Hear and Now
Hear and Now
Target population
Hear and Now provides therapeutic support to children aged 4-18 whom professionals are concerned about. To be eligible for Hear and Now, a child or young person must meet one criterion in Category A and one in Category B.
Category A:
- They have been in contact with a known individual or alleged person who poses a risk of sexual harm.
- They have a history of disclosure and retraction.
- There is a history of sexual abuse in their extended family.
Category B
- They seem withdrawn, depressed or isolated.
- They’re the sibling of a child who has disclosed or retracted sexual abuse.
- They’ve been identified by professionals or services as having problems and/ or being at risk due to their vulnerability or behaviour.
Delivery organisation
Hear and Now is delivered by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), the UK’s leading child protection charity.
Mode and context of delivery
Sessions are offered to a child when their assigned social worker deems it necessary for them to engage with the service, as they meet one or more of the target criteria.
Weekly one-to-one sessions are held at one of the eight locations within the UK that Hear and Now is currently being delivered. These areas are: Camden (London), Craigavon (Northern Ireland), Gillingham (Kent), Newcastle upon Tyne, Peterborough, Sheffield, Swindon (Wiltshire) and Warrington (Cheshire).
Social workers also talk to the child’s parents or carers to ensure the whole family is supported. Relevant family members are offered individual support sessions and may also attend sessions together with the child.
Level/Nature of staff expertise required
Hear and Now is delivered by experienced social workers who are trained in therapeutic work. Each child is assigned to a social worker.
Intensity/extent of engagement with target group(s)
After the child has had an initial assessment, an individual intervention plan will be made. Up to 24 sessions can then be offered to the chid, with up to 12 sessions being offered to their parent or carer. The intervention responds to the needs of the child and various techniques can be used to help the child stay engaged and to support them in communicating feelings.
Description of intervention
Hear and Now was developed to help children and young people where there are concerns about sexual abuse. The purpose of this service is to offer a trauma-focused intervention to help children and young people explore and minimise the impact of any abuse they might have experienced, rather than focusing on the abuse itself. Hear and Now has been adapted from the NSPCC’s programme called Letting the Future In.
The aims of Hear and Now are to:
- help children feel better
- understand why they feel the way they do
- learn that adults can be trusted
- help them understand how to seek help.
Sometimes children don’t understand their feelings and don’t have the words to describe how they feel. Writing, storytelling and art are all things that children and young people of any age can use to help them understand and express feelings that they can’t put into words. Younger children can also do things like messy play.
Sessions are tailored to meet each child’s individual needs. Building a therapeutic relationship is central and, over time, they will get to know us and learn to trust us with their worries and concerns.
Evaluation
To date, no evaluation has been conducted specifically on the Hear and Now programme. However, the NSPCC are planning to evaluate the programme to find the best methods for supporting children and young people. The NSPCC will be building on what works, changing things that can be improved, and putting all their effort into making sure they are giving children and young people the best possible chance.
References
To date, no references are available.
Contact details
NSPCC
Address: East London Service Centre, Alexandra Ciardi House, 7-8 Greenland Place, Camden, London NW1 0AP
Tel: 020 3763 2380
Email: elscduty@nspcc.org.uk
This programme is no longer being delivered.
INFORMATION CORRECT AT JANUARY 2021
RATING: Pioneering