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 | CHILDWATCH |
Childwatch is a voluntary organisation set up in 1984 by Dianne Core. Dianne
Core used to be a social worker, but after the Jasmine Beckford affair, she
lost faith in the social services and decided to set up an organisation of her
own to help abused families. Dianne believes that not only the victim is
affected, but the whole family. At first she ran Childwatch from home, but when it became too much she set
up a Childwatch shop situated on Beverley Road, Hull and easily found
volunteers to run it (everybody who works for Childwatch is a volunteer). The
Childwatch premises are now situated at 206 Hessle Road, Hull. Organisation and activities Child abuse is a very complex problem. The work of Childwatch involves
counselling victims and their families because both feel the pain, guilt and
anger at what has happened. They need to feel that they are special and are not
alone. There are various aspects to the organisation's work: - a telephone counselling line (the caller may remain anonymous)
- face-to-face counselling
- talks to Women's Institutes and student nurses about the signs to look for
in physical or sexual abuse
- "Stranger Danger" talks given to schools, clubs and meetings,
etc.
- children are told not to wear T-shirts with their names on, and are given
advice on what to do if approached by strangers
- referrals are taken and passed on to the statutory agencies
- additional literature aims to answer most of the questions regarding child
abuse
Aims The aims of Childwatch are to: - work for the prevention of all forms of child abuse (child abuse is defined
as including physical and sexual abuse, neglect and emotional maltreatment)
- work for greater community awareness of the concerns of child abuse, in
all its forms as a major issue facing our nation and requiring adequate support
and resources
- facilitate the liaison and networking of existing support services
throughout England
- advocate training of professionals involved in family welfare services in
order to assist in the understanding of child development and knowledge of the
harmful effects of child abuse and neglect
- encourage, develop, and assist, in the implementation of appropriate
preventative education programmes for children
- work for appropriate legislation reform and to minimise the trauma during
legal proceedings experienced by victims of child sexual abuse
- in the interim, to work towards ways and means by which the present court
experience can be made less traumatic for the child
- promote national uniformity of laws in relation to child abuse and neglect
- encourage and promote funding to facilitate the aims of Childwatch
- pursue all such other actions as may be deemed necessary from time to time
to foster the aims of the association
Parental guidelines Looking after children and keeping them from harm is really common sense
really. Here are some simple guidelines to help protect children: - when out in the supermarket or the shopping centre, never lose sight of
children; do not allow them to dawdle; they can be abducted in a second from
behind your back
- educate your child from a very early age to understand that they must not
leave your side at any time in a public place
- do not be so trusting; accept that there are children out there who will
hurt your child, not just adults
- if your child is restless and prone to wandering off, use reins
- if there is a queue, do not leave children outside a shop; wait until the
shop is quieter, then go in together
- teach your children to yell at the top of their voices if they are lost or
are approached by a stranger
- no matter how much pressure you are under whilst out shopping, do not give
in to children if they want to wander off; always keep them by your side;
better a crying child, than a dead one
- even as children get older, do not stop telling them about the dangers out
there on the street; they are never too old to learn, and keeping them informed
could save a life
- be an approachable parent, so that your child feels as though he or she
can tell you anything; communication saves lives
Childwatch is not funded by any organisation. The public help a great deal
via donations and fund-raising (e.g. sponsored pram-pushes, charity nights in
pubs and clubs).
Childwatch
19 Springbank
Hull
Humberside
HU3 1AS  01482 325552
 01482 585214
 mailto:cw@childwatch.org.uk
 http://www.childwatch.org.uk
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