Child Abuse Prevention Month: Together for Safe Childhoods

Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, nurturing environment where they feel valued and protected. Yet for many, neglect and harmful experiences continue to affect their wellbeing, leaving lasting physical, emotional, and psychological effects.

This April, we are marking Child Abuse Prevention Month. Our Safeguarding team is raising awareness, promoting education, and taking action to protect children and help them thrive in supportive communities. We will be exploring three vital themes that play a crucial role in safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children and young people: the voice of the child, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and professional curiosity. Each of these themes offers valuable insights and practical strategies for creating safer, more responsive environments where children feel seen, heard, and supported. 

Protecting children is a shared commitment—one that touches every corner of our community. At CLCH, we take this responsibility seriously and have robust measures in place to help keep children and young people safe from harm and exploitation.

We invest in continuous learning through our mandatory safeguarding refresher programmes, ensuring all staff are confident and equipped to respond to concerns. Our Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy clearly outlines the responsibilities each of us holds in promoting children’s welfare, with dedicated safeguarding leads across services to support and guide staff at every step.

What do we need to do to ensure children are heard?

Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously. Therefore it is important to:

• Always listen to children and young people and consider their views when making decisions
• Always communicate in a way that supports the child such as, using interpreters and /or using words and language they understand.
• Always be open about when you have concerns about child abuse or neglect and explain how you will be acting on those concerns (unless doing would place the child at risk of harm)
• Always seek advice if you are not sure about something you have seen, heard or are worried about e.g., bruising.

Where can you get advice and support?

If you are worried about a child and need to talk through a case, you can contact the Children’s Safeguarding Team in your borough, as well as access other useful national helplines and information: https://clch.nhs.uk/services/safeguarding 

We encourage everyone to speak up if something doesn’t seem right. You are never alone—our safeguarding teams are here to listen, advise, and act.

By embracing our collective duty, we help create a culture where children are not only safe, but also valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.