Adults abused as children

Action for Children takes allegations of abuse very seriously. We’re committed to helping and supporting anyone who has experienced abuse while in our care. We’ll act quickly to prevent harm to any child.

By “adult” we mean anyone over the age of 18. By “abuse” we mean emotional, sexual and physical abuse. In this context, abuse doesn’t include care and punishment of a standard which was acceptable at the time but wouldn’t be accepted today.

A Principal Safeguarding Manager, in our Safeguarding Service, deal specifically with investigations of historic abuse.

You can get in touch via email at: [email protected]

Sometimes people will remember unhappy, painful times of being a child in care. They may have memories of being ill-treated or abused, or of seeing others badly treated.

We recognise these experiences are personal to you, and can be difficult to discuss. We will work sensitively to listen to your concerns. And we have services available to support you.

If you tell us about abuse that happened while you were in our care, and it’s of a criminal nature, we may pass that information to the police and/or social services. We cannot always keep information of this nature private or confidential, as we have a duty to protect others who may still be at risk.

We will handle information you give to us with respect, care and sensitivity. We’ll support you through the process of sharing your concerns, and will tell you about other sources of help available.

We follow the same procedures where information is provided to us verbally, or where case records indicate a child, young person or vulnerable adult is suffering or at risk of harm.

Please be aware that when there is a police investigation or a claim for compensation your records may be made available to the court.

You may also want to consider NAPAC (National Association for People Abused in Childhood).

Phone: 0808 801 0331

Email: [email protected]