Restitute Conference - Supporting Families and Empowering Survivors

Several members of ACTS FAST attended the Restitute conference at Stansted in Essex last week calling for better support for families of children affected by sexual abuse. The national conference brought together government, police, health, and academic leaders to strengthen how families of children who have been sexually abused or exploited are supported.

The conference, hosted by Jackie Long of Channel 4 News, featured contributions from those with lived experience who shared their stories, Jess Asato MP, Caroline Nokes MP, Simon Bailey QPM (former NPCC Lead for Child Protection), Andrew Kelso (Chief Medical Officer, The Princess Alexandra Hospital), Neil Churchill (Director for People and Communities, NHS England), Alison Hernandez (Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Corneall), and BJ Harrington (Chief Constable, Essex Police).

Alongside panel discussions and talks the event also included an interview featuring Jess Phillips MP, Minister for Safeguarding, in conversation with the Supporting Families, Empowering Survivors Consortium  — made up of Restitute, We Stand, ACTS FAST, and The Ivison Trust — discussing the urgent need for systemic reform and greater recognition of non-abusing parents and carers. Our CEO, Simone Gosden was part of the interviewing panel.

Simone Gosden, CEO of ACTS FAST said “It’s a real honour to be working alongside these amazing organisations working hard to raise the voice of parents and carers impacted by child sexual abuse. CEO Cath Pickles and her team at Restitute did an incredible job of bringing together decisions makers, practitioners and most importantly experts by lived experience to create lively debate and meaningful conversations about how we can affect positive outcomes for families. I am hopeful with the support of influential figures like, Jess Phillips MP and the work Jess Asato MP is doing to have parents recognized in the Victims Bill we will start to see the support for services vital for parents/carers and their children.”

The event also introduced the Principles and Vision of the Consortium to promote the need for specialist, independent support for non-abusing parents and carers, distinct from the services offered to children as primary victims — ensuring the whole family’s needs are addressed. This consortium brings together the charities: Restitute CIC, We Stand, ACTS FAST, and The Ivison Trust. It calls for lasting change that recognises non-abusing parents and carers as key safeguarding partners, ensuring they are treated with compassion, respect, and dignity, and given independent support in their own right and that decision-makers and commissioners treat non-abusing parents as a priority group deserving funded, specialist support.