The NSPCC have launched a campaign to encourage members of the public not to wait before taking action if they have concerns about the safety or protection of a child.
They will be running a six week television campaign, mainly on day time television and late night after children are in bed when parents have an opportunity to take in and think about the campaign messages. They will also be using video on demand and Facebook and Twitter to promote the messages.
The campaign builds on a more modest digital campaign that the NSPCC ran last year based on a film, The Sh*t Kids Say, directed by award-winning director Amanda Boyle. This year’s campaign will be an edited version of that film. You can view the original film here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LagGSTiSnto
The campaign last year was based on the concern that over half the people who contacted the NSPCC with a serious concern had been worried about a child for more than a month. While in the six months since last year’s campaign the length of time people waited before contacting the NSPCC has decreased, almost half of those contacting the NSPCC with serious concerns are still waiting over a month before getting in touch. This can leave individual and other children at risk and delay the deployment of interventions that provide protection and support. For a young child a month can feel like a lifetime.
The Don’t wait until you’re certain campaign will address the several barriers that people – parents, the public, and, indeed, some professionals – face in taking action to raise their concerns. It will encourage people to contact the NSPCC if they have concerns. Information about the work of the NSPCC helpline is available on:
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/help-and-advice/help_and_advice_hub_wdh71748.html
How you can support the Don’t wait until you’re certain campaign
There are a number of ways in which you can help support the campaign
• Brief relevant colleagues on the campaign. Do please use this briefing to tell colleagues as you consider appropriate.
• Promote the NSPCC helpline to potential users. A range of materials are available to help you do this – posters, leaflets, and wallet cards. These are available from the NSPCC – see our catalogue on line at
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/publications/new/newpublicationspdf_wdf60...
or to order leaflets, wallet cards or posters contact NSPCC Publications on 0844 892 1026 or email [email protected]
• Help distribute advice and support to parents on child sexual abuse. The NSPCC has recently published a booklet What can I do? Protecting your child from sexual abuse which you may find helpful. This has been written has been written to help parents recognise what is happening and to report their concerns. This can be downloaded from the NSPCC website where you can also find information on how to obtain hard copies. You can download it at
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/help-and-advice/for-parents-and-carers/guides-fo...
• If you have newsletters, newspapers, or journals please consider using them to promote the campaign. If you require further information to do so, please contact us and we can let you have copies of media releases and briefings.
For further information on the Don’t wait until you’re certain campaign
Information on the campaign will be placed on the NSPCC website (www.nspcc.org.uk) and we would very much welcome any feedback that you have on both the campaign and the advertisement when it is aired.
If you have any queries about the Don’t wait until you’re certain campaign or our work more generally, please don’t hesitate to contact me at or get in touch with our contact centre on 0808 800 5000.