Measures to be taken in Lincolnshire to tackle child sexual abuse

With research suggesting 1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused new measures are being brought in to tackle the issue in Lincolnshire.

The county's Safeguarding Children’s Partnership has been working to develop new resources and guidance for local organisations to better prepare for any instances of this taking place.

They'll address matters like communicating with children and working effectively with non-abusing parents,

As well as that a template to help identify the emotional, behavioural and physical indicators of abuse sooner is to be drawn up.

We spoke to the Partnership's Independent chair Chris Cook about the issue.

He told us: "It's a massive impact on someone's life who has been either sexually or physically abused."

"It can last for a lifetime".

"They may need medical support or psychiatric support so it's a huge impact on a victim."

"Child sexual abuse is extremely complex and over the last few years there's been this development in the online world as well."

"What we try and do is equip our frontline staff with those skills and experiences to deal with this difficult situation."

"These type of offences we deal with occur in all parts of the country and whilst we are a rural county and don't have the high levels they do in other parts, we still have to deal with any complex situations."

"We have to have a wide range of skills and abilities."

“The figures that 1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused, underlines the challenge partners face in keeping young people safe."

"Identifying and reducing the impact of sexual abuse is a priority for the LSCP, and we want to ensure all children and young people that are being, or have been, abused get the support and protection they need."

“Over the last few years, there have been a number of inquiries across the country into non-recent abuse, and it is important that everyone involved in child protection learns from these experiences. "

"The new resources that have been developed will help local organisations to spot the early signs of abuse and to respond with courage and confidence.”