Who we are

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation is a charity working to prevent child sexual abuse. We do this by working with people who pose a risk to children, their friends and family, and professionals to create safer offline and online environments for children and to protect them from harm. Our anonymous and confidential Stop It Now helpline, live chat and secure email are for anyone with concerns about sexual abuse and its prevention, including:

• Adults who have abused and those at risk of abusing: to encourage them to recognise their behaviour as abusive or at risk of harm and to seek help to change.
• Family and friends concerned about an adult displaying worrying sexual behaviour towards a child: to encourage them to recognise the signs of abusive behaviour in those close to them and to seek advice about what action to take to protect children from harm.
• Parents and carers concerned about a child or young person with worrying sexual behaviour: to encourage them to recognise the signs of concerning or harmful sexual behaviour and to seek advice about what positive action they can take.
• Adults concerned about a child or young person who may have been abused or has been abused: to discuss their concerns and find the right course of action to support their child.
• Professionals calling for case advice and support.
• Adult survivors of child sexual abuse to help them find the best support for their situation.

Our helpline is confidential, so people can openly discuss their concerns and get the support they need. It is anonymous, so they do not need to provide identifying information, but if they do and then disclose details of a crime being committed or if there is a risk of harm to anyone, then we will pass that information on to the relevant agencies.

How we help

• We support callers with emotional distress caused by their situation
• We offer a safe space to understand and address behaviour
• We assist callers to identify the nature and seriousness of their concerns
• We explore options available, including referral to our own follow-up service or another agency
• We agree on child protection actions the caller will take

How you can help

If you receive a call from someone with concerns about sexual abuse:

•  commend them for getting in touch and seeking help with an issue that is hard to talk about
• be prepared to shut down conversations which are straying out of your comfort zone and don’t allow them to go into detail regarding sexual fantasy or offences
• reassure them they are doing the right thing by not ignoring their concerns and seeking advice
• avoid making a judgement about whether the behaviour is ‘normal’ or not
• be empathic
• importantly, direct them to the Stop It Now helpline and website and reassure them they will get the right support and advice from our trained advisors