Children’s charity the NSPCC today asked Bradford people to back a new campaign to put ChildLine in every primary school in the district.

The ‘Now I Know’ campaign aims for visits to Bradford primary schools every two years to talk to children about abuse, how to protect themselves and where to get help if they need it.

The pioneering ChildLine Schools Service is a major shift towards preventative work designed to equip children with the knowledge they need to act with confidence if they fear abuse. It builds on the charity’s other services which increasingly focus on preventative work with adults. NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said: “By helping children understand and identify abuse in an age-appropriate way, we can encourage them to speak out earlier.”

NSPCC research shows that, on average, at least two children in every primary classroom will have suffered some form of abuse or neglect. But ChildLine says the majority of children who contact its helpline are aged over 11 and often talk about abuse that happened months or years earlier.

The ChildLine Schools Service, which is delivered by trained volunteers and provided for free to all primary schools across the UK, aims to help children aged nine to 11. To support the campaign, visit nowiknow.org.uk.