On Wednesday 10th February 2016, Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire attended a NSPCC Parliamentary reception to learn more of the ‘It’s Time’ campaign.
The Campaign seeks to raise awareness of the abuse suffered by some children and the services required in order to provide the much needed support.
Mr Costa said “NSPCC are doing a tremendous job to raise awareness of the unacceptable abuse that some children suffer. As a result of abuse, many children can go on to develop chronic mental health problems and we need to work together to ensure the appropriate services are in place to support that is required.”
Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, said more children than ever were coming forward to tell somebody about the abuse they have suffered. “But every child’s bravery to come forward must be met with the right support. And for many of our most vulnerable children, that support is not available.”
He welcomed the Government’s commitment to invest £1.4 billion into children’s mental health services but said: “This money can only be spent once; it is crucial that a portion is made available for abused children. We're calling for long term investment in support services for children who've experienced abuse, government to produce clear guidelines on when a child should be offered therapeutic support, more research into the scale of the problem, as well as what type of support works best.”
Further information can be found on the NSPCC website by searching for ‘it’s time’: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/