The last few weeks, indeed the last seven months, have been completely unprecedented in terms of the media focus on child abuse. It's hard to believe, and just as hard to read, the plethora of shocking stories... However, I believe some of this is simply coincidence but some gives me reason to be optimistic. Yes, I really did say optimistic. Rather than view all the reports of these horrific cases as a sign that things are getting worse, we should actually be pleased that they are being exposed, that they are being discussed and that offenders are being taken to court.

Mairead Philpott, jailed for 17 years for killing her six children in a house fire, is to appeal against the length of her sentence, her lawyer has sa...

Stuart Hazell, 37, was a man with a violent and scarred background which is nothing unusual in such crimes. But, tellingly, he also had an addiction to images of children being sexually abused. Police discovered hundreds of such pictures on his computer hard drive. He had also visited websites searching under 'illegal incest pics' and 'sex with young children'.

Labour will examine a Swedish-style ban on adverts targeted at youngsters as part of efforts to tackle the commercialisation of childhood, the party's...

Going missing is a critical warning sign that something is wrong in a child's life. Yet evidence revealed that professionals are often slow to respond. This is exacerbated by professionals too often viewing children as the problem - routinely dismissing them as 'troublesome' or 'streetwise'.

Scotland wants to be the best small country in the world for children to grow up in. It's a great aspiration to set but as new figures show an increase in the number of children on child protection registers, with more than half under the age of five - is Scotland getting any closer to giving its children the very best start in life?

I walked around to see how children in Homs are living. In a convent that works with children, situated at the end of a line of fully standing buildings and right before the destruction and rubble begins, I was amazed to find children reading books, listening to teachers, drawing pictures and playing games. The drawings on the walls spoke of smiling faces, waving hands, laughter and messages about the need to forgive. A total contrast to the rubble outside that represents so many battered lives.

Nine out of 10 teachers, police officers and social workers are regularly coming into contact with children they suspect are suffering from neglect, y...

Paedophiles may try to convince themselves these are 'consenting' relationships but they come at great cost to the victim, or survivor, and to the UK taxpayer through associated health costs. At the NSPCC we hear about and work with this fallout every day.

Nearly 780,000 villagers are now living in the ruins of their homes or in evacuation centres - more than the population of Leeds. The current level of assistance is nothing compared to the needs despite scores of Filipino citizens volunteering their time and personal resources, adding to the response by government, UN and non-governmental agencies.

Rochdale council staff who failed to protect youngsters from a child sex ring have been identified and could be sacked once an internal investigation ...

A survey of social workers published in Community Care today, in partnership with the NSPCC, reveals that just one in 10 were confident that children suffering neglect were being properly protected.

A Polish catholic priest has been forced to defend himself after pictures emerged of children licking cream off his legs. The photos show an "init...

Unfortunately, there are some people who reject the argument that guidance protects coaches as well as children, believing instead that it is having a negative effect on the reputation of sport and putting many coaches off by cultivating a climate of fear around their contact with children.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised after a report into the protection of children and vulnerable adults showed that safeguarding had fallen ...