CHILDLINE: Speak Out Stay Safe workshops support primary school children

One of the most common reasons young people want to speak to us is to raise concerns about abuse – whether that’s emotional, physical or sexual.

We provide a vital service to children who need to speak out about something, but we can only help and support them about this if they have the confidence to speak out in the first place.

That’s where our colleagues in the NSPCC assist, as they have volunteers who visit primary schools across the country to share important safeguarding information through our Speak Out Stay Safe workshops.

Delivered in a child-friendly and age-appropriate way, these workshops help children understand the different types of abuse and how to spot the signs and speak out about the issue so they can get help if they need it.

We have some volunteers here in the North East, and they are all amazing – but we need more to be able to reach every school and every child and help us protect a generation of children from abuse and neglect.

Current volunteers have told us they love the training they’ve received, the support they get from their teams, but also knowing they have made a positive difference for even just one child.

We know our Speak Out Stay Safe workshops can have a real impact on children, because in some sessions, children have spoken up and disclosed abuse.

Of course, that means our volunteers must also be able handle events like this sensitively, but again, there is plenty of support and training available to anyone who signs up.

Our Childline counsellors are amazing at what they do, and the children who contact us are courageous for doing so – we just need new volunteers to help them understand how to speak out about their concerns.

• To find out more about volunteering for the NSPCC’s Schools Service, check out the website by logging on to www.nspcc.org.uk