A charity has been criticised for handing out booklets detailing incidents of sexual abuse to schools. The ChildLine booklets were withdrawn from Thomas a Beckett School in Worthing after concerned parents contacted The Argus. But ChildLine believes children learn far more about the subject with "straight talking". So is it right for children to be given the booklets?

Miles Godfrey reports.

The news that ChildLine has been distributing a magazine describing an uncle trying to abuse his niece has shocked parents.

But has the time now come to stop skirting around horrors and modern-day realities of sexual abuse and be honest with children?

Have we, for far too long, been too scared to tell it like it is for fear of corrupting young minds?

ChildLine, the highly respected and long-established branch of the NSPCC, thinks children learn far more by approaching the subject with "straight talking".

It bases its belief on research with children, who told the charity that is how they would prefer the information to be presented.

In its In The Know magazine, which provoked fury among parents in Worthing after being given out to primary school children in the area, the charity detailed several graphic references to sexual abuse.

In one chapter, children were asked to spot the abuse situation out of three scenarios. A goodnight cuddle from their mother and a trip to the doctor were the first two options.

The third said: "Your uncle promises you a new MP3 player if you take your knickers off and sit on his lap."

In another section it gave advice on how to avoid being "groomed" over the internet by paedophiles.

A spokeswoman for the NSPCC said: "We produced this magazine because our research has shown that significant numbers of children who experience child abuse or bullying tell nobody and suffer in silence.

"We want to raise awareness so that children speak out sooner and, as necessary, receive the help and support that they need.

"The magazine was produced to raise awareness in a sensitive and non-threatening manner, so that children will be more likely to speak out about abuse and have a better understanding of how to protect themselves.

"The NSPCC has found that correct information on which parts of the body are private is important for children, both to combat playground misinformation and help children learn what is and isn't appropriate."

A number of parents, whose children have received the magazine, have complained about its contents, saying it was "too old" for their children or inappropriate.

The Argus reported that children as young as seven were handed the booklet.

A spokesman for ChildLine said it is now working with education authorities across Sussex to ensure the booklet does not reach children under eight.

Experts have also voiced concern over some of the content.

Dr Adrian Rogers, of the pressure group Family Focus, said: "This strikes me as something more suitable almost for 12 and 13 year olds.

"Is it necessary to inform all children about child abuse at the age of eight?

"I'm afraid that by informing all children about this sort of thing some of them may actually be harmed as a result by having thoughts or fears about their mum or seeing the doctor."

But the NSPCC and ChildLine say the information contained in the magazine is all in the national curriculum.

The NSPCC spokeswoman continued: "The sexual references in the leaflet are all covered by the compulsory national curriculum for the eight to 11 age range, so the illustrations and references contain the same information as those used in compulsory lessons for children of this age.

"We consulted with children of this age group, teachers and parents while producing the magazine.

"The children felt strongly that the body parts should be named and illustrated.

"However, we recognise that all children are different and that what is suitable for one child may not be suitable for another.

"We recognise that while we believe that this information is very important and should be widely available, we also appreciate that in these sensitive matters the parent may have a view on what information their child is ready to experience.

"This is why we advised schools to allow parents to opt children out."

The magazine has now been withdrawn from some schools, which examined the material after The Argus highlighted the case.

But ChildLine is standing by it - claiming it is important that children understand the issues involved.

It said: "The issues are presented in a non-threatening way.

"It's straight talking without being too emotive and gives children honest answers to their questions.

"The magazine was developed after consulting children about what sort of information they wanted to help them stay safe.

"Much of the content is of a sensitive nature and some difficult topics are covered, especially on pages 14 to 15, which deal with sexual abuse.

"But the magazine gives important facts in childfriendly, understandable language and includes information which we believe children need to know to stay safe."

Should children be given the level of detail published by ChildLine booklets? Tell us what you think below.