No Whispers - Karen Livesey on Protecting Children, Spotting the Signs and Speaking Up

In this important episode of It’s Your Business, Kath is joined by Karen Livesey, Director and Trainer at No Whispers CIC, an organisation dedicated to educating people about child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, county lines and safeguarding.

Karen brings more than 30 years of experience working with young people across Lancashire. It was seeing cases where signs of exploitation had been missed that drove her to deepen her knowledge, train with organisations including Barnardo’s and eventually create No Whispers CIC.

Kath and Karen talk about why safeguarding is not something that only concerns schools, social workers or the police. Exploitation can happen to any child, in any family and in any community, which means awareness matters for parents, carers, businesses, community organisations and anyone who comes into contact with young people.

One of Karen’s clearest messages is to notice change. Changes in behaviour, language, friendships, relationships, absence from home or online activity can all be signs that something is happening beneath the surface.

They also discuss the huge role the online world now plays in young people’s lives. Social media and technology can be enormously positive, but they can also provide opportunities for grooming and exploitation. Karen explains why building trusting relationships with children and understanding how perpetrators operate is so important.

The conversation also looks at victim blaming and why young people may be frightened to tell anyone what is happening to them. Fear, threats, manipulation and shame can all prevent disclosure, making the language and response of trusted adults incredibly important.

Karen shares some of the work No Whispers is doing through training, workshops, safeguarding resources, partnerships and community projects, including resources created to help young people access support and real stories from adults who experienced abuse or exploitation as children.

This is a powerful and necessary conversation about awareness, education and why safeguarding really is everybody’s responsibility.

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