Child abuse report urges refocus

About 80,000 children a year are abused, it is estimated

More should be done by the government to stop child abuse before it happens rather than focusing on protecting abused children, a report says.

New Philanthropy Capital, a non-profit group which advises charitable donors, also urges ministers to give charities working to prevent abuse more support.

NPC estimates 80,000 children in the UK are abused every year.

Its report, Not Seen and Not Heard, recommends eight "effective" charities including Barnardo's and the NSPCC.

It says that although an estimated £1.8bn a year is spent tackling child abuse, most of the focus is on child protection.

Advice

It calls for more money to be spent on preventing abuse and dealing with its long-term effects.

The report says charities can play a crucial role in addressing the causes of abuse and dealing with the effects.

One of the charities NPC recommends in the report is the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

It started the Stop it Now! programme in 2002 offering advice to individuals concerned about their own behaviour, the behaviour of a family member or friends, and parents and carers concerned about the behaviour of a child, the report said.

RECOMMENDED CHARITIES Barnardo's Sexual Exploitation Services Children's Rights Alliance for England Community Service Volunteers' Volunteers in Child Protection Eighteen and Under Lucy Faithfull Foundation NSPCC's Childline and There4me Survivors Trust Wave Trust

By offering advice, the Stop it Now! programme can help to identify and prevent abuse.

Another charity recommended is Dundee-based Eighteen and Under, which runs the Violence Is Preventable programme.

It uses videos, discussion and interactive games to encourage children to recognise unsafe or uncomfortable situations.

It also offers training to parents, teachers and youth workers.

Survivors

The work of the charity leads to children reporting abuse - something the majority do not do.

Martin Brookes, NPC's director of research, said: "If we want to prevent abuse, we need to raise awareness and provide advice both to potential victims and abusers to reduce the risk of offending.

"NPC strongly supports the work of charities such as the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and Eighteen and Under, because the problem of child abuse will only be dealt with effectively by doing everything we can to stop abuse happening in the first place."

The report estimates that there could be as many as 5.5m adult survivors of child abuse in the UK.

It adds there is a serious lack of funding for charities working with these survivors.