People across Wales are being urged by the Welsh Government to
act NOW and do more to ensure children and adults are not put at
risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
To mark the start of Safeguarding Week (12th – 16th November), the
Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care, and the Cabinet
Secretary for Education, , said they remain concerned
about the number of people who suffer from abuse, neglect and
exploitation in Wales each year.
Statistics show:
- Nearly 3,000 children in Wales are on the child protection
register because of neglect, psychological, sexual or other forms
of abuse.
- Over 19,000 adults were reported to local authorities as
being at risk of abuse or neglect
The Welsh Government has taken firm action to tackle the abuse
and neglect of children and adults.
In 2016, a law was introduced in Wales – the Social Services and
Well-being (Wales) Act – which strengthens existing safeguarding
arrangements for children by placing on relevant partners, such
as the NHS, police, probation and youth offending teams, a duty
to report where they have reasonable cause to suspect that a
child is at risk.
The Act introduces parallel provisions for relevant partners to
report to the local authority someone suspected to be an adult at
risk of abuse or neglect. This is supplemented by a duty for the
local authority to make enquires to determine whether any action
is required to safeguard adults at risk.
Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care, said:
“The abuse and neglect of children and adults is completely
unacceptable. One of the most harrowing aspects of my role as
Minister is receiving reports of children and adults who have
experienced terrible abuse or neglect.
“As a government, we’ve introduced tough new laws to ensure
robust mechanisms are in place to safeguard children and adults.
I’m asking everyone to think about what they can do, how people
act on their concerns is important because together we can all
help to keep children and adults safe from abuse.”
As part of efforts to prevent abuse happening in the first place
and to identify abuse when it happens, the Welsh Government is
funding a new pan-Wales campaign, which is being launched this
week. The theme of the Stop it Now campaign will be to tackle
child sexual abuse by providing information and learning for
practitioners and to parents and carers. Nearly 1000 people
across Wales will benefit from awareness raising sessions as part
of the campaign.
added:
“I’m really pleased the Welsh Government is working with Stop It
Now! Wales to launch this new campaign, which will help encourage
the people of Wales to play their part in stopping child sexual
abuse.
“Together, we can and must ensure every child in Wales is safe.”
Activities during Safeguarding Week also includes a poster
campaign aimed at raising awareness of the need to speak out and
seek help, and where to go for that help.
Education Secretary, said:
“Safeguarding Week provides a really important opportunity for us
to recognise the vital role that schools play in safeguarding our
children and young people. It is school staff who have daily
contact with our learners, so they are in a strong position to
identify signs of abuse and neglect at the earliest possible
stage so that action can be taken and support put in place.
The campaign will increase awareness within our school
communities and also make sure that both children and young
people and school staff know where to turn for help.”
ENDS
Notes
- Safeguarding Week will see Safeguarding Boards across Wales
organising events and hosting conferences which are aimed at
raising awareness and finding ways to spot and prevent
exploitation. This is supported by public facing information to
raise awareness about the different ways in which children and
adults are abused through exploitation.
