NAPAC - National Association for People Abused in Childhood @NAPAC #childabuse #survivors

Few resources exist in the U.K to help and support adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and molestation.  Those that do are currently under increased pressure as the Jimmy Savile scandal unfolds and more and more survivors are coming forward and speaking out.  If you are able to help them some way, extra funding is always needed, then please follow the link below.

Message from NAPAC Founder and CEO Pete Saunders.

Those who have been attempting to get in touch with NAPAC have probably realised by now that we are being overwhelmed with requests for help and support. Well that is why we exist, to help and support our fellow survivors or their families. However, we never anticipated the many thousands who have come forward these past weeks following the outrageous Savile revelations. We know there are millions of survivors out there but the personal(and media) response has been phenomenal.What we are extremely conscious of is that we are a relatively small charity responding to massive demand. So NAPAC needs to expand rapidly to meet that demand and the only way we can do that is with more resources. To get those resources we need funds. 

There are two massive favours you could do for us right now. One is to write to your Member of Parliament asking them to support NAPAC. I won't suggest the format of the letter but a short message to your representative in Parliament should receive a fairly swift response. The other thing is to consider making a small (or large if you are wealthy!) donation to NAPAC each month. If every survivor in the UK was to donate just a pound or two each month we would be able to get help to just about everyone who needs it. We need to get our support groups up and running across the whole of the country. Please consider these two things. Either will make a huge difference to us and both would be perfect!  If there is any other way you feel you can help us please get in touch.

Thank you. Pete

 

How NAPAC began

NAPAC grew out of a lack of an integrated national body providing help and support to adults who have experienced childhood abuse. In early January 1997, a group of approximately 100 people met in London to discuss the idea of a new national organisation for people abused in childhood. Represented at the meeting were organisations supporting people who have been abused, academics and professionals working in the area of child abuse, and people with personal experiences of childhood abuse.

The meeting was set up by Peter Saunders who had been actively promoting this idea since 1995. Many people heard about the meeting after getting in touch with Peter as the result of an article in The Times, which featured his story of childhood abuse and the difficult task he faced in finding help for himself as an adult.

The result of the meeting was that a steering committee was elected made up of individuals committed to seeing the idea of a national organisation succeed. Trustees and volunteers for NAPAC currently include people who have direct experiences of childhood abuse and professionals working in the area of child abuse.

Research supporting NAPAC

There is a pressing need for a national organisation of this sort.

Christopher Cloke
Secretary to the National Commission of Inquiry into the Prevention of Child Abuse

One of the key recommendations of the National Commission was for a national organisation for people abused in childhood. This recommendation was based on the personal testimonies of over 1000 people who had experienced childhood abuse.

It was one of the largest collections of adult experiences of child abuse to be recorded and analysed in depth.

Wattam, C. and Woodwood, C. (1996) And do I abuse my children? No.1 - Learning about prevention from people who have experienced child abuse, in Childhood Matters: report of the National Commission of Inquiry into the prevention of child abuse. Vol. 2: Background papers, London: HMSO. pp43-148

  

About NAPAC and its Mission Statement

We are the only national organisation focused on supporting adults who have been abused in any way as children. We know that most children who are abused don't talk about it until they become adults. NAPAC exists to support survivors of child abuse when want to talk and receive support.

We aim to:

• Respond to the distress caused in adulthood by ill treatment and/or neglect in childhood.
• Maintain a national information telephone line and other support services for people requiring advice and information about help available to overcome the continuing impact of childhood abuse in adulthood.
• Provide support, training, information and resources to persons and organisations supporting people who have experienced ill treatment and/or neglect in childhood.
• Raise public awareness of the continuing impact of childhood abuse in adulthood.
• Effectively campaign to alleviate the impact of child abuse in adulthood.

We plan to achieve these aims by:

• Continuing to maintain our national freephone support line and other support services for adults who have suffered any type of abuse during childhood.
• The publication of helpful materials and information.
• Establishing and delivering training packages for people and organisations supporting adult survivors who experienced ill treatment or neglect in childhood.
• The establishment, maintenance and monitoring of a national register of counsellors and therapists who are committed to assisting adults who have experienced child abuse.
• Organising seminars and conferences on relevant topics.
• Promoting and liaising with relevant bodies on issues pertaining to childhood abuse and its continuing impact in adulthood. 

Contact NAPAC

There are three main ways to contact us if you are a survivor, or supporting a survivor, of childhood abuse and are looking for support and information. All methods are confidential and you will not be added to our mailing list unless you request to be.

Other ways that NAPAC provides support can be found here.

Contact us by telephone

You could phone our national freephone Support Line.

The NAPAC Support Line is confidential and free for anyone who calls from within the UK. Our volunteers are trained to understand the issues surrounding childhood abuse and will provide a listening ear to any survivor who calls. They will also search our online database you to see if they can find any local on-going support if that's what you'd like.

Calling us on 0800 085 3330 is free if you are calling from a UK landline or from a mobile provided by Virgin, Orange or 3. See our homepage for this week's opening times.

If you are calling us from a mobile provided by O2, Vodafone or T-mobile you can call us for free using an alternative number 0808 801 0331.

Because of the large volume of calls we are sorry that many people are unable to get through. We are trying to extend our opening times and they are always changing as the NAPAC Support Team increases so keep checking our homepage for the most up-to-date information.

Contact us by post

You could write us a letter if you prefer. Please note that the following address is a postal address only. Don't forget to include your email or postal address if you would like a reply from us.

NAPAC
P O BOX 63632
LONDON
SW9 1BF

Contact us by email

You could send us an email using the form here. We receive many letters and emails each week. Every request for help receives a personal reply. The service is confidential and free.

Please check you have entered your email address correctly (otherwise our replies won't reach you). It may also be worth checking that any email spam filters are set to allow replies from @NAPAC.org.uk emails.