About Stop It Now! UK & Ireland

Stop it Now! UK & Ireland is an affiliate of our organization. Like our other programs, the development of Stop It Now! UK & Ireland is led through a partnership of leading children's charities, working with the government and child protection agencies, to promote public education and prevent child sexual abuse.

The development of Stop it Now! UK & Ireland is led by The Lucy Faithfull Foundation and is supported by an alliance of the following organizations:

Barnardo's
ChildLine
National Children's Homes (NCH)
The National Organization for the Treatment of Abusers (NOTA)
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
The Survivors Trust
And representatives of government and statutory agencies

National Development and Local Projects in the UK and Ireland

The initiative is developing rapidly, with local projects in Surrey, Derby and Derbyshire, Thames Valley, Croydon, and Northern Ireland now operational.

A local advisory committee tailors the project services to meet local needs. Like the U.S. counterparts, each includes these key elements:

• Media campaigns to raise awareness of child sexual abuse and how communities and families can protect children

• Information materials explaining child sexual abuse, how to recognize it and how to seek help.

• Public meetings to promote discussion about child protection and the role of individuals and the community.
  

The local projects are supported by a national telephone helpline in the UK, offering advice and support to adults who suspect that someone they know presents a risk to a child and to those seeking help to stop their own abusive thoughts or behaviors.

Stop it Now! UK & Ireland is also working with politicians and policy makers at national level to promote a wider understanding of child sexual abuse as a preventable public health issue and to increase the services available to the victims and survivors of abuse and to abusers.

Stop it Now! UK & Ireland believes that abuse occurs across all communities and social groups and aims to make its campaigns and activities accessible and appropriate to the needs of all sections of the community.

Public Information Materials

A series of public information materials has been developed. A leaflet for family and friends who are worried that someone they know is abusing a child, entitled Protect our Children, provides information on what to look out for and how to respond. A second leaflet for parents and caregivers of children and young people to provide advice on what to do if they are worried about a child displaying worrying sexual behavior, entitled "Child's Play?" was launched in March 2003.

For full details of all booklets and publicity materials see the publication page on the full UK website at http://www.stopitnow.org.uk/.

The goal of Stop it Now! UK & Ireland is to prevent child sexual abuse. The campaign seeks to achieve this by:

Raising awareness - so that people understand the nature and scale of child sexual abuse; the behavior of abusers and child victims and the warning signs of a developing potential problem.

Changing attitudes - so that people think differently about child sexual abuse, are more willing to talk about it and to listen to concerns from other adults or children; indeed, so that people see prevention of abuse as possible and their responsibility

Changing behavior - so that people take appropriate action to prevent abuse, and seek help if they are worried about themselves or others.

Developing a public health approach - the scale of child sexual abuse requires a large-scale, systematic approach to prevention. The campaigns used to tackle smoking, drink-driving and domestic violence provide evidence that such campaigns are challenging and effective.

The campaign is underpinned by Stop it Now! UK & Ireland's key values:

Protecting children - Stop it Now! UK & Ireland believes that adults can take responsibility for protecting children from sexual abuse if they understand the nature of the problem and the ways in which abusers operate.

Balancing understanding with accountability - Stop it Now! UK & Ireland promotes an understanding of people who sexually abuse children as human beings rather than as the monsters of popular imagination. We believe that, with help, many can choose to stop their behavior. At the same time they must be held accountable for their actions and the harm they cause.

Working together - Stop it Now! UK & Ireland is building strong alliances between voluntary and statutory agencies in the fields of child protection, criminal justice and health. It is also developing vital links with communities and the public in the local project areas.

The projects in the UK and Ireland are demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach. Thousands of leaflets have been requested and distributed. Positive media relationships have been developed. An external analysis of press articles in one of the project areas revealed an overwhelmingly positive replication of key messages prominently placed.

People are contacting the helpline for information and advice in ever increasing numbers. Over three quarters of callers are from the principle target groups. More than a third of calls are from adults who are worried about their own behavior and want help to change. A similar number are from adults concerned about a family member or someone they know well. Where appropriate callers are helped to make contact with treatment and child protection resources in their areas.

Contrary to popular belief, sexual abusers are treatable. Research indicates that those who have completed an accredited treatment program are significantly less likely to reoffend.

Stop it Now! UK & Ireland is run independently of Stop it Now! US. However, the organization would like to formally acknowledge that it has based its aims and approach on those originally developed by Stop it Now!. Stop it Now! UK & Ireland appreciate the generous support given by our American colleagues.