Welcome to the Autumn edition of our quarterly newsletter, to keep you up-to-date with new projects, resources, training and the impact of our work.
Our campaign to help deter online child sexual abuse and exploitation
This summer, we partnered with Police Scotland on their ‘Get Help or Get Caught’ campaign, aimed at encouraging individuals who may be at risk of harming children online to seek help before it’s too late.
Over the campaign period, our Stop It Now website saw a 58% increase in people from Scotland accessing our online self-help resources to manage their thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
The campaign is anticipated to run again next year. For more information.
Scotland’s first practitioner forum on harmful sexual behaviour
Last month, we launched our harmful sexual behaviour practitioner forum, in partnership with the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ). This forum is a step forward in equipping social workers and other professionals who work with children, with the tools to manage cases of harmful sexual behaviour with greater confidence.
We had an overwhelming response, with over 70 professionals from various fields – residential care, charities, local councils, healthcare, and the prison service – signing up for the free membership.
The first meeting included a presentation by Professor Simon Hackett on his updated continuum model, designed to help professionals assess appropriate responses to sexual behaviour across different ages and stages. The session also featured a case discussion and an opportunity for colleagues to share the resources they use when working with children and young people.
While the forum’s membership is currently full, we are holding a waiting list. You can still register to join, and we’ll be in touch once a space opens up. Please note that the next meeting will be in person in Glasgow on 19 November. Membership is exclusively for professionals working in Scotland. To express your interest, contact the CYCJ at cycj@strath.ac.uk.
Reminder: new harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) guidance
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government published new guidance on harmful sexual behaviour. It advises on how to respond to and prevent problematic behaviour. Our director, Stuart Allardyce, chaired the government’s HSB Delivery Group’s assessment and intervention working group, which developed the guidance.
Raising awareness of the indirect victims of child sexual abuse
Every police investigation and arrest of an individual for online offences leaves behind a family traumatised, as highlighted by Dr Naomi McGookin in a recently published paper.
We support these family members through our Inform Programme and our Family and Friends Forum, helping them navigate their lives after ‘the knock’ – the term families use the moment the police turn up and their world collapses.
In partnership with Police Scotland, we have run awareness sessions for their central and northern cyber teams on family members’ experiences of ‘the knock’ and what can be done to minimise its impact. Feedback from attendees was positive, with around 70% finding the training useful and over 55% saying the training would make a positive difference in the way they work.
Call an end to child sexual abuse: support the Stop It Now helpline appeal
Every missed call to our helpline is a missed opportunity to stop abuse. Currently, 22 people a day in the UK are unable to reach us in their time of crisis, and half of them never get through.
With demand for our helpline growing, the Lucy Faithfull Foundation has launched its first-ever fundraising campaign to raise £10,000. These funds will contribute to expanding our capacity to answer more calls, emails and chats.
You can help by donating, sharing our appeal, or taking part in a fundraising challenge. Every call we answer makes a difference, and every donation counts.
Sharing our expertise at NOTA Scotland’s annual conference
We were delighted to play an active role in NOTA Scotland’s Annual Conference in September. Over two days, we led two workshops and participated in the plenary session.
In our first session, we highlighted the reality that many individuals who engage in sexual offending have experienced trauma, and we discussed how our Breaking the Links programme helps these individuals, including survivors of child abuse, understand their path to offending and ‘break the link’ to future harm.
Our second workshop introduced Shore, our innovative and confidential online space designed specifically for teenagers concerned about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts and behaviour.
Additionally, our director, Stuart Allardyce, contributed to the plenary session, where he discussed how the prevention of child sexual abuse can work in tandem with statutory services, reinforcing the need for collaboration across sectors.
If you’re interested in learning more about our workshops or connecting with our team, please email us at scotland@lucyfaithfull.org.uk.
Child sexual abuse prevention network
We run a child sexual abuse prevention network. This group meets online four times a year and is made up of professionals and organisations whose work contributes to stopping sexual abuse before it happens. The network is an opportunity to meet colleagues and to keep up to date about research and initiatives about child sexual abuse prevention in Scotland and beyond.
Our next meeting will be on 23 January 2025 and will feature a presentation by Dr Julia Rudolph on the research into how parents can contribute to better protection of children from sexual harm.
If you are interested in joining the network and attending our next meeting, please contact us at scotland@lucyfaithfull.org.uk.
Prevention resources for children and families social workers
One of the challenges of child sexual abuse is establishing clear evidence of harm after concerns have been identified by statutory services. We have a range of free-to-use resources for social workers and other services to promote the prevention of harm within families where there are identified risks but insufficient evidence to establish statutory grounds for social work involvement.
On 16 December, we will be running a 1-hour webinar showcasing these resources and how they can be used by professionals who work with children and families.
To book your place, please contact us at scotland@lucyfaithfull.org.uk.
Our upcoming conferences
7 November 2024
Our director, Stuart Allardyce will be presenting on current research on adolescent harmful sexual behaviour at the Netherlands ATSA conference in Antwerp. More information.
16 November 2024
LFF Scotland will be delivering a keynote speech on the prevention of child sexual abuse at the Scottish Catholic Church National Safeguarding Conference. More information.
5 December 2024
Along with colleagues from Police Scotland, we will be presenting on the challenges of AI-generated child sexual abuse material at a Forensic Network / NOTA Scotland event. More information.
Please get in touch if you want more information about our work.
You can also sign up to receive this newsletter by email when it is published as well as regular updates from Lucy Faithfull Foundation, including job vacancies and new developments.
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Support us
As a charity, we rely on the kindness and generosity of people like you to support our vital work to prevent child sexual abuse. And right now, we need your help more than ever. By donating, fundraising, or simply spreading the word about our work, your support will have a huge impact.
Together we can create a safer world for children.
