Paul Waine, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse at Beechwood Care Home, is launching 'The Voice Box', a new safeguarding tool designed to help victims of abuse report and speak out without the need for face-to-face interaction. This initiative, born from his personal experiences and the closure of the abusive Mapperley children's home, aims to support children and victims and is inspired by his movement Froggy's Law CIC, following the Operation Daybreak investigation and the resulting custodial sentences.
In 2018, Paul Waine, a victim of sexual abuse , waived his right to anonymity to tell how he was raped in a Nottingham home before being horrifically abused at Beechwood Care Home in the 1970s. Since then, Paul has written a book detailing the sexual and physical abuse he suffered as a child, and now he has decided to channel his focus on a new safeguarding tool for victims of abuse.
Beechwood Care Home was one of several care homes in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire that were investigated after hundreds of children claimed to have been sexually and physically abused by staff. The Mapperley children's home closed in 2006, but before then, it was jointly run by Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council . Operation Daybreak was the investigation run by Nottinghamshire Police in response to the hundreds of reports of abuse from ex-residents, and after years of evidence gathering, four people were handed custodial sentences for the abuse they inflicted on the home's residents. Paul explained to the Liverpool Echo in 2018 that the horrific abuse he says he suffered at Beechwood Care Home led him to become an avid campaigner for stricter safeguarding measures. Froggy's Law CIC, the name of Paul's movment was started in 2025, founded to create a new safeguarding tool aiming to assist children and victims of abuse in speaking out. The new movement incorporates a new safeguarding tool that is hoped to be rolled out into Nottinghamshire schools - the tool has been named 'The Voice Box' and allows victims of abuse to report or talk without any fear of speaking to someone face to face. 'Froggy's law was born out of my own experience of being born into trauma and chaos,' Paul said. 'I was born into trauma myself; my father had a terrible stigma attached to him due to his heinous crimes. 'The thing is, I can't think about another child being born into the same environment that I was, which stems from a lack of early intervention.' Paul told the Liverpool Echo in 2018 that he had been raped by his father's friend, who had been staying at his home, who later went on to try to groom him. He was then later sent to Beechwood Care Home, where he claims he endured more abuse from carers at the site. 'The impact it had on my life was devastating. I was abandoned by my mother at the age of 11, and I had to live with my father. 'I was the black sheep in my family. I refused to look away from the truth. I was put into care after running away from home after I was raped by one of my father's friends, who was locked up with him. 'I was put into care of the local authority, where I was later sexually assaulted by one of the managers. This was all reported. 'It had a massive impact on my life. 'That is why I've created Froggy's Law; there are children being born into chaos right now.' This lived experience has spurred Paul's efforts to lobby for the implementation of stricter safeguarding guidelines, as well as his in-development disclosure tool that gives children the opportunity to speak out without speaking directly with an adult. 'This is where the voice box comes into it, it gives children a voice alternative to where you phone in, which can be a traumatic experience on its own. 'To give you an idea, it's like an old photo booth where you go in and have your photo taken. It's a safe place for a child to talk. 'It's a trauma-aware disclosure tool; it's designed to bypass gatekeeping. 'My own life has kept me entombed with all of this. I have never lost sight of this. I woke up one day and felt compelled to help, and that was in June 2025.' Paul says that this new tool would allow children to disclose information without pressure and to open up without having to speak directly to an adult. He said that in theory the tool would be used by a child either verbally or using a 'feelings card', which would then be checked by an adult, and support would be given if necessary. Paul's website explains that the voice box pilot aims to help children express their feelings safely and calmly before they reach a crisis point, with the goal of making the boxes available in schools and community settings. The new tool is in development, and Paul is currently working on its early stages to support schools in its possible rollout into community settings. The 62-year-old has been applying for funding, but as Froggy's Law is in such an early stage of development, he is still working to secure funding streams.
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