Campaigners have set up a website to help tackle child abuse a day after police in Brighton and Hove began operating a diluted version of “Sarah’s Law”.
The Home Office backed website is called Parents Protect and is run by a campaign group called Stop It Now!
The site went live today and includes details of the police disclosure scheme.
Under the new police scheme, parents and carers in Brighton and Hove can for the first time formally ask whether someone who has contact with a child is a registered sex offender.
The Parents Protect site contains much more information including an explanation of what sexual abuse is and signs to look out for.
Donald Findlater, director of Stop It Now, said: “While it’s important that parents and carers go to the police with concerns, it is vital they have sound information.
“There are practical steps adults can take to protect children and this new resource helps them to do that.
“Additionally, adults need to know what to look out for in other adults.
“Sex offenders are mostly not the monsters commonly portrayed in the media.
“They are people we know, often people we love and care for.
“Recognising that someone close to us could pose a risk to children is not easy to think about.
“But if we know what to look out for and where to go for help and advice we are much better placed to protect children from harm.”
Detective Superintendent Jane Rhodes, who heads the Sussex Police Specialist Investigations Branch, said: “As a force we work extremely hard to safeguard children and anything that assists in this is to be welcomed.
“Tackling sexual abuse against children isn’t just the responsibility of the police.”
She added that it was important to work together with other agencies and organisations and to raise awareness.
