Campaigns

See Changes campaign:

 MAKE THE REPORTING OF KNOWN OR SUSPECTED ABUSE MANDATORY IN SCHOOLS

Currently, if your child is being abused, including rape or grooming, the teachers are under no legal obligation to inform you, the parents or the police or authorities. 

There is no legal obligation for any school to have a child protection/safeguarding policy, meaning there is no requirement for teachers to be trained in child protection. 

SEE Changes is launching a campaign to make the single most important change to UK law that will protect thousands of children from abuse each year. In line with the majority of other industrialised nations, we call on the government to make reporting of known or suspected abuse mandatory in all childcare instiutions and settings, where adults are acting in loco parentis.

The recent high profile case of Bishop Bell school demonstrates the urgent need for this law. The headteacher, Terry Boatwright, knew of three accused abusers working at his school in as many years and each time failed to remove the individuals from thier post; allowing them continued, unfettered access to children. While these actions demonstrate a worrying moral dysfunction, particularly for a headteacher, Boatwright has not broken the law.

Failing to act on information that a child is being groomed or abused is not against the law. Parents assume that if their child is violated in such a serious way they would be informed. But not so. The coalition government has created ‘compromise agreements’, where by the  accused member of staff in question can hand in their notice. If their notice period ends before the investigation is complete, then the investigation may be ceased or ‘without conclusion’. It is this loophole that has allowed many abusers to move onto another school and continue their criminal acts undetected.

Read these guidelines, issued by the Department of Education, here.

Help us change this now. Write to your MP, sign our e-petition, (coming soon) donate to See Changes now, helping us to inform the as many people as possible about our campaign.

Please check here for regular updates and further information on how you can get involved, including letter templates and e-petitions.

Please make a donation to help the success of this campaign, protecting thousands of our school children from abuse.