Over 60 people attended Childline Gibraltar’s multidisciplinary conference earlier this week on the theme of “Working Together to Safeguard Children”. The main speaker on the day was John Cameron, Head of Child Protection Operations at the NSPCC. John managed to cover a wide range of topics on the day, and brought the conference delegates up to date with what has been happening in the UK as a result of the Jimmy Savile case and Operation Yewtree, in which he is heavily involved.

The conference was well supported by various disciplines, including Childline staff, the Care Agency, GHA staff, Education Department, private school teachers, Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Customs, RGP, as well as various voluntary organisations who work with children.

Delegates were given the opportunity to hear about current guidance and its impact on good multidisciplinary practice and the implications for managing and sharing child abuse information. It was clear that the whole community has a responsibility for protecting children, and not just Government Agencies and those in the voluntary sector who work with children and young people. If a child is at risk of significant harm, or child abuse is suspected, it should always be reported to the relevant authorities for proper investigation. The Care Agency and the Royal Gibraltar Police have dedicated teams of staff trained to investigate reports of abuse.

John Cameron challenged the participants to discuss how to work with anonymous disclosures and the differences between anonymity and confidentiality, and noted the importance and impact of Helplines, such as Childline Gibraltar, in encouraging people to come forward with their suspicions.

He spoke about the NSPCC’s “Don’t wait until you are certain” campaign, noting that, on average, it takes people between two to three months to report a concern, and that is a long time for a child who is suffering. The fact that Gibraltar is such a small community has its own implications and there is increased reluctance from people to speak out, particularly when they know the families of the abusers or are worried that their suspicions may be incorrect.

A spokesperson for Childline Gibraltar remarked, “We are delighted that this conference has proved to be such a success and has highlighted a number of areas that still need to be addressed. Our Helpline alone receives an average of 55 calls per month, several of which have to be referred on. In our 7 years of operation in Gibraltar, we have made a significant impact and been the first port of call for many concerned adults and children. We have had to expand our services to meet the needs of our callers and are now involved in various early intervention projects such as Positive Parenting and an education programme in local schools. If anyone is concerned about a child, we would urge them to report their concerns. That child may be counting on them and their information could be the missing piece of the jigsaw that another agency is waiting for.”

Childline would like to thank everyone who supported and attended the conference and hopes that it will be a catalyst to encourage increased information sharing and communication between all those who work with children in Gibraltar.

The slides used at the conference are now available on Childline’s website www.childline.gi