Professionals
“The workshops were very insightful, inspiring and gave practical tools on how we can apply prevention into the day-to-day while the children are at school”
HIPS delivers trauma-informed, community-focused training crafted for educational sectors
HIPS delivers trauma-informed, community-focused training crafted for educational sectors including, but not limited to nurseries, schools, colleges, universities and youth clubs.
Developed with experts and survivors, our workshops provide evidence-based, practical tools designed to create safer environments for all children and young people.
Our sessions empower staff and volunteers to understand the complexities of child sexual abuse, recognise early warning signs, and respond effectively and compassionately when concerns arise.
Why This Matters
Workshops that help staff recognise, respond, and be part of preventing child sexual abuse.
01.
Abuse is unfortunately prevalent in any setting where adults hold power or influence over children – schools, sports clubs, residential care, and religious institutions
02.
Perpetrators exploit positions of authority and trust, using grooming tactics to manipulate children and adults alike. Grooming often involves offenders building trust with both children and caregivers to gain access and control over the child.
03.
Young people may struggle to disclose abuse due to fear, shame, or confusion, making it critical for staff to be vigilant and proactive in safeguarding – especially when the victim is very young or emotionally manipulated.
04.
All staff should be aware of the process for making referrals to children’s social care and for statutory assessments… It is essential that children are reassured that they are being taken seriously and that they will be supported and kept safe.”
Topics Covered
Our workshops are tailored to the specific needs and contexts of each educational or youth setting, recognising the diversity of cultures, ages, and experiences involved.
✅ RECOGNISING GROOMING AND MANIPULATION
- Identifying subtle and overt tactics used by abusers
- Understanding how grooming can target both children and staff
- Practical examples to help spot red flags early
✅ CREATING AND MAINTAINING SAFE ENVIRONMENTS
- Developing clear safeguarding policies and procedures
- Building a culture of trust, respect, and open communication
- Effective risk assessments and staff training
✅ SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE
- Age-appropriate communication about boundaries, consent, and safety
- How to respond to disclosures sensitively and confidently
- Trauma-informed responses that minimise re-traumatisation and build trust
- Encouraging resilience and empowerment among children and youth
✅ WORKING COLLABORATIVELY
- Working with families to ensure a united safeguarding approach
- Partnering with external agencies and community resources
- Reporting concerns promptly and appropriately
- Understanding legal and ethical responsibilities
✅ EMBEDDING PREVENTION INTO EVERYDAY WORK
- Integrating safeguarding principles into daily routines and activities
- Ongoing reinforcement of safety messages and protective behaviours
- Making prevention part of the culture – not a one-off event
Survivor Stories
Why We Didn’t Speak out
*Names have been changed to protect privacy.
He was the boy in my class. I was eight. He touched me under the table while lessons were going on. Then he’d make me touch him. I was terrified, but I didn’t say anything. Not because I didn’t want to—but because I couldn’t. I didn’t even have the words to describe what was happening. And I didn’t think anyone would believe me.
Why Jess as a child didn’t speak out:
- Abuse happened in public, making it more confusing
- Lack of vocabulary to report
- Fear of not being believed
- No space created by adults to talk about unsafe touch
Just because a child is surrounded by adults doesn’t mean they feel safe. It’s important to build safe environments so children know they can speak out if they ever feel uncomfortable.
One of the teachers always helped me with my homework after school. He also helped other students but was extra nice to me in the classroom and always said I was a smart girl who was going to go far in life. Then one day, when the other students had left, I stayed behind to get help with my geography homework. He put his hand down my top and touched me and made me touch him. I didn’t know what to do, so I just acted like nothing happened.
After that, I started playing up at school and purposely got kicked out of classes because I hated being in that environment. I went from being one of the highest-performing students to one of the lowest. I ended up leaving with only three GCSEs because of this situation.
Why Hannah as a child didn’t speak out:
- She was a teacher everyone liked – so felt intimidated
- She was scared no one would believe her because he was a teacher and I was “just a student”
- I worried people would think I was lying because I was overweight and not “pretty”
*Just because someone is liked or respected doesn’t mean they can’t harm children. In fact, often perpetrators intentionally get into these roles as they have access to vulnerable people, in this case children. We need to make sure children understand they will be taken seriously if they speak out even if the perpetrator is someone that is ‘liked’, holds a particular position whether in their career or in society.
I was abused outside of school by a family member. I remember coming into school and telling a teacher about it. She said she was going to get the safeguarding team involved – and she did.
The safeguarding lead and social services treated me so badly that day, I felt it was more traumatic than the actual incident. That experience has affected how I ask for help even now. I felt like a liar, and I was so humiliated at the thought of help possibly coming. I wish they had dealt with it better and up until the state do not understand why they did not. The only thing I can think is that we grew up in a poor, working class, non-English-speaking community, so quite often I felt we were marginalised as it was and therefore help wouldn’t come because we were seen as not important enough. Whether that’s true or not I don’t know but that’s how it felt at the time.
Mohammed’s experience of speaking out as a child
- The response from safeguarding and social services was traumatising
- He felt disbelieved and unsupported
- He still fears reaching out for help now as an adult because of that experience
Every child deserves to be believed, protected, and advocated for. We cannot underestimate the power we have when disclosure takes place. How we react can impact a child for the rest their life.
I was in a relationship with a boy from my youth club. He would often pressure me into doing sexual things I didn’t want to do, but no one really spoke about things like that there. We were just seen as a “cute couple.”
When I tried to say he had a toxic side and made me do sex, the youth leader told me, “every relationship has its issues…and man up” That was it – no questions, no follow-up. I remember thinking because I’m a male, no one cares about this kind of stuff. I just told myself it wasn’t that serious and as a male, I needed to toughen up basically. Looking back now as an adult, I think they should have been better equipped to ask the right questions instead of dismissing it. Speaking out and being brushed off left me traumatised. It made me feel like I had to downplay what happened and that I couldn’t trust adults.
What I’ve learned is that it’s not always that adults don’t care – often, they just don’t have the tools or knowledge to respond. We need to give those who work with young people the training and confidence to deal with these situations properly.
Julian experience of speaking out as a child
- His concerns were dismissed as “relationship issues”
- He was left feeling traumatised and unable to trust adults
- He believes adults need more training and tools to respond appropriately
- He believed because he was a male it was ‘not that serious which is awfully wrong
*Every child deserves to be believed, protected, and taken seriously. The way we respond in the moment can shape a young person’s trust for the rest of their life. Boys often find it harder to speak out, so it’s vital that adults have the training to respond appropriately and provide a safe environment. Sexual abuse does not exclude males from being targeted, and support must be available for them too.