Petition · past parliament · Home Office

Help EVERYONE identify signs of child abuse, neglect and know what to do next

Closed 104 signatures

What the petition asks

Actions required:

- .GOV portal for free online, basic safeguarding training & certification
- Launch a national media campaign, targeting all adults
- Include Safeguarding as a topic in the U.K. citizenship test
At least one child is killed by abuse or neglect in the UK every week and the majority are under the age of one (see NSPCC Statistics briefing - December 2021). While there is legislation governing the safeguarding of children, this too often fails to protect children, and it remains our collective responsibility to protect our vulnerable.

Despite the availability of free courses, less than a third of UK adults (31%) are confident they could spot the signs of abuse and fewer than one in five (17%) would report their suspicions of abuse straight away (YouGov / NSPCC survey).

Timeline

20 Jun 2023 Petition opened for signatures
20 Dec 2023 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 104
Status Closed
Department Home Office
Opened 20 Jun 2023
Closed 20 Dec 2023

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.