A Guide to Freedom From Abuse CIC
Founder of Freedom From Abuse Marilyn Hawes talks about her work and the services they can provide for schools.
What is Freedom From Abuse?
I have had the pleasure of writing articles for Handsam's eZine for a long time now but I'm sure that many readers of Compliance Matters aren’t aware of what we do.
Back in 2002, as a former deputy head, I discovered my boss of 10 years and my best friend of 17 years had sexually abused my three sons; all pupils at the Church of England Primary school where I also taught.
The journey to where we are today began with the need to better understand how predators infiltrate child-centric settings; none more so than schools. 65% of perpetrators choose a career which puts them in the frontline, working with youngsters.
You can’t rely on the government, police and social services to protect children. As parents and guardians, we are all accountable but most require the tools to prevent and manage abuse.
I am realistic enough to know the hideous struggles schools get with social services when referring in. It really does take so much energy and gritty determination to keep calling and pushing until you arrive where you seek to be with every case.
As the years have gone on we now have a huge variety of courses available to schools both online and offline.
Our style is different and we have lots of up-to-date information and case studies. This is our job 24/7 which we do remarkably well.
It is an investment and the results far outweigh what school staff can achieve. It is so difficult for staff to navigate.
Presently, we are on point and speaking to many young lads about misogyny and Andrew Tate and how to move away from his mantra and consider what it really means to be a man!
When Do Offenders Start Their Abuse?
I visit offenders in prison, and every one of them has spoken of their dreadful early years in childhood. They are very often children of an overly controlling mother, and privy to sexualised behaviours from as young as six years old in some cases.
When I speak to the perpetrators, I ask when they first began their activities Most have said that from the age of 7 years old, they started being cruel to animals and insects. By 10 to 11, they had moved on to abusing other children.
I wonder how many tell-tale signs your staff may be unaware of and out of your cohort, how many youngsters will go on to become sex offenders and/or child abusers? Criminal behaviour doesn’t begin at 23 years old! The behaviours are clear to identify much earlier.
If we can mentor these youngsters as early as possible we can prevent them entering a very dark place. The brokenness experienced by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in their early years is a huge contributor. As teachers, surely it is our duty of care to do the very best we can do and not just “hold” children until they leave school.
Reporting Abuse
What saddens me is there is so little understanding of how it feels to experience grooming in plain sight, and it always is in plain sight!
Mandatory reporting is not the same as statutory guidance, which is not legal. Following our training, we see schools where the staff really have their eyes opened to reality. Additionally, with our support, we have seen schools going forward and reporting incidents to the police, with cases successfully leading to convictions.
Our Programmes Include:
The Internet: hidden harms, sexual exploitation, and grooming. We educate from year 3 to year 11 with age-appropriate content. You will be able to identify those at risk and those who are the risk of abuse.
Pitfalls: From year 8 upwards, we educate about the ever-changing risks youngsters face today - including sexting, live streaming, games, pornography, substance abuse, joint enterprise, gangs, respect, misogyny and relationships. Beauty or the Beast: From year 8 upwards, we help youngsters better understand and identify toxic versus healthy relationships and friendships and how to manage them. Caught for Court : Sponsored by the Home office in 2019, from year 5 to year 10. Life in a young offender’s institute or prison if caught carrying knives, drugs or any crime which results in a conviction and the law of Joint Enterprise. Be The Child: An accredited course for staff whose remit is teaching or caring for children. We cover the impact of abuse and trauma, peer-on-peer abuse, how not to re-traumatise a child and how to manage children displaying difficult or regressive behaviours. Grooming and the Abuser: Grooming is the preamble to abuse! Staff in educational, sport and musical establishments are commonly used by abusers to identify their targets. Would you be able to identify an abuser from their behaviour?
Marilyn Hawes
Marilyn is the Founder of the charity Freedom From Abuse which provides support and resources to educate users on how to identify an abuser, report abuse and protect children in their care. A survivor of abuse herself, she was named Inspirational Woman of the Year in 2017.