Thursday 10 February 2022
We are delighted to announce that Simon Bailey QPM, DL, former Chief Constable of Norfolk Police, and national police lead for child protection has joined Embrace Child Victims of Crime as our chair of the board of trustees.
Simon, a police officer with Norfolk Police for 35 years who rose through every rank from beat bobby to Chief Constable, oversaw some of the greatest changes in the way sexual exploitation crimes are dealt with and brings with him a wealth of experience in safeguarding.
Since his retirement in June last year, Simon continues to pursue his passion for safeguarding taking on a wide range of roles within the child protection arena including tackling exploitation, abuse and vulnerability.
He has pledged to improve the outcomes for young people whose lives have been blighted by crime and who are struggling to overcome the trauma they have suffered.
“Today the twin scourges of domestic abuse and sexual violence threaten to change the path of the lives of many of their young victims who have done nothing to deserve the disadvantage they’ve suffered, ” he said.
“Many of these crimes happen in the home and in places where children and young people should be safe. We have a duty to protect them, to help prevent them from becoming victims of crime and, if they do, then help should be readily available to put their lives back on track.
“I first knew of the important work of Embrace CVoC during my police career. Today we know much more about the prevalence of these crimes and how common they are. It is well-known that domestic violence – once thought of as a low-level crime – can often predicate more serious criminal activity of the perpetrators.
“Embrace does an amazing job for the thousands of young people it supports each year. My ambition is that every child who has been a victim of crime who wants counselling and support is able to get it.
“Top of our list is to publicise the services that are available and to make it easy for young people to access them, all free of charge, of course.
We know Government funds are stretched far beyond the ability of the state to step in and help all those who need support – that is why Embrace’s work is so important.
“Where we work with fundraisers, corporate partners and commissioners of service, we get some great results for the future prospects of our young beneficiaries – now we need to grow the ability to reach out to many more children and young people to make the magic happen for them.”
We look forward to sharing further updates about our mission, priorities and vision for supporting children harmed by crime over the coming months.
Retiring chair Sir Paul Stephenson QPM was keen to continue his involvement with Embrace and has agreed to become our new President.
To find our more about Embrace CVoC visit www.embracecvoc.org.uk
