As part of the NSPCC’s Childhood Day celebrations, the children’s charity’s London and South East base in Camden has welcomed visitors for the first time. The Hub, which acts as a base for all NSPCC services in the region, opened its doors to the children of Rotherfield Primary School in north London, as well as child protection professionals and local organisations.
NSPCC Childhood Day brings people together across the UK, Jersey and the Channel Islands to celebrate the joys of being a child, while also encouraging people to play their part to help keep children safe.
Children from Rotherfield Primary School took part in the Childhood Day Mile – walking, skipping, and dancing back from the Hub to their campus.
They also took part in activities such as biscuit decoration and making an ‘emotions volcano’ with baking soda and glitter. These showed the children what can happen if you keep your feelings inside, and why it is therefore important to speak with a safe adult about worries, which can include Childline.
The NSPCC’s Childline service is delivering, on average, more than 500 counselling sessions a day to children and young people across the UK, with mental health, family relationships and friendship issues being the top concerns.
The week following Rotherfield Primary School’s visit, adult professionals were invited to the London and South East Hub to speak to NSPCC staff members about the services available in the region, such as the charity’s Schools Service which visits schools across the region delivering safeguarding workshops.
Visitors from schools, local authorities, charities, and other child protection-related professions were able to see the Hub’s therapy rooms and discover more about the NSPCC’s direct services.
These included ‘Domestic Abuse Recovering Together’ and ‘The London Infant Family Team’. Visitors also heard about ‘Letting The Future In’ which is run in partnership with The Lighthouse, a multiagency service for children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse.
New NSPCC service Building Connections, supported by Clarion Housing Union, had a stall too, explaining to people about the online service, which empowers young people to find a way through loneliness.
Also among the many teams representing the NSPCC at the event were the Hub’s Local Campaigns team, who are currently running a London-wide campaign called ‘Talk PANTS’ helping children to understand their body belongs to them and if concern to speak out.
Amy Campo MacEvoy, Regional Relationship Manager, said: “We are thrilled that our two open days for Childhood Day have been resounding successes, and we hope that they will help us to forge even better relationships with the communities that we serve in London and the South East.”
