Government news and campaigns 
 
NSPCC and Home-Office nationwide campaign to tackle child sex abuse 

NSPCC Helpline and the Home Office are launching a campaign to encourage adults to reach out with concerns of child sexual abuse. Together, we are encouraging the public to contact the charity’s Helpline if they are concerned that a child could be at risk. The partnership also encourages people to report on instances where there are concerns that a child might be experiencing sexual abuse.  

 
The NSPCC has created two films promoting the new campaign, which show how adults can use the Helpline to share any concerns they may have about a child’s safety or welfare. One of these films is tailored to professionals, and the other reaches out to the general public. Any adults concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing can contact the NSPCC Helpline at [email protected] or by calling 0808 800 5000.

Legacy asylum backlog cleared 
 
The Prime Minister’s commitment of clearing the legacy asylum backlog has been delivered, with 112,000 asylum cases being processed in the past year. Ending the legacy asylum backlog, a pivotal step in the government’s pledge to stop the boats, comes as end-of-year statistics show small boat crossings were down by 36% in 2023. In recent months, crossings have fallen even more sharply – by 45% in the second half of the year and 64% in the final quarter of 2023, against equivalent periods in 2022. This is despite sea crossings into Europe surging by 80% in 2023. 
  

Fundamental changes to the decision-making process and boosting efficiency has resulted in 112,000 asylum decisions this year, and the highest annual number of substantive decisions in a year since 2002. Read more on this here. 
 
Tough government action on student visas comes into effect 
 
From 1 January 2024, tough government action means most international students can now no longer bring family members to the UK on all but postgraduate research courses and courses with government-funded scholarships. The changes, first announced last May, have also seen people banned from using the student visa as a backdoor route to work in the UK and will see an estimated 140,000 fewer people come to the UK. Read more on this here. 
 
Consultations on transfer of PCC functions to two regional mayors 
 
Plans to transfer the oversight of the local police force in the West Midlands and South Yorkshire from the Police and Crime Commissioner to the Mayor will be consulted on. As part of the plans to give these locally elected Mayors a greater overview of the police, the public can expect greater collaboration across public services, helping to cut crime and keep our communities safe. Read more on this here. 
 
In case you missed it… 
 
Winter Homicide campaign: Walk Away 
 
The Home Office-funded campaign to reduce winter homicide launched earlier this week. The national initiative will have two elements; a communications campaign aimed at raising awareness and influencing behavioural change, and force-led activity which will focus operational strategies in hotspot areas to drive down homicides associated with the night-time economy over the Winter period. 
 
The campaign encourages self-control, support from friends and for men to walk away from heated situations before other people become violent. It also calls on friends and bystanders of potential offenders, as well as members of the public, to de-escalate situations when it is safe to. 
 
Read more about the campaign on the Walk Away website, and if you would like to share the campaign materials on social media and through your networks, please find them here: Campaign Toolbox – We Walk Away. 
 
Campaign Materials    
    
The government is running several campaigns for vulnerable audiences. We would be grateful if you could share campaign materials and messaging on your channels, and with your networks. 
 

ENOUGH. aims to challenge perpetrators and raise awareness of what we can all do to safely call out abuse. Please find attached a partner pack which includes more information on the campaign, and materials which you can share on your channels.      

End-to-End Encryption campaign calling directly on Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on its platforms without robust safety measures that ensure children are protected from sexual abuse and exploitation in messaging channels. Click here for the IWF parent guide.    

Stop Abuse Together aims to empower parents and carers to take steps to help keep the children in their life safe. All children have a right to be safe from sexual abuse, and we all have a role to play in keeping them safe. Let’s #StopAbuseTogether      

Parentwise is designed to build parents and carers’ understanding of the range of harms their child could be exposed to. It includes a partner pack to help them spot the signs that something could be wrong and empower them to act if they are worried.     
Victims of Terrorism provides information on where to seek advice and assistance following a terrorist incident.  

Stakeholder news and campaigns 

   

NSPCC Helpline 
 

The NSPCC is calling on the public, including those who work with children, to use the Helpline to express any concerns they may have regarding a child, even if they are not certain. In doing this, every person can play a part in keeping children safe from sexual abuse. 

Please get in touch with the NSPCC Helpline if you are concerned that a child could be at risk. Any adults concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing can contact the NSPCC Helpline at [email protected] or by calling 0808 800 5000. Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk. People should always contact 999 if they suspect a child is in immediate danger.   

The NSPCC has also created two films promoting the new campaign. These films show how adults can use the Helpline to share any concerns they may have about a child’s safety or welfare. One of these films is tailored to professionals, and the other reaches out to the general public. 
 
Help For Households 
 
The Help For Households campaign brings together over 40 support schemes to help with the cost of living. The campaign gives clear information about the different support available and eligibility, so the public know what is available to them and where they can find help. 

Families across the country are already receiving help with their bills. Join them and check what you could be entitled to here. 
 
If you’d like to support the campaign, please find the campaign toolkit here, which contains suggested messaging, social media assets and logos to help you share on social media, in newsletters and on websites. 
  
Upcoming campaigns      

   

If your organisation has any upcoming surveys or campaigns that you would like us to highlight in our newsletter, please get in touch with the External Affairs team at [email protected]