Smash hit

“We now know that raising awareness generates more calls. We just don’t have enough money to launch a big advertising campaign,” says Mr Findlater. “I would like Stop it Now! to be a household name, as well known as the Samaritans or Childline.”

The charity runs on about £2.5 million a year, most of which comes from the Home Office and the Probation Service. However, one private donor has stumped up £60,000 a year for the Stop it Now! programme, which pays for one director.

Mr Findlater acknowledges that helping potential paedophiles is perhaps the most unfashionable cause around. “It is a complex message to get across to the public that those at risk of harming need to be helped. But it will make the world a safer place for children if they are,” he says.

However, the charity has just won a valuable funding recommendation from New Philanthropy Capital, the advisory group for wealthy donors and trusts.

Its report on child abuse, entitled Not Seen and Not Heard, examines the whole gamut of charities operating in the field and recommends that donations be given to those it calculates as likely to have most impact on the cause.

“We know that there are significant numbers of abusers and potential abusers who are motivated not to offend, and that the risk of children being abused is reduced if these people can be reached,” said Tris Lumley, co-author of the report.

“The Lucy Faithfull Foundation is a real leader in this field with its Stop it Now! programme. The helpline is not there to make people feel better but to advise them on managing their behaviour to reduce the risk of offending.”

Another two projects, Inform and Inform Plus, are also praised. They offer support and advice for the families of those affected. Many of the people who attend the projects have had husbands and partners, fathers or brothers arrested under Operation Ore.

Mr Lumley acknowledged it is a difficult cause for which to raise money.

“Generally, work with children is traditionally a popular area of charitable giving. Deciding to tackle child abuse by funding work with abusers requires a more thoughtful approach to what will be most effective,” he says.

“But as our report argues, work with both children and abusers is required if we are to tackle the problem.”

The Stop it Now! helpline is 0808 1000 900