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Dear Colleague,

Victim-blaming might be a relatively new term, but it is not a new concept. This new UKCIS guidance is ideal for anyone who regards 'challenging victim-blaming' as a nice-to-have, rather than a vital part of effective safeguarding. Read on to find out more...

The name of the document makes it clear what it is about, but please don't let the 'internet' in UKCIS make you think this document is not applicable to all areas of safeguarding - it very much is!

See the contents below - the different sections can be used for personal CPD and upskilling on the topic, the scenarios are ideal for all-staff training and the issues addressed throughout the document will help shape your policies and practice

What is victim-blaming? You can read much more in the document of course, but classic examples are following a case study of abuse by asking about the victim "what did s/he do wrong?" rather than focussing on the abuser, or responding to a real-life online incident with "well you shouldn't have been on that app anyway!".

Why does it matter? Of course it is wrong to make victims feel like it is their fault for being abused and this can perpetuate the trauma and prevent recovery. Also, where children and young people have heard victim-blaming language used as standard, they may be less inclined to ask for help and staff might be less likely to view an incident as a safeguarding matter.

We won't write more about it here because the best thing is to head straight to the document to read, share and act upon.

But remember, there are lots of other excellent documents from the UKCIS Education Group, many of which referred to in KCSIE, such as the Education for a Connected World framework, Questions for the Governing Board and Using external expertise to enhance online safety education. We love contributing to UKCIS and working with the other organisations below who come together to share best-practice to keep children safe.