Help keep local children safe by volunteering for the NSPCC’s Speak out Stay safe Programme 

Speak out Stay safe 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 an age-appropriate 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, Speak out Stay safe covers topics like bullying, neglect and sexual abuse – without using any scary words or adult language.

Last year, the NSPCC delivered 1,600 Speak out Stay safe online programmes to schools across the UK and now we are looking for volunteers to train for our face-to-face assemblies. 

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

We are particularly looking for those with the following qualities and experience:

• Passionate about helping young people and children.
• Great communication skills.
• Empathetic and perceptive.
• Sensitive and supportive.
• Able to think on your feet.
• Works well within a team.
• Aged over 16.

Speak out Stay safe is an effective way to support a school’s safeguarding duties and links directly to the curriculum as well as helping reinforce key messages about abuse and neglect as part of a school’s teaching about relationships.

It can also support the Ofsted requirements for personal development as part of the September 2022 framework. Additionally, it can be used to complement the statutory guidance for the RSE curriculum – www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary

For further information about how your school can take part please contact laura.franklin@nspcc.org.uk 

Thanks to the NSPCC for writing this guest blog.

 Photography by Tom Hull. The children and adults pictured are models.