Professionals find out how they can help prevent abuse with the help of the PANTS campaign
Professionals from across the city have attended sessions to find out how a new campaign will support them to help keep children safe from sexual abuse.
The Plymouth PANTS campaign supports professionals start simple, but vital, age-appropriate conversations with children aged 3-11 in their care about staying safe from harm, by providing useful tips and resources that suggest where, when and how to have such conversations. Those working with families are being encouraged to give parents and carers the confidence to Talk PANTS with their children or grandchildren.
Professionals from the health, police, children’s social care, early years & childcare, education and charity sectors gathered at the Manadon Sports and Community Hub on Thursday 10 October, which generously hosted the two sessions.
As part of the year-long campaign professionals, who work with children, are being encouraged to share #TalkPANTS messages, while workshops and information sessions are available for them, parents, and carers.
Attendees heard from NSPCC Ambassador David Tait MBE about his personal experience, as well as Donald Findlater of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, and Director of Children’s Services at Plymouth City Council Alison Botham about how prevention is possible.
This was a view reinforced by the NSPCC’s Strategic Service Centre Manager Ollie Mackie, Development and Impact Manager Shelley Shaw, and Local Campaigns Manager Julie Campbell.
Julie said: “We are delighted by the number of professionals from a wide range of agencies and organisations across Plymouth who came together and pledged their support for the campaign.
“It’s so important that children hear those consistent PANTS messages from a number of trusted adults and, of course at home. It means they can be confident that they will always have someone to turn to if anything upsets or worries them.”
High View Primary School is among the schools in the city to have already started using PANTS resources following a visit from the campaign’s mascot Pantosaurus.
He’s a giant, yellow, pants-wearing dinosaur who has made star appearances at other city schools, the public launch of the campaign at Plymouth Life Centre, and Sunday’s Ocean City’s 10k.
After seeing the NSPCC’S PANTS animation High View pupils created their own video to help share the PANTS messages, and took part in a pants colouring competition, which enabled simple conversations about how they can speak out if something is worrying them.
Teacher at High View Primary School Elizabeth Lloyd said: “The NSPCC’s PANTS campaign has been a great way to start conversations both in school and at home with our children.
“It has helped us to start normalising these conversations and overcome the initial ‘embarrassment’ felt by adults and children in a fun way.”
It follows a successful public launch, which was widely welcomed by parents, with some already familiar with the #TalkPANTS acronym:
Privates are private
Always remember your body belongs to you
No means no
Talk about secrets that upset you
Speak up – someone can help.
Pantosaurus will maintain a regular presence in the city over the next year, providing a useful conversation starter for families and professionals, helping them tackle what could be a difficult or sensitive topic in a simple and light-hearted way.
Councillor Jemima Laing, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People for Plymouth City Council, who introduced the event, said: “Keeping children and young people safe is one of the most important jobs we have as a Council and as a community so I’m really pleased we have been able to work with our colleagues at the NSPCC to bring so many professionals together to learn more about the PANTS campaign.
“There are lots of really great resources available as part of this campaign which can enable all of us to talk about a difficult issue in a language that children are able to understand and which will help to keep them safe.
“David Tait MBE’s extremely moving account of the effect child sexual abuse has had on his life was a very powerful reminder of how important it is that we have these vital conversations.”
Organisations across the city have partnered with the NSPCC to work on the Together for Childhood programme, which aims to prevent child sexual abuse, and the PANTS campaign forms one element of this work.
Partners include Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Safeguarding Children Board, Devon & Cornwall Police, Livewell South West, Barnardo’s, community groups, children and families, the voluntary sector and schools.
They have united with the NSPCC with the aim of preventing child sexual abuse, by identifying and addressing problems at a local level in a way that everybody understands.
A Devon and Cornwall Police car is displaying the PANTS message to help raise awareness of the campaign across the city.
To find out more about the PANTS campaign, visit the NSPCC website.
