WHEN THE SYSTEM FAILS A CHILD
Trauma, Safeguarding, and Why Protection Must Come Before Procedure
By Samantha Avril-Andreassen
There are moments when a society must stop and ask itself a difficult question:
How did we allow this to happen?
Recent reports concerning the abuse of young girls in Hampshire have shocked communities across the country. Behind every headline is a child whose life may have been altered forever. Behind every statistic is a young person who deserved protection, safety, dignity, and care.
One of the reported victims described the experience as feeling as though she had been "hit in the face with a brick."
That statement should stop us in our tracks.
Because safeguarding is not simply about investigating harm after it has occurred.
Safeguarding is about preventing harm before it occurs.
Trauma Does Not End When the Incident Ends
The public often sees a case as beginning with a report and ending with a conviction.
Trauma does not work that way.
For a child, trauma can become woven into their developing understanding of the world.
It can affect:
confidence,
educational attainment,
emotional regulation,
trust in adults,
future relationships,
physical health,
mental health,
and their sense of safety.
The abuse may last days, weeks, or months.
The consequences can last decades.
Children do not simply "move on."
They carry the impact into adulthood.
This is why safeguarding failures are so serious.
When protection systems fail, the damage extends far beyond the original incident.
The Safeguarding Question
Whenever children suffer repeated abuse, one question inevitably follows:
Where were the safeguards?
Who noticed the warning signs?
Who received disclosures?
Who had information that, when combined with information held elsewhere, could have triggered intervention?
Who was responsible for escalating concerns?
Most importantly:
What systems existed to ensure that no child could fall through the cracks?
Safeguarding cannot depend on luck.
It cannot depend on whether the right person happens to be on duty on the right day.
Protection must be systematic.
It must be proactive.
And it must be capable of identifying risk before harm escalates.
Courts Cannot Be the First Safeguard
One of the greatest misconceptions in public life is that justice begins in the courtroom.
It does not.
By the time a case reaches a courtroom, harm has already occurred.
The criminal justice system plays a vital role in accountability, but safeguarding begins much earlier.
It begins in schools.
It begins in healthcare.
It begins in youth services.
It begins in communities.
It begins with adults listening when children speak.
The court system is designed to determine facts and impose consequences.
Safeguarding systems are designed to prevent children from reaching that point in the first place.
The two functions are different.
Both matter.
But prevention must always be the priority.
Trauma-Informed Justice Must Become the Standard
Children who have experienced abuse should not be expected to navigate systems designed for adults.
Trauma affects memory.
Trauma affects communication.
Trauma affects participation.
Trauma affects trust.
A truly trauma-informed system recognises these realities and adapts accordingly.
This means:
specialist support,
early intervention,
coordinated safeguarding,
victim-centred processes,
and long-term recovery services.
Justice should not be measured solely by convictions.
It should also be measured by whether children are protected, heard, believed, and supported.
A Debt Owed to Every Child
The measure of a society is not how it responds when everything is working.
The measure of a society is how it responds when its most vulnerable members need protection.
Every child deserves safety.
Every child deserves dignity.
Every child deserves adults who are willing to act.
And every institution entrusted with safeguarding children carries a profound responsibility to ensure that no child is left carrying preventable trauma alone.
My thoughts and prayers remain with every young person affected.
May they find healing.
May they find peace.
And may we have the courage to build safeguarding systems strong enough to ensure that fewer children ever need that healing in the first place.
© 2026 Samantha Avril-Andreassen. All rights reserved.