Best Practice

Safeguarding: Disclosure is just the beginning

Safeguarding Pupil wellbeing Pastoral issues
The abuse that Rachel W experienced as a child continued for years until she finally disclosed at school. But disclosure is not the end of the nightmare. She writes here about her experiences post-disclosure…
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It took me a long time to realise that my life was more important than the fear that surrounded the potential to lose it.

I remain incredibly thankful for my determined heart, which despite the constant threats, gave me the courage and bravery to partially disclose the abuse that was tormenting me.

Nonetheless, disclosure was only the start of my journey to safety. The complexities that surrounded the atrocities of both the abuse and the abusers took more than a year to entirely unravel.

I have previously written in SecEd about the abuse I suffered as a child, its impact on my life and education, and how I finally managed to disclose at age 14 despite the barriers I faced. I also spoke about disclosures during a recent episode of the SecEd Podcast.

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