Help to protect children in Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes with NSPCC school’s programme

Speak out. Stay safe (SOSS) is a safeguarding programme for children aged 5 to 11 years old and is available to all primary schools across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

It helps children, in an age-appropriate way, to understand:

abuse in all its forms and how to recognise signs of abuse
that abuse is never a child’s fault and that they have the right to be safe
where to get help and the sources of help available to them, including our Childline service

Through virtual assemblies and face-to-face workshops, children can learn about the different types of abuse in a child-friendly way, so they can get help if or when they need it. NSPCC staff and volunteers help them identify a trusted adult they can talk to if they’re ever worried about themselves or a friend.

With the help of Childline’s mascot Buddy, SOSS covers topics like bullying, neglect and sexual abuse – without using any scary words or adult language.

Last year, the NSPCC delivered SOSS online programmes to 51,356 children in 216 schools in the East of England and now we are looking for volunteers to train for our face-to-face assemblies.

Over the past year our counsellors at Childline delivered over 15,500 counselling sessions where children had spoken about abuse. 15% of those sessions were with children disclosing abuse for the first time. With the help of our SOSS programme many children may speak out sooner.

Hear more about the journey of a SOSS volunteer here – ‘Children are a source of inspiration, joy, and sometimes sadness’ – Buckinghamshire NSPCC volunteer | InYourArea Community

If you are someone with experience of delivering programmes in an educational or safeguarding setting, who is motivated by targets, with strong planning and organisational abilities, good communication and excellent people skills – we would love to hear from you.

If you’re interested in becoming a Speak Out Stay Safe volunteer please apply here NSPCC Volunteering | Job description email volunteerrecruitment@nspcc.org.uk or contact Schools Coordinator for Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Laura franklin;

Laura Franklin

Schools Coordinator (Buckinghamshire & MK)

NSPCC Schools Service

Community Trade union Representative

laura.franklin@nspcc.org.uk