Stop it Now!Wales

Working with parents and carers

Stop it Now! Wales works directly with parents and carers across the country to make sure they as best placed as they can be do protect their children from sexual abuse.

There are a number of child sexual abuse prevention courses available, which can be delivered by our experienced and friendly national manager to parents though children’s centres, parents’ networks, schools and other agencies.

Parents Protect Plus! Course

The course is made up of one two-hour session per week, for five weeks. The course is suitable for parents, carers, grandparents and guardians of children and young people under the age of 18.

Course content includes:

• discussion and information around abuser behaviour including why and how people sexually abuse children
• the barriers to identifying and preventing abuse and how to overcome them
• the behaviours and indicators of sexual abuse
• the positive actions parents can take to prevent child sexual abuse
• internet safety
• sexual development in children and young people
• sexually harmful behaviour in children and young people

Sian Northey, Caerphilly Parent Network Assistant, said of the Parents Protect! Plus course:
“We did see some reluctance from parents to be involved with the course as it’s a subject they didn’t know how to handle and didn’t want to be involved with. But those who have come forward gave really positive feedback. In addition to learning about child sexual abuse, some found it opened other doors and gave them the confidence to talk with their children about a host of sensitive issues such as privacy, trust, sex and relationships.”

A testimonial from a mother who completed the Parents Protect Plus! course in August 2011:
I'm a single mother with three boys, aged 16, 10 and 4. I have just completed the Parents Protect Plus! course run by Stop it Now! Wales. To be honest, I was in two minds whether or not to do the course initially, as it is such a sensitive subject it scared me.

After meeting the course tutor and completing the 90 minute Parents Protect! session and watching the Parents Protect learning programme, I was convinced to do the full Parents Protect Plus! course.

The information I received was invaluable. The course covers so much e.g. behaviours that both potential abusers might display (such as signs of grooming behaviours) and sings a child might display (such as being overly withdrawn). What behaviour is appropriate for children at different ages/stages of development and online safety, the importance of listening and talking to our children and making sure they feel that they can tell you anything and they will be believed, and what to do if we are concerned that a child may be at risk of sexual abuse.

I would strongly urge parents, carers and anyone who works with children to do this course. Our children are precious and we need to be aware of these risks. To sum up the course, I would say, 'it's an eye opener'.

Download a leaflet about our Parents Protect Plus! course.

Parents Protect! course

The Parents Protect! programme is a 90 minute public education session for parents, carers and other adults to raise awareness of child sexual abuse and provide positive messages about what they can do to protect children.

The session focuses on dispelling common myths about child sex offenders while at the same time arming parents and carers with sound information that will help them keep their youngsters safe. It also offers a better understanding of how convicted sex offenders are managed by the police, probation and other statutory and voluntary bodies on release into the community.

The presentations are supported by a website; www.parentsprotect.co.uk and a 30 minute e-learning programme (hosted on the site) which parents and carers can work through in their own time.

Download a leaflet about our Parents Protect! course.

Internet Safety! presentations 

This presentation is for parents, carers and teachers on dangers posed by the internet, where the risks lie, how to protect children and where to go for advice and information. These are not technical events – instead we focus on practical advice.

We aim to:

• promote the benefits of using the internet
• raise awareness about inappropriate (sexual) content and contacts that children might come across online and ways it might happen
• provide advice and strategies about keeping children safe online, with details of where to go for further information, advice and support.
• raise awareness about cyberbullying:- how to prevent and respond to it.

We do this through giving advice on:

• how to help children understand the importance of not giving out personal information
• how to respond to worrying or abusive contact
• the difference between real world friends and ‘online friends’ or ‘e-buddies’
• the importance of children knowing not to meet people they have only met online
• how to encourage children to talk to a trusted adult if anything or anyone causes them concerns

Download a leaflet about our Internet Safety presentations.

Contact us

For further information about these two courses, or to find out how we can help support the work you do with parents and carers, contact Rebecca Morgan on 07989 378220 or email wales@stopitnow.org.uk