Morecambe MP discusses national roll-out of Carnforth children’s charity

Mrs Collinge met Jude Walker and Val Webb from the charity at her Morecambe office to hear about how KidSafe delivers age-appropriate, preventative, safeguarding programmes into primary schools.

The charity believes that by empowering children to speak out and talk to a trusted grown-up about anything that is making them feel sad, scared, or worried, they will help protect children from abuse and help their mental and emotional wellbeing and development.

Through the programme, children learn skills needed to deal with any situation, regardless of what it is.

The programme, which doesn’t use graphic language, covers issues such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, children’s safeguarding, children's mental health, social media, the dangers children face, and knife crime.

As well as delivering the programme to whole classes in mainstream primary schools, including to children with Specialist Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), comprehensive staff training is provided within the KidSafe package.

Val Webb and Jude Walker, KidSafe UK co-founders, said: “We have dedicated our lives to developing and delivering the KidSafe programme. Our primary purpose is that all children can be educated at the earliest opportunity and we hope the government can help us make this a reality.

“We came away from our meeting with Lizzi feeling positive, supported and hopeful that with her backing and government support we could truly further our work of keeping all children safe from abuse and harm. It was a pleasure to speak with likeminded people who put children's wellbeing at the heart of what they do.

“At KidSafe UK, we have always believed that if you empower children to speak out and talk to a trusted grown-up about anything that is making them feel sad, scared, or worried, it will have major positive impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing".

Mrs Collinge added: “I was pleased to meet with KidSafe UK, a local charity that is making a tangible difference in young people’s lives.

“The work of Val and Jude is so important, as they empower children to understand their emotions and encourage them speak to trusted adults about complex feelings and so protect themselves from harm. It was great to learn about the different programmes which they deliver, all of which contain age-appropriate content.

“I was particularly interested in the focus on primary age kids, as it is well recognised that educating children at a young age is crucial to ensuring they are able to talk about their feelings and anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or puts them at risk of harm. This reflects the government’s priority of shifting towards prevention.

“I hope to soon meet with the relevant minister to discuss a wider roll out of this programme, as I believe it is an excellent initiative, and one that is much needed in today’s climate of young people being able to access increasingly unsuitable material.”

KidSafe UK has been working with children in primary school settings for 24 years, and it is also used in specialist schools and within a Pupil Referral Unit. Throughout the programme, parents and carers are kept fully informed of content being used.