The Department for Education has commissioned the NSPCC to establish a dedicated independent helpline for people who have experienced sexual abuse in educational setting. 

The helpline went live on 1 April 2021, and will provide both children and adults who have experienced sexual abuse in schools with support and advice, including onward action such as contacting the police if they wish to. The helpline will also provide support to parents and professionals. Anyone who gets in touch through this dedicated helpline will also be signposted to other relevant support services available, including Childline, which provides ongoing support and counselling to children and young people.

The dedicated and confidential NSPCC helpline – Report Abuse in Education can be reached on 0800 136 663 or by email at help@nspcc.org.uk.

Prevent

I’m pleased to inform parents the Prevent Team now have a presence on the Leeds City Council website. The information provided on the site will provide people with knowledge of Prevent in Leeds, how to notice the signs of radicalisation and where to go for support. There are also links to very useful documents as well as information on the Channel programme that we hope people find useful.

The link to the Prevent page can be found here -

 https://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/neighbourhoods-and-community/prevent

Safeguarding Alert

We have been made aware of an app released in April this year which poses a significant risk to children and young people, UNICO LIVE is a relatively new live-streaming app developed by a Hong Kong based company. The App features unicorn imagery, which may make it attractive to children and young people. The app can be used to live stream, send images and send and receive gifts of monitory value. A test carried out by INEQE safeguarding group found high levels of engagement from adults instructing children to engage in sexualised activity. Their advice is to check your child's device and delete the app and engage young people in a conversation – about keeping safe online and who they would talk to if someone made them feel uncomfortable online.