The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been conducting a feasibility project on measuring the prevalence of child abuse in the UK. Our research updates cover our work to date to develop the appropriate questionnaires and safeguarding processes for this survey. Our next steps are:
to get ethical approval for and carry out an initial pilot with one school
an online pilot of the young people’s component of the study
a wider school pilot involving at least seven further schools
subject to successful evaluation of the pilot, implementing the study.
Throughout the project ONS has worked to ensure a child-centred and children’s rights-based approach. This has been possible with support and advice from our Child Abuse Statistics Steering Group, and in particular, from the NSPCC.
As an organisation focused on protecting children from and preventing all forms of child abuse, the NSPCC are well placed to provide this experienced advice. The last prevalence survey to measure child abuse was run by the NSPCC in 2009, and they continue to have a strong research arm and Ethics Committee whom we’ve sought advice from previously.
As we move onto piloting the survey, we want to strengthen the link between our two organisations and have now agreed that the Safety During Childhood Survey will be delivered by ONS in collaboration with the NSPCC.
Under this arrangement our organisations have agreed the following:
the survey and supporting materials will be co-branded with the ONS logo and an “in collaboration with NSPCC” logo.
ONS will work with the NSPCC on the ethics approval for the study, specifically, any pilots and the full survey will need to be approved by both the National Statistician’s Data Ethics Committee and the NSPCC Research Ethics Committee in order to proceed.
ONS will work with the NSPCC to ensure the survey remains child-centred. This includes giving advice on support materials and survey implementation. However, decision making for any aspect of the survey remains with ONS.
NSPCC will provide quotes showing their support for elements of the survey development, and the overall survey. These quotes will be used publicly on materials.
NSPCC will get access to any data collected at the same time and in the same way as other stakeholders.
This agreement doesn’t cover any procured services.