(Contributed)

CAP UK (Child Assault Prevention Project) is a community project in Devon that brings parents/carers, school staff and children together to understand how to effectively reduce children’s vulnerability to child abuse and build safer communities for children.

CAP’s mission is to keep children Safe, Strong and Free

CAP works with the whole school community towards reducing children’s vulnerability to abuse, equipping children with skills and strategies necessary to stay safe from harm in an ever-changing society. It helps towards encouraging them to grow up to be strong and confident young people, respecting their own and others’ rights.  Please click here for more information.

Background

Unfortunately child abuse is prevalent.  There are currently over 52,000 children identified as needing protection from abuse in the UK.  The NSPCC estimates that 1 in 4 children suffer some form of abuse by the time they are 18, and these are only the ones we know about. Many children will never tell anyone.  Childline provided over 240,000 counselling sessions to children and young people in 2019/20. 

CAP UK has been culturally tailored and running very successfully in the South West since 1995, reaching thousands of children every year with its important messages.  It is designed to raise adults’ awareness around the issues of child abuse in all its forms and to deliver empowering workshops to children in a sensitive and fun way.

With support from funders like the Big Lottery Fund, CAP UK has continued to grow.  They have developed the programme to include the technological changes of our times, to help children deal with cyber bullying and how to stay safe on the internet.  They now have a specialised programme for Special Needs Schools and run child protection training for adult groups.  They also have a programme for young people to help them understand healthy relationships both on and off-line.

CAP is a registered charity, reliant on grants and donations to support our work.  They work closely with local statutory agencies.  All of their facilitators receive extensive training from an accredited CAP trainer, and from local agencies involved in child protection, and have undergone police checks and careful vetting procedures.