode, we discuss our learning from case reviews briefing on infants. Conversation highlights include: observing and interpreting behaviour in young children to identify signs of early trauma; what to look out for when interviewing parents or carers about their child; the importance of focusing on the child; interacting with children and understanding...

What is good practice for preventing harmful sexual behaviour? We explore how you can use preventative and proactive measures to protect young people from sexualised behaviour and manage incidents appropriately.

It can be hard to determine what is healthy, problematic, inappropriate or serious sexual behaviour in schools, particularly where there are limited resources available. This is where specialist provision and services can help. They can support you in assessing the young person who has displayed sexually harmful behaviour and help you to understand the nature and extent of this behaviour. However, not all behaviour concerns will require a referral to a specialist service.