Safeguarding in faith communities


The Church of England has published safeguarding data taken from annual safeguarding returns, collected by dioceses in England from 2015-17. Figures show that: the number of safeguarding concerns or allegations about children rose from 1,052 in 2015 to 1,342 in 2016 but fell slightly in 2017 to 1,257; in 2017 53% of safeguarding concerns or allegations relating to children were related to sexual abuse.

Source: Church of England  Date: 19 June 2019

Further information: Diocesan self-assessment key safeguarding data 2015-2017 (PDF)

Read more on NSPCC Learning: Safeguarding in faith communities

Best practice in the management of online sex offending


The University of Plymouth has published findings from research on the outcomes from literature reviews and international consultations with practitioners and researchers held by the international Working Group for the Prevention of Online Sex Offending (IWG_OSO), whose members include the NSPCC, looking at best practice on the management and prevention of online child sexual exploitation. Recommendations to address the issue of online sex offending include: promote public engagement, introduce earlier intervention methods, develop international agreements and develop programmes of prevention-focused research.

Source: University of Plymouth  Date: 21 June 2019

Source: NSPCC

Further information: Best practice in the management of online sex offending (PDF)

Children in need


The Department for Education (DfE) has published the concluding report of its review of children in need in England. Alongside this, the DfE has published children in need final data and analysis. Findings include: at least 1.6 million children needed social care services between 2012/13 and 2017/18 and children who have been in need of social care services at some point between 2012/13 and 2017/18 are present in 98% of schools in England. Areas for action include: better recognition of how many children need a social worker; supporting children in need to stay in education; and developing a wider system of specialist support in and around schools.S

Further information: Help, protection, education: concluding the children in need review (PDF)

Children in need of help and protection: CIN review: final data and analysis (PDF)

Source: NSPCC