We believe the number could be much higher. Many of these crimes go unreported as the person may fear not being believed or they're too scared to speak out. At the NSPCC, we want to change this. Child sexual abuse, and all other forms of abuse, can have a devastating, long-lasting impact. It's vital that victims have the confidence to speak out, knowing they'll be listened to, no matter who the offender is and how much time has passed.

This is why we run programmes across primary schools like Speak out, Stay safe which uses age-appropriate language and helps children understand that abuse is never their fault and they have the right to be safe, and that the NSPCC's Childline service is one of the places they can turn to.

Without our dedicated volunteers it would be impossible for the charity to continue to be there for children. They support our Childline service and work in primary schools delivering messages so children can recognise signs of abuse and feel confident speaking out. With the help of Buddy, the speech bubble mascot, volunteers have delivered this programme for over 14 years through fun, interactive assemblies and workshops. Workshops are for children aged six and seven and nine to 11-year-olds.

In the last year, across the region, they reached 184,898 children in 786 schools with Speak out, Stay safe and Talk Relationships. But we want to be there for every child, and we need more help to do this.

Talk Relationships supports all secondary educational settings to deliver inclusive sex and relationships education in an age-appropriate way. There are pre-planned lessons, activities and a helpline for teaching staff. We're encouraging schools to find out more. We have a team of staff and volunteers to support anyone who'd like to join in helping to create a safer environment for children and young people. We're looking for new members to share these safeguarding messages. Use our pre-application to find out more and if you decide to join us, full training is provided with support from our school's team.

* If you can spare some time each month to help deliver Speak out, Stay safe or Talk Relationships, register interest at join-us.nspcc.org.uk/volunteers/volunteers/schools/

* Primary schools can sign up to Speak out, Stay safe at learning.nspcc.org.uk/services/speak-out-stay-safe

* For more about Talk Relationships visit learning.nspcc.org.uk/services/talk-relationships