Rotherham grooming survivor backs new website to help parents spot abuse
MP Sarah Champion's launching the new site later today
A survivor of grooming in Rotherham's backing new efforts to help parents spot the signs of child sexual exploitation.
One of the town's MPs Sarah Champion's launching a website today as a practical tool to help parents know more about things like sexting and online abuse.
Leading charities like the NSPCC, Mumsnet and Barnardo's have helped set it up.
Sammy Woodhouse was one of more than 1500 children abused in the town between 1997 and 2013 - she says parents still don't know enough about child sexual exploitation:
"For parents it's really difficult because they don't know the grooming process, they don't know the signs and when it's happening they don't know what they can do to prevent it or help situations so I think it's a great idea that more work is being don't to help them recognise that.
"As a parent, there's so much you can do to help your child in possibly preventing it or helping when it does happen. But what is important is that not only parents and carers know about this but also teachers and other agencies as well.
"Grooming and abuse can happen to any child - it doesn't matter what background they're from, what upbringing. Children are vulnerable because they are children."
The new online resource will be called Dare2Care - and is the next stage of Sarah Champion’s campaign to prevent child abuse and violence in young people’s relationships.
It comes as Sammy's joined with a similar campaign set up by ITV's Loose Women called Never Too Late To Tell.
She says there are signs parents can look out for in their children so they can spot abuse:
"Mood swings, suicide attempts, depression, bruising and scarring on the body, receiving gifts, staying out late or not returning at all. There are lots of signs parents can look out for and it can be difficult because some of those signs are signs of just being a typical teenager.
"Often parents think, my child's safe because they're in the next room or in their bedroom. But actually, who is talking to your child? It's so easy to just set up a fake profile or to groom a child and then threaten the child or blackmail the child."
The website can be found here. And there's more information on child sexual exploitation on Sammy Woodhouse's website too.